Houston Texans Lose NFL’s Leading Receiver, Nico Collins, to Injured Reserve

Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (top center) makes a touchdown between Los Angeles Rams cornerback Derion Kendrick (bottom left) and safety Russ Yeast II (43) during the first half of a preseason NFL game in Inglewood, Calif. on Aug. 19, 2022. Jae C. Hong/AP Photo

The Houston Texans had a dramatic 23–20 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday in which they connected on a 59-yard field goal as time was expiring on the win. However, the Texans also suffered a massive loss. Nico Collins, the NFL’s leading receiver, suffered a hamstring injury that put him on injured reserve on Wednesday. Collins will now miss at least the next four games.

In the win over Buffalo, Collins made his impact felt late in the first quarter when he was on the receiving end of C.J. Stroud’s 67-yard touchdown pass. It was the second-longest touchdown catch of Collins’s four-year career and put Houston ahead 14–3. However, he left the end zone with a noticeable limp, signaling something was wrong. He was checked out by trainers on the sidelines before heading back to the locker room. When Collins returned, he was not in uniform.

After the game, the early prognosis from Texans coach DeMeco Ryans was that Collins was day to day. But when he addressed the media on Monday, the coach offered a more ominous outlook: Collins would be week to week.

“Nico, he’s in good spirits. Of course, with the hamstring, it takes a couple of weeks,” Ryans said. “So, we'll evaluate that on a week-to-week basis to see when we can get him [back].”

As it now stands, Houston won’t get Collins back until Week 10 at the earliest. The good news is that of the four games he’ll miss, three come against teams with losing records. The bad news is that three of the next four games are on the road, the only four-game stretch of the season in which the Texans have three away games.

Collins will miss Sunday’s game at the New England Patriots, then Week 7 at the Green Bay Packers. He’ll be out for Week 8’s home game against the Indianapolis Colts before missing a Week 9 Thursday Night Football game at the New York Jets. He’ll be eligible to return on Nov. 10, a home game against the Detroit Lions, but it’s no guarantee that he'll be out the minimum of four games.

This is just the latest in a number of injuries for Collins, who has missed multiple games in every year of his career since being a third-round pick out of Michigan in 1921. In his rookie season, Collins was placed on injured reserve due to a shoulder injury and missed three games. In 2022, a groin injury caused Collins to miss two midseason games. He returned for four contests and was then sidelined for the last five games of the year due to a foot injury, ending the season on injured reserve.

Last year, Collins missed two contests because of a recurring calf injury. Assuming that Collins is only out for the minimum of four games with his hamstring injury, he will have missed a total of 16 games through 3 1/2 seasons, or one fewer than the equivalent of a full 17-game season.

Before the Texans knew the extent of the latest injury and that Collins would be out for at least a month, Ryans talked about what potentially missing the star receiver would mean for the team.

“Missing Nico would be very difficult. Nico has been the best receiver in the NFL this year,” Ryans stated on Monday. “So, do you replace him? No, everybody just steps up, and whatever role you’re asked to do, you just step up and play your role the proper way. Nobody has to go out and be Nico. There’s one Nico and he’s done a great job at that. Now, whoever is next, when your number is called, make the plays you’re supposed to make.”

The wideout’s 567 receiving yards lead the NFL, and he also ranks third in the league in catches (32) and sixth in receiving touchdowns (three). He’s coming off a breakout 2023 season in which he had more receiving yards (1,297) than his first two seasons combined (927). Since the start of last season, Collins ranks third in the NFL in receiving yards, trailing only the Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb and Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill.

With Collins leading the way this season, Houston leads the NFL in passing offense, while Stroud ranks third in passing yards. Without Collins’ services, the team will rely more on veteran Stefon Diggs, who is off to a slow start in his first year in Houston.

Diggs made Pro Bowls each of the last four seasons with the Buffalo Bills and is averaging 6.2 receptions and 63 receiving yards per game this season. That yardage is his lowest in seven years, but his presence now becomes more of a necessity for Houston rather than a luxury, minus the NFL’s leading receiver for at least four games.