On Thursday afternoon, Houston Texans fans got the news they have been hoping to hear for close to two weeks now... Nico Collins is officially out of the NFL's concussion protocol, and is slated to make his return to the field in Week 9 against the Denver Broncos. Although it was initially suspected that Collins would miss only one game, you can never be too cautious with head injuries, but thankfully, Collins got the all clear and he's feeling great about it.
"Blessed to be off the protocol," Collins said on Thursday afternoon, according to ESPN's DJ Bien-Aime. "Feeling good, feeling excited about this week's great matchup."
In addition to Nico Collins being back, the Houston Texans offense should also benefit from the return of Christian Kirk, who has been dealing with a hamstring injury all season long and been limited to just three games because of it. If offensive coordinator Nick Caley can find a way to work both Collins and Kirk back into the fold while allowing players like Jaylin Noel, Jayden Higgins and Xavier Hutchinson to continue to blossom, the offensive ceiling of the Texans will be raised by a floor or two.
However, it wasn't all good news on Thursday afternoon, because one unexpected name did pop up on the Houston Texans injury report.
Woody Marks dealing with a calf injury
Rookie running back Woody Marks, who has slowly but surely worked his way past Nick Chubb in Houston's running back rotation, was a surprise addition to the injury report on Thursday afternoon.
Although there's no indication yet that this calf injury is anything serious, the fact that Marks didn't have any sort of designation on Wednesday seems to suggest that it's a fresh injury that could potentially keep the first-year back away from the field this Sunday, and any hit to the ground game would be a huge blow for a Texans offense that is looking to establish a nice balance between the run and the pass.
To make matters worse, Marks has been a factor in both thus far this season. Not only is Woody Marks 7th among all rookie running backs in rushing yards so far this season, Cam Skattebo of the New York Giants is the only rookie running back with more receiving yards this season than Marks.