Nico Collins has taken the first step to return to the field for the Texans.
After weeks and weeks of anticipation, star wide receiver Nico Collins has taken the first step in his return to the field for the Houston Texans, being officially activated off of IR, according to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport.
“A boost for the Texans: Star WR Nico Collins, who had been on Injured Reserve with a hamstring injury and practiced just yesterday, is being activated to the 53-man roster,” Rapoport wrote on social media. “He was the NFL's leading receiver when he suffered his injury.”
Starting the season off on a tear, catching six of the eight passes thrown his way for 117 yards, Collins was playing like one of the absolute best wide receivers in the entire NFL through five weeks, putting up 567 yards and three touchdowns in just five games of action. Collins had already put up more yards through Week 5 than his entire rookie and sophomore seasons in the NFL and likely would have topped his breakout 2023 mark by Week 10 of the 2024 NFL season, too, had he not landed on IR with a hamstring injury.
Now one step closer to returning to the field in Week 10, though he is still listed as questionable, Collins returns to the Texans offense that is in somewhat disarray, with Stefon Diggs on IR, Tank Dell, and Dameon Pierce dealing with injuries, and has three offensive linemen, Brevin Jordan, Kenyon Green, and LaDarius Henderson all dealing with one injury or another, too.
Still, considering just how impactful Collins played in Weeks 1-5, his return to the field should be impactful all the same, as CJ Stroud has been forced to rely a bit too heavily on Dell in Diggs' absence, which isn't a bad idea, as he is very good, but does prove the team's limitations. After taking two losses over the last three weeks, the Texans have a chance to field a more competitive team in their Sunday Night Football showdown against the Detroit Lions and, especially after, when they have a trio of games lined up against teams with losing records in the Dallas Cowboys, the Tennessee Titans, and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Texans HC DeMeco Ryans is impressed by the Detroit Lions' culture
Discussing the Texan's showdown against the Lions on SNF, Ryans celebrated Dan Campbell for putting together a strong culture in Detroit, with his players playing football the “right” way.
“Seeing Detroit, the past few years, I think you see with their culture, you see the energy that [Detroit Lions Head] Coach [Dan] Campbell has brought to that team,” Ryans told reporters via Athlon Sports. “You see the mindset, the toughness, physicality, their style of play. It shows up on tape every week, and they got really good players as well across the board area. They have a lot of good players, a lot of good young players that are exhibiting that mindset and that culture. It is a really good team coming in here this week, and we are very excited about the matchup.”
Widely considered two of the best young teams in the NFL, Week 10's edition of Sunday Night Football should be a fascinating showdown that highlights just how well two of the top teams in the league stack up moving forward;, a potential Super Bowl preview if everything shakes out the way the two teams want.
