Jul 23, 2025; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (12) during training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

DeMeco Ryans Addresses Nico Collins’ Lack of Production in Week 1

Originally posted on Houston Texans on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Sep 9, 2025 4:48 PM ET

During the Houston Texans' 9-14 Week 1 loss vs. the Los Angeles Rams, it ended up as a quiet day for Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins.

Collins finished his season opener logging three catches on five total targets for 22 yards. While he still saw a team-high in targets come his way, it's far from the usual dominant WR1 we're used to seeing from just last year, ultimately overshadowed by a standout performance from Rams' Puka Nacua on the other side of the field.

But as head coach DeMeco Ryans spoke about during Tuesday's presser, it's not that the Texans don't want to feature Collins in the offense; the game script just didn't play in his favor.

"Of course, we want to get the ball to Nico; he's one of our best players," Ryans said after the Texans' loss vs. the Rams. "But, offensively, when you go back to the game on Sunday, we have so many plays where we're kind of playing behind the sticks, and we're not doing things that we're trained to do."

"We're not doing things conducive to staying on track and being able to run our offense in that type of fashion. It's going to be hard to get the ball to a certain player here or there; 2nd-and-18, 2nd-and-10, 3rd-and-long. That's not where you want to operate as an offense."

It's not often Collins has a box score as he did in Week 1. Just last season, he only had two matchups in which he had five targets or fewer: a game he couldn't finish due to injury (Week 5 vs. BUF), and the last game of the regular season (Week 18 @ TEN). So he was in extremely unfamiliar territory on Sunday.

But Collins still led the Texans' pass catchers when it came to being in being on the field. Throughout the game, he was on for 84% of the offensive snaps and 86% of their passing plays.

Yet the offense kept finding themselves in deep holes on multiple drives that worked against Houston's star wideout. Collins didn't have the same freedom in the game plan for scripted looks in negative situations like he'd find in those that'd be, say, 2nd or 3rd-and-short.

It's clear Ryans wants to get Collins involved in the passing game moving forward, and he'll be sure to do so. But perhaps more importantly, Ryans wants to keep things on track for the offensive side of the ball as a whole.

"We've just got to come back this week, do the things we're supposed to do, make sure we're staying on track offensively, making sure everybody's on the same page, and we're just putting ourselves in positions to make positive plays," Ryans said.

"When we have those positive plays, then it opens up the offense for us to be able to get the ball to whoever we want to get it to."

Expect a more sound and organized attack for the Texans offensively next week, and in turn, a better statline from Nico Collins.