It looks like Texans star WR Nico Collins could return on Sunday against the Detroit Lions.
Just a single day after returning him to practice, the Houston Texans activated wide receiver Nico Collins to the 53-man roster, making him eligible to play in this Sunday’s contest against the Detroit Lions.
Collins has missed the last four games for the Texans with a hamstring injury that landed him on injured reserve. However, according to Aaron Wilson of Click2Houston, Collins made a speedy recovery.
“Collins passed a regimen of tests for his hamstring injury suffered against the Buffalo Bills with no setbacks and has regained his speed and mobility, running 20 miles per hour in training sessions, according to league sources,” Wilson wrote.
It would be a little odd for Collins to play after missing both Wednesday and Thursday practices, but there would be no reason to put him on their 53-man roster unless they believed there was a chance he could play on Sunday night. He is still officially listed as questionable after getting in one limited practice on Friday.
If Collins can play, it’ll be a huge boost for a Texans offense that has struggled as of late. In five games prior to his injury, Collins caught 32 passes for 567 yards and three touchdowns. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has been a completely different quarterback with Collins in the lineup:
With Collins: 122-of-177 for 1,385 yards, 9 TDs, 3 INTs, 98.2 passer rating
Without Collins: 66-of-119, 754 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT, 82.4 passer rating
The Texans have a few other injuries at the receiver position. Stefon Diggs is on injured reserve, while Tank Dell is listed as questionable with a back injury. However, according to Wilson, Dell is expected to still play this week.
