Few quarterback to wide receiver combinations have proven to be as prolific as CJ Stroud to Nico Collins.
After lighting up the NFL and cruising to a Rookie of the Year win last season, Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud is undergoing something of a sophomore slump this season. All year long, the Texans offense hasn’t been as potent as they were last season, and Stroud is presently coming off one of the worst performances of his career, a 11-for-30 outing in which he threw for just 191 yards and was sacked eight times in a 21-13 loss to the New York Jets.
Fortunately for Stroud and the 6-3 Houston Texans, their offense — which has already been hit with the loss of veteran wideout Stefon Diggs for the season — may soon be getting a major boost from one of the most dynamic young receivers in the NFL.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Texans have designated Nico Collins to return to practice after a month-long stint on injured reserve. Collins has been out since he tweaked his hamstring on a play in which he scored a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills back in Week 5. Through five weeks, Collins was leading the NFL in receiving yards with 567. Even after missing four games, the 25-year-old wideout is still 14th in the league in the category.
It should be cautioned that this doesn’t necessarily ensure that Collins will be returning to the lineup for Houston’s high-profile Sunday Night Football clash with the Detroit Lions. But it makes sense that fans in H-Town would be eager for the return of one of the league’s premier stud receivers.
Texans boast one of league’s best QB-WR combos in Stroud and Collins
Since the start of last season, when CJ Stroud arrived in Houston as the 2nd overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, only Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb and Tyreek Hill have averaged more receiving yards per game than Nico Collins has. In that time, Collins has played in 20 games, and has caught 112 passes for 1,864 yards and 11 touchdowns. In eight of those games, he topped the 100-yard mark.
Not only has the Stroud to Collins connection been incredibly prolific, it’s also been remarkably efficient. Last season, Stroud had a 129.6 passer rating when targeting Collins, who has hauled in 73 percent of his targets in that time frame. And these aren’t necessarily dink and dunk attempts either. In each of the last two seasons, Collins has ranked in the top five in yards per target.
Houston doesn’t face too much competition in the race for the AFC South divisional crown, but the return of Collins gives the Texans a true chance to advance further in the postseason this season than they ever have.
