- Houston Texans wide receiver Danny Amendola has seen plenty of quarterback-wide receiver combinations. He's been part of that tandem with the New England Patriots as one of the go-to's for seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady.
It didn't take long for him to see the growth of rookie quarterback Davis Mills and wide receiver Nico Collins. Week by week, the two third-round picks continued their budding connection that is a hopeful staple of the organization's future.
"They're going to continue to grow, continue to get better," Amendola said last Sunday. "They're getting into their first offseason together. They'll continue to grow, get on the same page.
"Sky is the limit for Davis. I'm excited for them. Great teammates and hard workers."
Collins' role expanded in the second half of the Texans' 28-25 season finale loss to the Tennessee Titans. With Brandin Cooks out due to injury, the Michigan product became a staple of the passing attack.
Collins recorded three catches for 67 yards and an average of 22.3 yards per catch. During the fourth quarter, his 30-yard reception set up a 7-yard touchdown to Amendola to help Houston rally from down 21 points to only three.
"He is going to be a force these next few years," Amendola said of Collins. "He can run. He can catch. He is a dog.
"He puts it all in week in, week out. He is going to be something special here pretty quick.”
Collins finished his first professional season with 33 catches for 446 yards and a touchdown. With limited playmakers, the goal was for him to expand his rep count and solidify his status moving into 2022.
Over the past three games, Collins slowly transformed into the long-term No. 2 opposite Cooks. He averaged 16.9 yards per reception and recorded at least one catch over 30 yards.
"The biggest adjustment just coming from college to NFL, everybody is good," Collins said. "You can't just beat everybody with skills. It comes down to small details. I feel like throughout the year, that's what the vets in my room really helped me out a lot and R.P. (Robert Prince) telling me to just keep going, keep building."
Amendola believes that timing is everything. Names like Ja'Marr Chase and Joe Burrow with the Bengals or Tua Tagovailoa and Jaylen Waddle with the Dolphins have an advantage in their development as college teammates.
Mills said he intends to recruit players to stay for the offseason in Houston to continue to enhance the chemistry. Collins is first in line to get those extra reps.
"We're going to build from there, work out together and keep stacking," Collins said. "Just improve, see ways to get better from this year, what ways we can get better for next year and to improve on our game."
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