Pro Football Rumors
Former Texan Stefon Diggs is among a handful of established wide receivers remaining in free agency, but a reunion with Houston looks unlikely. The Texans are not planning to sign a receiver, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Houston will head into training camp later this month with back-to-back Pro Bowler Nico Collins continuing to lead its receiving corps. Texans general manager Nick Caserio invested somewhat heavily in complements to Collins in the 2025 draft, during which the club welcomed former Iowa State teammates Jayden Higgins in the second round (34th overall) and Jaylin Noel in the third (No. 79).
Higgins and Noel are back in important roles, as is fellow Iowa State product Xavier Hutchinson. Tank Dell is also on track to return after missing all of 2025. Unlike last year, Caserio did not spend big on the receiver position in the draft. Sixth-rounder Lewis Bond was the lone addition, though Caserio did grab tight end Marlin Klein at 59th overall in Round 2.
The Texans won 12 games and made their third consecutive trip to the playoffs last year, but they did so in spite of a passing offense that ranked a below-average 19th. The team is now in wait-and-see mode in regards to a potential extension for quarterback C.J. Stroud, who is going into his fourth season. Stroud has formed a strong connection with Collins, a 1,000-yard receiver three years in a row, as well as tight end Dalton Schultz.
While Schultz pulled in 82 catches and 777 yards last year, none of the Texans’ other receivers approached those numbers. To his credit, Higgins tied Collins for the team lead in touchdowns (six) during a 41-catch, 525-yard debut. Meanwhile, Noel caught just 26 passes for 292 yards and a pair of scores. After combining for 20 receptions, 207 yards and no scores over his first two seasons, Hutchinson easily set career highs in all three categories (35/428/3) in 2025.
The Texans’ top four receivers were remarkably durable last year. Collins had two absences, but Higgins, Noel and Hutchinson played full 17-game seasons. However, Dell was nowhere near as fortunate. After suffering a gruesome knee injury (ACL, MCL, LCL tears and a dislocation) in Week 16 of his second year, he was unable to make it back in 2025. It was the latest notable injury for Dell, a 2023 third-rounder who missed six games as a rookie with a fractured fibula. During the ensuing offseason, Dell sustained a minor wound as an innocent bystander in an April 2024 shooting.
When Dell has taken the field, he has given Stroud another capable target. The 5-foot-10, 165-pounder combined for 98 catches, 1,376 yards and 10 touchdowns in 25 games over his first two years. Having not appeared in a game in 19 months, Dell will be a player to watch in camp. If he resembles his 2023-24 self then, Caserio will feel even better about the Texans’ group of receivers.
