The 20 best wide receivers in the history of the Houston Texans

The wide receiver position is, for the most part, the most overrated in the history of the NFL. A team doesn't need an all-time great to win, though having one sure helps. Moreover, a wide receiver is completely dependent on his quarterback, the only position on offense or defense that can be said for. If a quarterback doesn't throw the ball to him, the wide receiver is usually a non-factor.

So it's not surprising that most times a wide receiver is good, his quarterback is good as well. It makes it even more impressive when a wide receiver is great and his quarterback is anything but. While the Houston Texans don't have a rich history of great wideouts, the team has a few who will knock your socks off.

It's possible that three receivers leap into the top 10 in 2024, including newcomer Stefon Diggs in his first season with the club.

Criteria for Selection

We're looking specifically at receptions, yards, and touchdowns as our baseline. After that, we're looking at the number of targets, rate of success per catch, and yards per reception to help further break up the rankings as needed.

As only two Texans wide receivers have ever gone to the Pro Bowl as receivers, Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors will also play a factor, just not a major one. For the most part, we're going to focus mostly on receiving yards and the totality of production.

Return stats and rushing stats won't matter at all. While a running back is expected to be a dual-threat, a wide receiver quite literally has one barometer: Did he catch the ball?

The Top 20 wide receivers in Houston Texans' history

20. Cecil Shorts

One random stint in 2015 gave Cecil Shorts all the yards he needed to crack the top 20. He had 484 yards receiving and two touchdowns in just 11 games, starting four. Shorts, though, made no real impact and was part of an interesting collection of talents surrounding DeAndre Hopkins.

19. Eric Moulds

Eric Moulds is one of those "franchise great finishes career elsewhere" stories.

The long-time star for the Buffalo Bills, he left for the Houston Texans in 2006, where he had a modest season of 557 receiving yards on 57 receptions. He was fine, but his yards-per-catch average of just 9.8 was concerning. It wasn't shocking he didn't return for a second season, but he does sit 19th among all Houston wide receivers in yards.

18. Noah Brown

Noah Brown had his first season with the Houston Texans in 2023, and if his 567-yard output was any sign of things to come, he could be nearing the top 10 in a season or two. Only 17 wide receivers in club history have more yards than him, but his ability to stretch the field may help him lap a few more of them in the coming months and years.

17. Derick Armstrong

Derick Armstrong had a short run with the Texans, spanning just three seasons. He peaked in 2004 with 415 yards and one touchdown. He lasted one more season, and then he was out of the NFL for good.

Armstrong compiled 605 yards and two touchdowns in his three seasons, which puts him at 17th in Texans history for most receiving yards by a wideout.

16. Nate Washington

A productive wide receiver for most of his career, Nate Washington arrived in Houston in 2015 to close out his run in the NFL.

He caught 47 passes for 658 yards and scored four touchdowns. As a 32-year-old, he wasn't a long-term solution, and the club was just happy to have someone so reliable while hungry for offensive weapons. Despite only playing one season, he's still 16th among all wide receivers in yards.

15. Kenny Stills

The wide receiver who ranks 15th also has the 15th-most receiving yards for all receivers in Houston Texans history.

Kenny Stills played just two seasons for the club (2019 and 2020), putting up a respectable 561 yards in 13 games (five starts) during the first. In his second season, he fell off, dropping to just 144 yards and appearing in only 10 games.

14. Chris Moore

Chris Moore played just two seasons for the Houston Texans, but he did compile 69 receptions for 775 yards and four touchdowns during his time with the club. Though that's not flashy, it does have him at 13th in all-time receiving yards for Houston.

As of 2024, Moore is still playing, currently with the Arizona Cardinals . He still ranks 11th in all-time receiving yards for Texans wideouts.

13. David Anderson

Never particularly special on the football field, David Anderson strung together six seasons with the Houston Texans and did so as a seventh-round draft pick. He played in 63 games, catching 82 passes for 895 yards and three touchdowns.

Despite being a scrappy player who nearly went undrafted, Anderson managed to start a few games — 10 to be exact — and worked his way into becoming a regular contributor for four seasons from 2007 to 2010.

12. Tank Dell

Tank Dell is one to watch.

One season into his career, he already ranks 25th in career receiving yards for the Texans and 14th among only the wide receivers. He caught 47 passes for 709 yards and pulled in seven touchdowns. Those numbers could've been much higher had he not gotten hurt just 11 games into his career.

11. Andre' Davis

The journeyman speedster was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2002, the same year the Houston Texans came into the league. Yet Andre' Davis didn't make his way to Texas until 2007, when he put up the best season of his career with 583 yards and three touchdowns.

He looked like he was coming into his own while playing with Matt Schaub, but injuries and age sapped him of his abilities. He does sit at No. 21 in Texans history with 855 receiving yards.

10. Keke Coutee

Since he only played three seasons with the Houston Texans, Keke Coutee may be a name you don't remember. He had a high of 400 yards in 2020 as a third-year pro and compiled 941 receiving yards throughout his tenure.

His four touchdowns are anything but impressive, but he does have the 10th-most receiving yards for all Houston wide receivers. That's why he's as high as he is. He also ranks 10th among Texans wide receivers with 83 receptions.

As of 2024, he's playing for the DC Defenders of the United Football League.

9. Jacoby Jones

It's not a surprise that Jacoby Jones is ninth. He did play five seasons in Houston, where he compiled 1,741 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns on 127 receptions. He left the team and earned a Pro Bowl appearance and a Super Bowl ring with the Baltimore Ravens, but as a member of the Texans, he was a late bloomer.

He didn't really break out until 2009, his third season, when he put up 437 yards and six touchdowns. From 2009 to 2011, he saw modest success with the club, helping him land ninth all-time in receiving yards by a wide receiver. He also ranked eighth among the same group with 11 touchdowns.

Jones, who died at 40 years old in July 2024, also served as the team's return specialist, which is the role that earned him a Pro Bowl appearance in Baltimore.

8. Corey Bradford

One of the first players signed to the Houston Texans roster was former Green Bay Packers wideout Corey Bradford. He played four solid years for the club, backing up Jabar Gaffney and, later on, Andre Johnson. In doing so, he became the third target of a pretty potent Texans passing game. During his time with the club, he had 130 receptions for 1,992 yards and 18 touchdowns.

He ranks eighth all-time in receiving yards and receptions for the Texans, as well as fifth all-time in touchdowns for the franchise. He may not have made the lengthiest impact, but he's proof that the Texans did a good job surrounding David Carr with talent. If only some of that talent had been on the offensive line...

7. Jabar Gaffney

While he may not be the top receiver in club history, Jabar Gaffney does serve as the first receiver ever drafted by the Houston Texans. Selected as the first pick in the second round of the club's inaugural draft class of 2002, Gaffney became the go-to guy for the first overall draft pick of the 2002 draft, David Carr. Neither Carr nor Gaffney looked great during their time together, though their best years both came in 2004.

Gaffney was never a great receiver but did play 10 years in the league, retiring after the 2012 season. While in Houston, he compiled 2,009 receiving yards and just seven touchdowns on 171 receptions. He ranks seventh among Texans receivers for career receiving yards.

Gaffney had a good career; he just wasn't what the club needed out of its first wide receiver.

6. Will Fuller V

It's a shame that Will Fuller V never found that next level with the Houston Texans. He had 3,110 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 209 receptions for the club during his five seasons, though he never broke the 900-yard mark in a single go-round.

Among Texans wide receivers, he's fifth in receptions, fourth in yards, and fourth in touchdowns, making him one of the most productive players in franchise history. Yet despite playing mostly with Deshaun Watson and being drafted in 2016's first round as the No. 21 overall pick out of Notre Dame, Fuller wasn't able to take that next step.

The Texans never saw Fuller take the next steps in his development, ultimately leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of most fans who remember him.

5. Nico Collins

Even though he's only played three seasons for the Houston Texans, Nico Collins is already sixth in club history with 2,224 receiving yards. Much of that came in 2023, when he broke 1,000 yards (1,298), but if all goes well, he'll leap to fourth in franchise history by the end of 2024.

Collins is seventh among Texans receivers with 150 receptions and 11 receiving touchdowns. But hat he beats out guys like Fuller not just because of one big season, but because of what that one big season looked like compared to others.

Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins have nine of the top 10 single seasons by receiving yards for the Texans. That 10th spot? Well, it belongs to Collins.

4. Kevin Walter

Most newer fans have never known about Kevin Walter, while older fans may have forgotten him. Yet Walter was a great second option for the Texans for about four years in the late 2000s. From 2006 to 2010, he was a true force to be reckoned with. Even after that, as he aged out of the NFL, he was still a viable option.

In his tenure with the Texans, he racked up 4,083 receiving yards with 24 touchdowns. His best season came in 2008 when he had 899 yards and eight scores, proving that his departure from the Cincinnati Bengals three years prior was a mistake. Walter never won any individual awards, nor did he go to any Pro Bowls, but he was a key reason guys like Andre Johnson and Owen Daniels saw single coverage.

Teams couldn't sleep on Walter. Not only was he as sudden as a hiccup, but he caught whatever was thrown at him. Among all Texans wide receivers with at least 100 receptions, his 65.3 catch percentage on his targets ranks second.

For his career, he still ranks third in targets, receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns among Houston receivers.

3. Brandin Cooks

It might be a bit odd to see Brandin Cooks, who only played three seasons, this high on the list. Admittedly, he does have impressive stats compared to his contemporaries. He's fifth in club history with 2,886 receiving yards, seventh with 15 receiving touchdowns, sixth with 228 receptions.

So why does he leap over guys like Fuller and Walter?

Well, Cooks is the lone receiver with at least 100 receptions who has a higher catch percentage than Kevin Walter. among all Texans wide receivers, He may not be the longest-serving or the most flashy player, but he was incredibly consistent. And considering his primary quarterback was Davis Mills, it speaks to his talents that he was able to stay consistent.

His back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons were impressive, and had he been healthier in 2022, he likely would've broken the century mark one more time.

2. DeAndre Hopkins

DeAndre Hopkins is an easy selection at No. 2. He ranks second in every major category with 110 games played, 632 receptions, 8,602 receiving yards, and 54 touchdowns. Hopkins dominated defensive players with his top-end speed and sure-fire hands.

It should also be noted that no other Texans receiver has had double-digit touchdowns in a single season. Hopkins has done so three times.

In his time with the Texans, Hopkins went to four Pro Bowls, tied with fellow franchise legends Arian Foster, Duane Brown, and Laremy Tunsil. He was also selected to four All-Pro teams in Houston. His tenure with the squad was an impressive one, and his status as a No. 1 receiver was never in doubt, but his end came when then-head coach and general manager Bill O'Brien traded him to the Arizona Cardinals for a second-round pick and running back David Johnson.

Hopkins had one good year and was then held back by poor play, injuries, and a suspension. His time in Houston was arguably second-to-one, but his play once he left the team has put a shadow over his career that could keep him from the Hall of Fame.

1. Andre Johnson

Few people in the NFL have matched Andre Johnson's stats over the last 20 years, let alone members of the Houston Texans. He ranks first in every major category for the franchise with the most games played (169), the most receptions (1,012), the most receiving yards (13,597), and the most receiving touchdowns (64). His stats were so good that he's not just a franchise great but a legitimate all-time great.

He was the first man in Texans history to go into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. His induction came in 2024, alongside the likes of Dwight Freeney and Ronde Barber, among others. He set the franchise record with seven Pro Bowl selections, and no one but J.J. Watt has come near. Tack on his two All-Pro selections and you can see why he's No. 1.

The 20 best wide receivers in Houston Texans history by receiving yards