Houston Texans: Too many issues at wide receiver

The Houston Texans are in a bit of chaos following Monday’s suspensions.

What a weird and stressful season it has been for the Houston Texans, adding to the already crazy year that is 2020. The Texans began this season by trading an All-Pro wide receiver, then they started off 0-4.

That resulted in the firing of their head coach/general manager Bill O’Brien, and now the Houston Texans have the oldest head coach in NFL history with Romeo Crennel calling the shots. Just when things were turning around after consecutive wins, Will Fuller and Bradley Roby are both suspended for the rest of the season due to PED violations.

That is just too many problems for the Houston Texans to handle with five games remaining in the season. Even being 4-7 overall as they enter Week 13, the Houston Texans still have a shot to have an overall winning record. If they win out, they can finish 9-7 overall, and who knows what happens then.

Now without their No. 1 wide receiver and No. 1 defensive back, just exactly what should the Houston Texans do now? They have one of the worst rushing games in all of the NFL already, but David Johnson is returning, so that can help the offense … maybe.

Today, let’s just look at the wide receiver situation moving forward.

The Houston Texans just released wide receiver Kenny Stills before Will Fuller was suspended. Stills wasn’t signed by any team off waivers, so he’s a free agent. Before the season, the Texans traded DeAndre Hopkins, their only All-Pro wide receiver, so now the Texans are really in a mess at wide receiver.

Will Fuller finishes the season with 53 receptions for 879 yards and eight touchdowns, all while averaging 16.6 yards per reception. Fuller was well on his way to his first 1,000-yard season, and he was on pace to play all 16 games in the season, which would have been a new accomplishment as well.

The former first-round selection, Will Fuller is in his fifth season with the Houston Texans but now will be a free agent once the season is over. Fuller was having his career-best season, and it is a shame to see it end the way it has.

Houston Texans have young wide receivers, injuries to overcome

Before we forget, the Houston Texans still have Brandin Cooks as a wide receiver, but Randall Cobb is now on the IR and has to miss at least three games.

The Houston Texans have very few reliable options left at wide receiver with Keke Coutee and rookie Isaiah Coulter available to play wide receiver. Coulter has yet to play in an NFL game since being drafted in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, and Coutee hasn’t fared much better this season.

Coutee has played in three games, where he’s collected six receptions for 38 yards and one touchdown. For his three-year roller coaster of a career, Coutee has collected 18 regular-season games played, where he’s made 56 receptions for 579 yards and two touchdowns. In the playoffs, Coutee has 11 receptions for 110 yards and one touchdown back in 2018.

Don’t be surprised to see the tight ends more involved with the Texans offense for the rest of the season as well.

It is time for more Darren Fells, Pharaoh Brown and Jordan Akins to make some noise on the offense moving forward with their receiving skills. Fells is the leading tight end on the team this season with 19 receptions in 11 games played for 275 yards and three touchdowns.

Also, Akins has played in eight games in 2020 with 22 receptions for 275 yards with one touchdown. Brown has played in nine games, where he’s collected seven receptions for 75 yards and one touchdown.

This is tough for Deshaun Watson as well because he’s carried the Houston Texans all season long on offense. Watson has gone from having one of the very best wide receiver trios in recent memory to now basically just him and Cooks, and hopefully he can make those around him better as well.

None of those receivers are nearly as good as Fuller or Cobb, but it is time to see what they can bring to the offense for the remaining five games.