Aug 9, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; A Houston Texans helmet sits on the sidelines during the 4th quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Texans Predicted to Dump Former Chiefs Super Bowl Champion

Originally posted on Houston Texans on SI
By Matthew Schmidt | Last updated Aug 24, 2025 7:08 PM ET

The Houston Texans completely retooled their receiving corps this offseason, which is something they had to do with Tank Dell set to miss all of 2025 and Stefon Diggs walking via free agency.

The Texans added some veterans via free agency and trades while also selecting Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel in the NFL Draft, providing C.J. Stroud with some fresh targets at his disposal.

One of Houston's key free-agent additions was former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson, who won back-to-back Super Bowls with the Chiefs during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns. He was also a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that won a championship back in 2020-21.

The Texans signed Watson hoping he would provide a reliable, established presence to a wide receiver room that sorely needed it, but now, there appears to be a chance that Watson does not even make the roster.

ESPN's DJ Ben-Amie has released his 53-man roster projection for Houston ahead of cutdown day later this week, and while he has the Texans keeping six receivers, Watson is not among them.

Justin Watson might not make the cut for the Texans

More specifically, Ben-Amie has Houston retaining Nico Collins, Higgins, Noel, Christian Kirk, Xavier Hutchinson and Braxton Berrios, another veteran addition who could provide some help on special teams, which could give him the edge over Watson.

Watson logged 22 catches for 289 yards and a couple of touchdowns last season. Two years ago, he was a bit more productive, catching 27 passes for 460 yards and three scores. That was good for a robust average of 17 yards per catch. He also displayed a penchant for making big plays in key moments for Kansas City.

However, Watson has never recorded 500 receiving yards in any one individual campaign since entering the NFL in 2018, and at 29 years old, his room for growth is minimal.

The Texans may prefer to retain a younger receiver like Hutchinson, who displayed tremendous potential at Iowa State and may not have tapped into it on the professional level just yet.

This article first appeared on Houston Texans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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