HOUSTON – For Texans veteran wide receiver Christian Kirk, this week is significant for multiple reasons.
He was acquired by the Texans in an offseason trade from the Jacksonville Jaguars, his former team, in exchange for a seventh-round draft pick after dealing with multiple injuries in recent years.
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Now, Kirk is poised to make his regular-season debut for the Texans after missing the first two games with a strained hamstring. He returned to practice Wednesday and was moving well.
“I think at the time you get traded away from somewhere, you feel like you need to prove something,” Kirk said Wednesday inside the Texans’ locker room. “But, for me, it’s just honestly getting back out on the field. It’s been so long since I’ve actually played in a game. So, I’m just looking forward to just getting back out there, playing with this team, and hopefully getting us back on track.”
The Texans are off to an 0-2 start and have the lowest scoring offense in the league under new offensive coordinator Nick Caley. Pass protection issues, missed throws by quarterback C.J. Stroud against two stout defenses in losses to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams, an inconsistent running game and a lack of a proven receiving presence opposite Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins have all been negative factors for a sputtering offense.
Having Kirk back could provide a boost to the offense. He has been called a “slot magician” by teammates.
“Third down, that’s a down that’s important and you see different versions of coverages and whatever the case may be," Kirk said. “I feel like I can bring a sense of, there’s this reliability to be able to win tight situations, third down, critical downs in the red zone and whatnot.
“I’m just gonna go out there and do what I’m best at and do what’s required of me and what the offense is asking of me. I’m just excited to get out there and contribute. Christian, when it comes to getting your time.”
With the Jaguars, Kirk suffered a broken collarbone last season and was placed on injured reserve. A hamstring injury sustained in practice at the end of the preseason derailed his hope of starting the season healthy and active. Now, Kirk is back.
“Yeah, I feel great,” Kirk said. “Obviously, the injury was unfortunate. But it’s a part of football, so it’s all about how you respond and just work your way back.
“I put in a lot of time to get myself ready to play. So just looking forward to getting back out there this week, getting integrated back into practice and hope to get ready for Sunday.”
Before the leg injury, Kirk and third-year quarterback C.J. Stroud had spent months building timing and chemistry. Kirk said regaining that flow is like “riding a bike.”
Stroud can’t wait to throw to Kirk, who’s a mentor to rookie wide receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel.
“I think definitely C-Kirk will help those guys as he’s in the room,” Stroud said. “Them getting to see him and how he works and the type of route distribution he has. Not to say they’re not doing their job. But just that veteran feeling that he’ll bring to the room.”
Kirk has outstanding ability to run after the catch, which can create big plays.
Kirk was brought into provide a reliable receiving presence in tandem with Collins. His $15.5 million base salary was restructured into a $14 million signing bonus for salary cap purposes to create $12 million in savings with the addition of void years for signing bonus amortization.
Kirk was limited to 25 catches for 320 yards and a touchdown last season in eight games for the Jaguars. The former Arizona Cardinals second-round draft pick from Texas A&M has caught 404 career passes for 5,176 yards and 29 touchdowns.
Kirk was originally scheduled to be released. Instead, the former Texas A&M Aggies standout stayed in the AFC South division with a trade to join the defending division champions.
Kirk caught a career-high 85 passes for 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns in 2022, his first season in Jacksonville, dipping to 57 catches for 857 yards and three touchdowns the following season.
With the Cardinals, his most productive season was in 2021 when he broke out with 77 catches for 982 yards and five touchdowns.
“I thought we did a great job throughout training camp, made a bunch of plays, a bunches of explosives,” Kirk said of his rapport with Stroud. “We think the same, see you know offensively and defensive schematics wise the same way, so just just definitely looking forward to to get out there and really get that role in and just keep building it throughout the season.
“I’ve been in the league for a long time been doing it I had a high level for a long time, Especially when the lights are bright and you get in between the lines, second nature to him. This week will be big for us there practice just you know things that are specific to Jacksonville what they present But I don’t see us having any problems."
The Texans badly need a victory. Especially in the division they won the past two seasons under coach DeMeco Ryans’ leadership. They are two games behind the undefeated Indianapolis Colts in the division standings. They lost the first two games by a combined margin of six points.
The Texans rank last in third-down conversion percentage, a mark of 22.2 percent. They’re also last in red-zone scoring with zero touchdowns in that category in three tries.
“The division games are the biggest, no matter who you’re playing,” Kirk said. “It starts this week going down to Jacksonville. And so it’s just a little extra motivation for the team. Obviously, we want to get that first wind under our belt.
“Had two close games against two really good football teams. I think once we just clean up a few things and go on and execute, you know we’ll end up on the right side of things. So I know everybody’s eager to get back out there on Sunday.”
As an offense, the Texans have become fairly one-dimensional. Stroud threw the football to Colins nine times with just three completions and one touchdown on an outstanding catch and throw Monday night. There were two misfires intended for Collins in the red zone.
Having Kirk back should provide a presence that contrasts with Collins and accentuates what each receiver does best.
“That’s how we are built as an offense, to be able to complement each other well along with the other pieces that we have,” Kirk said. “So, I just think it’s another element that defenses have to account for and whatnot. I just think it all comes down to execution offensively.
“That’s just going to keep on evolving and getting better with the more practices we get, the more game reps we get. So, I definitely feel like we’re close and we’re gonna take the next step here pretty soon.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com