Texans’ DeMeco Ryans avoids giving Nico Collins injury update

Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud earned a huge confidence boost in Sunday’s 26-15 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, throwing for 300 yards for the first time in more than a year. He enjoyed his second big game in three weeks, operating with the poise and effectiveness that had so many fans prognosticating a future MVP award after his stellar rookie campaign. The third-year signal caller and the offense can still get better, given that Nico Collins is not even healthy at the moment.

The Pro Bowl wide receiver suffered a concussion in last Monday’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks and was ruled out for the Texans’ Week 8 triumph against the Niners. Houston will face the Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills and first-place Indianapolis Colts in November, so a healthy and impactful Collins is essential. Alas, head coach DeMeco Ryans is not ready to make any declarations about the 6-foot-4 receiver’s status ahead of Sunday’s meeting with the Broncos.

“We’ll see where he is later in the week,” he said, per Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle, declining to reveal where Collins is specifically in his concussion protocol. Teams are encouraged to be especially cautious when it comes to head injuries, which means fans may not get any concrete information for a few days.

Texans WR Nico Collins is still waiting to be cleared

A potentially undermanned offense would presumably have serious trouble containing a Denver defense that has 10 more sacks than the next closest team. The good news, though, is that the Texans WR room should be moving with conviction after a collectively productive outing in NRG Stadium.

Former sixth-round draft pick Xavier Hutchinson tallied five receptions for a game-high 69 receiving yards and a touchdown. Former Iowa State stars Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins also made a sizable impact, with the former recording 63 yards and the latter scoring his second career TD. Fellow rookie Woody Marks is also aiding Houston’s aerial attack out of the backfield, totaling four catches for 49 yards.

Although Nico Collins is an incredibly valuable component of this unit, Ryans’ squad is unlikely to stay afloat in the AFC without a balanced offense. Fans eagerly await some positive news regarding the 26-year-old’s condition. He has 26 receptions for 339 yards and three touchdowns in six games.

Whenever Collins does return to the field, CJ Stroud and the Texans hope they will have a capable and promising pass-catching group lining up alongside him. If there is one positive thing to come out of this injury situation, it is that the team’s young wideouts had the opportunity to grow and carry more responsibilities in a signature win versus the 49ers.