The Houston Texans have had one of the NFL’s most impactful offseasons, where they’ve improved their offensive personnel around Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud with the hiring of new offensive coordinator Nick Caley. Even after the trade of Pro Bowl offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, the Texans‘ offensive line might be improved with the promotion of Cole Popovich.

Houston also returns Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins, who could be a top-three weapon this season if he remains healthy. Collins was well on his way to leading the league in receptions and receiving yards before a hamstring injury sidelined him for five games. Houston also added former Pro Bowler Christian Kirk from Jacksonville in a contract year following injury.

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If that’s not enough, Houston made some big additions in the 2025 NFL Draft with Iowa State targets Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, two 1,000-yard playmakers who set records in Ames before departing for the NFL. The Texans are also banking on bigger seasons from John Metchie III, Xavier Hutchinson and tight ends Cade Stover, Brevin Jordan and Dalton Schultz.

Even following last year’s injuries to Tank Dell and Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs, Pro Football Focus’ Trevor Sikkema still believes Houston has a top 10 receiving corps entering the 2025 season. That has a lot to do with the new additions of Higgins and Noel via the draft, as well as the new play design under Caley, who comes from a Sean McVay background in play-calling.

“Nico Collins leads this group after earning his second straight elite PFF receiving grade (92.3). Tight end Dalton Schultz is a top-15 tight end in PFF’s preseason rankings and has five straight years of 500-plus receiving yards,” Sikkema wrote. “Running back Joe Mixon has also consistently been solid as a receiver, logging four straight years with 300-plus receiving yards.

“The reason the Texans are placed No. 10 is their expected reliance on newcomers Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel and Christian Kirk for big-time production. The hope is that Tank Dell can get back in the lineup sooner rather than later after suffering a season-ending knee injury in 2024.”

The biggest catalyst for this receiving corps’ potential is health. Noel, who finished top three in the Big 12 for receiving yards last season, already missed a majority of reps in summer drills. Kirk, who lived up to his four-year, $72 million deal in 2022 with the Jaguars, has missed over a dozen games the past two seasons. And since being drafted out of Michigan, Collins has missed at least four games per season, leaving a hole at the No. 1 spot outside of breakout season from Higgins.

The biggest concern isn’t the amount of weapons that Houston could have, but rather how healthy they can be for a full 17-game season. That’s not to say that Stroud can’t build a rapport with other weapons, but the more healthy of the offense, the better football for Houston this fall.

This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: PFF high on Texans’ receiving corps entering 2025