The Houston Texans have 14 wide receivers on the roster; however, the team will probably start the season with six, possibly seven, but my money is on the team keeping six on the 53-man roster. So, which six will make the roster, which will find their way to the practice squad, and who will be looking for another team after the cutdown?
Some believe Nico Collins can be a true number-one receiver. Can he be that guy? He'll make the team and have a chance to prove he can but let's begin with the obvious players that will make the Texans' 53-man roster at the wide receiver spot. I don't think there are any shockers here.
1. Robert Woods
2. Nico Collins
3. John Metchie III
4. Tank Dell
5. Noah Brown
There's five of the six already but that sixth one is a bit tricky. The contenders here are Amari Rodgers, Xavier Hutchinson, and Steven Sims. Sims brings an aspect of special teams to the table, as does Rodgers.
My money is on Hutchinson though. He's a possible addition to the Texans' practice squad, but his size makes him a solid red zone threat for Stroud or whichever quarterback is starting. Plus, Tank Dell can handle the return duties, which would be dynamite but also makes Rodgers and Sims expendable.
Who gets cut and who makes the Houston Texans practice squad?
The Texans' wide receivers are young, outside of Robert Woods and Noah Brown. A lot of inexperience with this group. Both Rodgers and Sims have some talents the Texans could use if needed and offer long-term potential. For those reasons, I have them both on the practice squad.
The one caveat to all this is if the Texans decide to keep seven receivers on the 53, then I can see Sims making the roster, with Rodgers and rookies Jared Wayne and Jesse Mathews on the practice squad.
Second-year player, Drew Estrada suffered a torn Achilles in 2022 and has not made his Texans debut. The injury will keep him from making that debut, as he will be a cutdown casualty, along with the remaining three, Alex Bachman, Jalen Camp, and Johnny Johnson III.
I mentioned in a previous article Cynthia Frelund's team rankings based on their wide receiver room. When you break down the room for the Texans, you can see why they are considered one of the worst groups in the league. That's not saying they won't be good but Woods and Brown have 11 and 7 years of experience behind them, no other receiver on the roster has more than four and that is Steven Sims.
Four other wideouts are rookies, Tank Dell, Xavier Hutchinson, Jared Wayne, and Jesse Matthews. Estrada might as well be a rookie too. So many unknowns and unproven commodities on this team but it will be interesting to see how they perform on the field and maybe they can prove some folks wrong, like Frelund.