Nico Collins is back on the field—well, at least for practice—after nearly a month on the sidelines.
The Houston Texans activated the fourth-year wide receiver off injured reserve on Friday morning, ahead of that day’s practice session. He now has 21 days to either be added to the 53-man roster or placed back on injured reserve.
Collins plans to play for the rest of the regular season, potentially returning as soon as this Sunday when the Texans face the Detroit Lions. As the top target for rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, his return is crucial for Houston’s playoff push, especially if they want to secure a top-three seed in the AFC.
Texans fans have been eagerly awaiting this news: Nico Collins is officially off the injured reserve list, and the clock is ticking on his 21-day window to return to the active roster.
In another roster move, Houston also placed offensive lineman Kenyon Green on injured reserve to make room for Collins.
While Collins hasn’t practiced the past couple of days, that doesn’t mean he won’t play in Week 10 when the Texans debut their “Battle Red” jerseys at home against the Lions. There have been instances where players missed practices but still suited up on game day. Defensive tackle Foley Fatukasi missed back-to-back practices with a shoulder injury in Week 7 but played the following week against the Green Bay Packers, while tight end Dalton Schultz also missed two practices in Week 2 but played in that game against the Chicago Bears.
Just because Collins is cleared to practice doesn’t guarantee he’ll play. The Texans are well aware that their offense revolves around him as Stroud’s primary target, especially after his breakout performance in 2023. Any setbacks in his recovery could hurt the team’s chances in important upcoming games against the Dallas Cowboys, Tennessee Titans, and Jacksonville Jaguars before the bye week.
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said Collins was “doing good” leading up to Wednesday’s practice and that the team would continue to monitor his status throughout the week before making a final decision.
Collins, who led the NFL in receving yards (567) and ranked third in receptions (32) before being injured, will test out the hamstring during Friday’s drills. Houston will have two days to decide if he’s healthy enough to play on Sunday against the NFC favorites in what could be a potential Super Bowl preview.
Even if Collins is out, it’s a significant step in the right direction, something needed for Houston entering the second half of the regular season.
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