Second-year Texans receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel will be part of an interesting training camp battle for the No. 2 spot behind Nico Collins.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
We’re now a little less than a month away from training camp beginning for the Houston Texans, which is usually the time non-stories become stories while players are on vacation.
Fortunately, nothing notable has happened with Houston.
But you had questions and I’m here to answer them.
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Welcome to JMA’s Texans mailbag, where once a month in the offseason, I answer readers’ questions. To ask a question, send me an email, message me on X or fill out the form below.
Let’s get to your questions, which may be lightly edited for brevity and/or clarity:
Q: What receiver do you see stepping up this year besides Nico Collins? Also, do they sign a receiver? For example, Deebo Samuel, whom they had interest in last year. — Bryce
JMA: I’d expect Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel to have improved years. Higgins was much better over the second half of the season than he was in the first half, so he’ll likely build on that with more experience. And Noel has shown he can make big plays. The Texans will try and utilize him more.
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As for your other question about whether the Texans are planning to sign a receiver, no.
If the Texans were looking to sign a free-agent receiver, they would have done so by now to give him time to get acclimated to the team. But they haven’t.
The Texans like their current receiver group and will give them every opportunity to show that in camp. Obviously, if there’s an injury or they feel they aren’t getting much production from that group, then it’s possible they would sign one.
But for now, I don’t expect it.
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Q: Who do you feel will be the starting five offensive line Week 1 vs. the Bills? — Giles Lamont
JMA: I can only give my opinion based on a projection because we won’t know how each linemen will look until the pads come on, which is usually during Week 2 of training camp.
Currently, I’d say Aireontae Ersery at left tackle, Wyatt Teller at left guard, Keylan Rutledge at center, Ed Ingram at right guard and Braden Smith at right tackle.
It’s hard to make a determination or tell you who is in the lead without actually see them playing real football against other competition.
Q: What position will have the most negative effect on the Texans this year? I feel it would be in the secondary, but I am not sure. — Gary Baldauf
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JMA: I wouldn’t say there is a position group that will have a negative effect on the Texans. And it certainly wouldn’t be the secondary, which is arguably their strongest position group.
There are certainly position groups that are weaker than others in terms of depth.
If I’m the Texans, I’d be concerned with receiver and backup edge rusher. Nico Collins is an elite wideout. Everyone else is solid. Perhaps Tank Dell can get back to his former self. But Collins suffers an injury every season. And though they had a game in which they were successful when he didn’t play, they also had horrible games without him.
Edge rusher depth is also an issue, because after Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, there is little experience on the edge. If any one of those players get hurt, Houston may have a problem on its hands.
At this point in the offseason, it’s unlikely to see Texans coach DeMeco Ryans and general manager Nick Caserio make a splashy addition.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
Q: Considering fan speculation about the depth at both RB and DE, do you think the Texans are done adding talent at either position? If not, which of the two do you think Nick Caserio and co. would prioritize adding to first? — Clayton Anderson
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JMA: Similar answer to the last question. If the Texans were concerned, they would have added one of those positions by now. But it’s also important to remember that performance and injuries can change things.
So it’s just a matter of how the current players perform and their health. I would also caution against thinking the Texans are going to make any major signings. If anything, they’d seek players familiar with DeMeco Ryans’ and Nick Caley’s systems or ones similar.
It makes it far easier for those players to make the adjustment when they haven’t had the full offseason to prepare for it.
However, I do believe the lack of depth at edge rusher has the potential to be a problem.
Q: In looking at the current Texans roster, which position group should provide the fiercest and most entertaining training camp competition? And on the flip side, which position group might need some help? — Ed Helinski
JMA: With Tank Dell coming back, it has to be receiver. Outside of Nico Collins, there isn’t a clear No. 2.
The good news is the Texans have several candidates who could fill that role. Dell, who was dynamic during his rookie season and had a couple of 100-yard games in his second season, is one. Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, who are entering their second seasons, are the others.
Dell will likely begin the year behind Higgins and Noel simply because he hasn’t played since December 2024. But if he is healthy, watch out.
As far as the position group that needs help, I wouldn’t call any position groups weak. Some may need more depth at certain positions, as I mentioned earlier. But the Texans are well stocked among their starters.
Q: It seems like more NFL players miss time with soft-tissue injuries than college players. What do you attribute this to? Do college kids just play through it? — UnnecessaryApo2
JMA: I don’t know the data on that, so I’m not sure if that’s actually true.
What I do know having covered college sports, is that colleges are not required to disclose the type of injuries players have. For instance, a player can have a groin strain, and a team may call it a lower body extremity injury on their injury report. You would never know it was a soft-tissue injury.
Also, let’s say if NFL players do get more soft-tissue injuries, and I’m not saying it’s the case, but one explanation could be that NFL players are older, which requires more in the form of warming up and stretching. I know it does for me ever since I reached my 30s.
And last, college kids don’t play through it, especially if it’s serious enough. The top players would not want to risk their draft stocks. I’m no doctor, but I do know that.