HOUSTON – Texans star wide receiver Nico Collins was officially designated for return from injured reserve Friday and launched his 21-day practice window to be restored to the active roster.
He is listed as questionable and was a limited participant in practice Friday.
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Collins has passed a regimen of tests for his hamstring injury suffered against the Buffalo Bills with no setbacks and has regained his speed and mobility, running 20 miles per hour in training sessions, according to league sources.
Collins didn’t practice Wednesday and Thursday before returning to practice Friday and the team is still determining whether he will play Sunday night game against the Detroit Lions.
Collins has made a speedy recovery, per league sources, after getting hurt catching a touchdown pass against the Bills and being placed on injured reserve.
“It’s all very encouraging,” a source said. “Nico is doing well.”
“Nico, he’s doing good,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said after practice Wednesday. “We’ll see where he ends up.”
In other injury news, the Texans placed struggling left offensive guard Kenyon Green on injured reserve with a dislocated left shoulder suffered against the Detroit Lions.
The Texans officially ruled out Pro Bowl defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (mild high ankle sprain), and running back Dameon Pierce (groin).
The following players are questionable: wide receiver Tank Dell (back), defensive tackle Foley Fatukasi (groin, shoulder), linebacker Jake Hansen (ankle), defensive end Jerry Hughes (hip), cornerback Jeff Okudah (quadriceps-hip)). There is no designation for linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (knee), safety Jimmie Ward (groin) and center Jarrett Patterson (concussion) and they’re all set to play.
Collins, who was initially optimistic that he could return in a few weeks before a magnetic resonance imaging exam revealed enough damage to the leg that it was diagnosed as a three to four week injury, per league sources, missed the mandatory four weeks before he was eligible to be designated for return under NFL rules. He injured the middle portion of his right hamstring.
Without Collins, the passing game has suffered. That included a career-low 86 yards, 55 net yards, 10 of 21 passing and no touchdowns for Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud during a 24-22 road loss to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Stroud completed just 10 of 31 passes, a career-low percentage, in a loss to the New York Jets last Thursday night.
Collins was leading the NFL with 567 receiving yards before the injury. Without him, the focal point of the offense has shifted to running back Joe Mixon as he has hit the century mark in four consecutive games with at least one touchdown per contest.
Collins is a unique wide receiver, towering over opposing defensive backs with his superior size. His speed as a long strider eats up real estate as he regularly creates separation in the secondary. His polished routes, sound hands and ability to high-point the football by elevating over shorter competitors are all in the elite category.
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One of the most dominant and productive downfield threats in the game has been missed in a Texans passing game headlined by him and Stroud as their connection was interrupted.
Without Collins, a 6-foot-4, 222-pound speedster who has run the 40-yard dash in 4.44 seconds, the Texans have struggled to replace his production. Collins caught 32 passes before his injury and was on pace to pile up 109 catches for 1,928 yards and 10 touchdowns prior to injuring his right hamstring while catching a 67-yard touchdown pass in a win over the Bills as his leg seized up during a long touchdown catch.
“Unfortunate that we’ll not have Nico, great player, best receiver in the league,” Ryans said at the time of the injury. “He’ll be back at some point this season. Opportunity for other guys to step up and make the most of their opportunity, that’s what the league is about. A lot of guys who have stepped in when other guys are out have made a name for themselves and made some big plays in the league, so we’re looking for the same thing for whoever it may be.
“Whatever we call, whatever plays we have designed for this particular week, it’s about us operating efficiently as an offense. It’s never about one player and Nico, of course, he made a lot of big plays for us and we’re going to miss his explosive plays that he made down the field. I keep saying this: Who’s next? Who’s going to step up? Who’s going to make those plays? We’ll see.”
Life without Collins has been difficult. There is no receiver like him on the roster that has his rare combination of size and speed and other traits. And the Texans lost Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs to a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
It has been a tall order for the receiving corps to replace him.
“Losing somebody like Nico is very tough,” Stroud said. “Everyone understands that we’re going to miss him. I think they can. Definitely just next man up mentality. You have to be able to win football games without him for a little bit.”
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Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 click2houston.com.
