The pressure is truly on for the Houston Texans receiver room. The team is loaded with potentially three of the top 50 players at the position in the NFL. Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins are seen as dueling number-one threats, capable of being the top guy on numerous teams on their own. The squad has an up-and-comer in Tank Dell, someone with skills that could rival anyone from the 2023 rookie class.
The trio is expected to be big this year, and with a quarterback that many think will be an MVP candidate, the Texans may have an all-time offense this year. The hype for the quarterback and receiver tandems is so high that numerous outlets are putting the trio of wideouts at number one against the whole NFL. CBS Sports most recently put them in the top spot, and in doing so, has greatly raised the perception of the group.
Yet, considering Stroud had to deal with some of the most drops and receiver errors in the NFL last season, if things don't start well and get even better, many will be rethinking the perception of the receiver room in Houston.
There are plenty of reasons to believe the hype but also plenty of reasons to be concerned. Diggs is getting older and has proven to be hard to coach. Collins, while impressive in 2023, has only ever had one season that good under his cap. Is he a byproduct of Stroud's success or a true game-changer? Dell, after all, was out-performing him before Dell broke his leg. Speaking of Dell, will he be able to bounce back and be the same top-end threat that he was last season now that he's healed?
If all three men can step up and play as well as they're expected, or even just slightly less, then this Texans team will likely have three 1,000-yard receivers. If they don't play as well as expected, however, then this team may not have the offense they need to compete with some of the top threats in the AFC.