Battle Red Blog
Houston addressed the receiver position with every conceivable avenue this offseason
Houston Texans training camp is a few days away and while the front office can’t help themselves but to add new players to the roster, I’m simply excited about the prospect of football in a matter of weeks.
Each week of the training camp and pre-season, I will detail different positional battles taking place this summer. The first of those positions is the tantalizing wide receiver position. This group has a staggering number of new faces with a mixture of rookies and vets. At the end of the post, I’ll outline who I think will make the final 53-man roster, but you can also find my thoughts on the entire team in my bi-weekly Rosterology.
Nico Collins and Christian Kirk
First and foremost, let’s spend some time on the players who are confidently going to be sporting Battle Red jerseys in 2025. Nico Collins has earned his place on the roster and among the best receivers in football. He has yet to complete a full 17-game season and most recently missed five games in 2024. Collins is joined by Christian Kirk, a savvy and skilled veteran who has been a standout of the offseason training program. Still only 29, Kirk’s career has sputtered recently due to a collarbone injury suffered in Week 8 against the Packers. Even though he’s posted fewer catches, yards, and touchdowns in three consecutive seasons, he is firmly entrenched as the second option entering 2025.
While rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel could be included in this group, I’ll detail them in another section. In today’s NFL, I truly don’t believe any rookie is a “lock”, even if one of them is signed to a historic, fully guaranteed contract.
John Metchiee III, Xavier Hutchinson, and Jared Wayne
Metchie and Hutchinson are often grouped together despite having vastly different play styles. On one hand, Hutchinson has developed into a rotational, sub-package wide receiver who takes over Nico Collins’ role when Collins is (often) injured. The Iowa State product routinely appears lost mid-route or hesitant over the middle of the field. However, he’s strong at the catch point and has reliable hands on third down. Hutchinson must prove his value beyond simply being a replacement in order to maintain his roster spot.
On the other hand, Metchie’s potential has yet to materialize following his cancer diagnosis and recovery in 2023. The volume of articles posturing “if Metchie can figure it out” is staggering. Based on his current résumé and the new competition, Metchie hasn’t shown enough to warrant another season on the roster. With both Kirk and rookie Jaylin Noel added to the slot receiver mix, Metchie feels redundant and replaceable. Ultimately, this training camp is about one thing: What role can Metchie carve out for himself?
Let’s not forget Jared Wayne, who played significant snaps down the stretch for Houston after both Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell went down. Still,...
