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When most think of the Houston Texans and their success this season, the first thing that comes to mind is the defensive unit—and for good reason, as the Texans' defense is among the best, if not the best, in the entire NFL.
However, the Texans have one of the deepest wide receiver rooms in the NFL. Outside of Nico Collins, the names might not be household, but they're great receivers nonetheless.
The Texans have dealt with a plethora of injuries at the wide receiver position throughout the season, including Collins himself missing time. This Houston WR core had to step up many times during the regular season and could do so again in the playoffs.
The Sporting News has everything you need to know about Collins's status before the divisional round and the current state of the Texans' WR depth chart.
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Texans WR depth chart
| Starter | 2nd | 3rd |
| Nico Collins (Q) | Xavier Hutchinson | Braxton Berrios |
| Jayden Higgins | Jaylin Noel | Tank Dell (O) |
| Christian Kirk | Justin Watson (Q) | -- |
Nico Collins
Collins is in his fifth year in the NFL, as he was drafted in 2021 by the Texans in the third round. After two mediocre seasons with the Texans, everything clicked once C.J. Stroud came to Houston.
Since 2023 (when Stroud was drafted), the chemistry between the two has been undeniable. Collins has posted over 1,000 yards in all three of his seasons with Stroud.
Jayden Higgins
Higgins was drafted out of Iowa State by the Texans in the 2025 NFL Draft. As a 2nd round pick with impressive college tape, he was expected to contribute right away.
Although his rookie season started slowly, Higgins became more active in the Texans' offense after their Week 6 bye. Since then, he has posted multiple games with over seven targets and has scored five touchdowns.
Christian Kirk
Kirk entered his eighth year with the Texans in 2025 as a fresh start. Prior to this, he was in Jacksonville for three seasons, during which he had his career-best year in 2022.
However, after that point, he was riddled with injuries and eventually came to the Texans. While he was not heavily involved throughout the regular season with Houston, Kirk was massive in their wild-card win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Kirk put up season best eight catches for 144 yards and a touchdown.
Xavier Hutchinson
Hutchinson is the third year man out of Iowa State, drafted by the Texans in the 2023 NFL Draft. After two seasons of little usage, he stepped up in a few games when the other options were injured.
Hutchinson put up a career-best season in 2025 with 35 catches for 428 yards and even caught the first touchdown of his career.
Jaylin Noel
Noel is also a rookie this season and is from Iowa State. The Texans clearly love their Cyclone wide receivers. While Higgins and Hutchinson were never teammates at ISU, Noel was teammates with both of them in different seasons.
Noel was not used a ton during his rookie season, but he certainly showed flashes of talent. His career-best game on Monday Night Football in Week 7 against the Seattle Seahawks. Noel caught four passes for 77 yards in their loss.
Braxton Berrios
Berrios has only seen action in four games this season. In these contests, he's accumulated six catches for 37 yards.
Berrios is in his seventh season after being drafted by the New York Jets out of Miami in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Tank Dell
Dell was becoming one of the most promising young receivers on the Texans. Dell was a monster in his rookie season, hauling in seven touchdowns on the year.
Unfortunately, in Week 16 of last season, Dell suffered a gruesome leg injury that kept him out for the entire 2025-26 season. However, some good news is that reports indicate Dell is making progress in rehab and is preparing for a return in 2026.
What happened to Nico Colins?
Collins sustained a concussion during the Texans' wild-card game against the Steelers. After a frightening fall, he was helped off the field and taken to the locker room early in the fourth quarter.
This is his second career concussion, the first coming in Week 7 of this season. With these head injuries just three months apart, there is concern he could miss the Texans' divisional-round game.
When will Nico Collins return?
The Texans are set to head to Foxborough to face the New England Patriots in the divisional round of the playoffs. Houston will be the underdog, and the task of winning becomes even harder if Collins is out.
The NFL concussion protocol is a five-step evaluation, with each step requiring a full day to clear. That means the earliest Collins could return to the field for at least limited practice is Saturday, the day before the game.
#Texans WR Nico Collins is not at the portion of practice open to media members as he remains in concussion protocol.
Obviously, it’s a long shot he plays Sunday vs. Patriots, considering the steps he must clear.
If Collins misses, the Texans will need players like Higgins and Kirk to step up in a major way against the Patriots.
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