Nico Collins Out for Week 2

Nico Collins will not play for the Texans in Week 2. The star wide receiver injured his hamstring during practice earlier this week, making him unavailable for Sunday’s game against the Bengals in Houston.

Collins, considered one of the best pass-catchers in the NFL, had limited participation in practice on Wednesday and did not participate at all on Thursday or Friday.

This injury adds to a history of soft-tissue problems that have plagued Collins throughout his six seasons in the NFL.

In 2024, he missed five games due to a hamstring injury. Additionally, in 2022, he was sidelined for seven games because of foot and groin injuries.

At the start of this season, Collins seemed to be in top form, making seven catches for 75 yards and a touchdown in the Texans’ season-opening loss to the Bills.

His absence poses yet another challenge for a Houston wide receiver corps that is already struggling. Second-year receiver Jayden Higgins, who was anticipated to step up as the Texans’ No. 2 receiver, tore his ACL in practice back in August, effectively ending his season.

In light of Collins’ injury, tight end Dalton Schultz, along with receivers Xavier Hutchinson and Kayshon Boutte, are expected to take on a larger role in the team’s passing strategy.

Houston’s offensive coordinator, Nick Caley, remains optimistic about the team’s options in the passing game despite the setbacks. “The good thing about the offense is we have a lot of guys that we have trust in,” he mentioned. He emphasized that the ball tends to find the open players and expressed that quarterback C.J. Stroud has done well in distributing the football. “We have guys with a lot of experience, and we’ll work through it,” he added.

Now, the Texans will need to rely on their depth as they aim to avoid starting the season 0-2 without their top receiving target.