Nico Collins Offers Hilarious ‘One and Done’ Take on New-Look Texans Offense

After the Houston Texans surprised everyone and went from worst to first in the AFC South during the 2023 season, 2024 was supposed to be the year that C.J. Stroud and Nico Collins established themselves not only as one of the league’s best quarterback to wide receiver duos, but also pushed the Texans offense to become one of the best units in the entire NFL.

One of those two things happened. Even though they weren’t nearly as prolific in 2024 as they were in 2023, it’s fair to call Stroud and Collins one of the best duos in the league, but still, there were enough concerns about the offense that the Texans moved on from previous offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, and brought in Nick Caley, who has experience coaching under both Bill Belichick and Sean McVay.

Thus far, Caley has earned rave reviews from folks in Houston, including Nico Collins, who spoke to the media about the new-look offense after day one of training camp.

This is a Texans offense that is built to thrive on big plays and yards after catch, and nobody is better suited that Nico Collins.

Collins topped the 1,000 yard mark for the second straight season despite playing in only 12 contests, and averaged the fourth-most receiving yards per game, behind only Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson and Puka Nacua. He was sixth among all wide receivers with at least 60 catches in yards per reception. But after ranking 9th among all pass catchers in YAC in 2023, Collins saw his production after the catch diminish during the 2024 season.

It’s possible, if not likely, that this had less to do with any issues related the Stroud-to-Collins connection itself than it did Houston’s inability to protect CJ Stroud.

Does ‘New’ Equal ‘Better’ For Texans Offensive Line?

For all of his well-documented struggles in 2024, Stroud still managed to throw for over 3,700 yards and 20 touchdowns despite playing behind one of the league’s most uninspiring offensive lines. According to ESPN, Stroud was sacked 52 times (second most) and was pressured on 38.6% of his dropbacks during the 2024 season. For Stroud to survive — let alone, thrive — the Texans needed to make changes up front.

At the very least, Houston will be replacing three of their five offensive line starters this season. The departures of Laremy Tunsil, Kenyon Green and Shaq Mason open the door for new additions like Laken Tomlinson, Cam Robinson and rookie Aireontae Ersery to step into the fold.

Youthful Texans Receiving Corps Has CJ Stroud Excited 

To account for the loss of Stefon Diggs to free agency and Tank Dell to injury, the Texans introduced a handful of new faces to their wide receiver room this offseason, including a pair of rookies from Iowa State, Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. The Texans selected Higgins and Noel with the 34th and 79th picks respectively, and both rooks are expected to contribute right out of the gate.

“I like the two rookies,” Stroud said July 23, according to Jacob Harrison of Sports Illustrated. “They’ve come in with a great mindset, really mature guys, guys who love to work consistently here at the building or working with me in the offseason. I’m really excited to see those guys’ growth and see them take a step forward each and every day. It’s not going to be perfect for those guys, but I think they’re going to make a lot of plays.”

Higgins and Noel will join fellow former Cyclone Xavier Hutchinson (12 receptions, 117 yards in 2024) in Houston. Additionally, veteran Christian Kirk will be in the mix too, likely serving as Stroud’s second option after a broken collarbone limited him to just eight games in Jacksonville during the 2024 season.