The Houston Texans have been fortunate to have one of the best wide receivers in the NFL for the better part of their history, starting with Andre Johnson, followed by DeAndre Hopkins. But since Hopkins was traded to the Arizona Cardinals, the Texans have been looking for a number-one receiver.
This season is no different; however, several other question marks are facing the Houston Texans receiver corps this year. We'll get into those here shortly, but a lot of the Texans' success will hinge on rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud and how quickly he can adapt to the speed of the NFL.
While I expect the Texans to be primarily a run-oriented offense, in today's game, you have to be good in the passing game too. An elite wide receiver can make a quarterback look better with precise routes and separation, but an accurate passer can help his receivers look good too and Stroud was considered the most accurate quarterback in this past draft.
The Texans spent some draft capital in 2023 on two new wide receivers in Nathaniel "Tank" Dell (Houston) and Xavier Hutchinson (Iowa State). They also signed rookie free agents Jared Wayne (Pittsburgh) and Jesse Matthews (San Diego State). Additionally, they signed Robert Woods and Noah Brown to free-agent deals.
Gone from the 2022 roster are Chris Moore and Phillip Dorsett. They combined for 66 receptions (18.8 percent) and 783 yards (21.5 percent of the team), with three touchdowns. Despite these player losses, I think the gains far outweigh the loss in this case. But with so many newcomers, comes several questions. Let this get into those questions and if we can answer them.