HOUSTON – Texans Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins and starting slot receiver Christian Kirk were sidelined at practice Wednesday due to injuries.
With Collins dealing with a concussion and Kirk recovering from his second hamstring injury of the season, the Texans are making contingency plans for Sunday’s home game against the San Francisco 49ers.
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Tight end Dalton Schultz leads the Texans with 30 receptions for 284 yards, four more catches than Collins, who leads the team with 339 receiving yards.
Wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson ranks third on the team with 13 catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns on 18 targets. Rookie wide receivers Jayden Higgins (nine catches, 121 yards, one touchdown) and Jaylin Noel (nine catches, 99 yards, one score) will be leaned on more. The Texans are expected to elevate wide receiver Jared Wayne from the practice squad, per a source.
“Whoever gets the opportunity at receiver, you got to step up and play,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said Wednesday. “That’s what the NFL is about. Unfortunately, injuries happen all throughout the league. Whoever gets that opportunity, step up and make the most of it. You go out and you excel by just doing what you’re supposed to do. So, whoever is called to do that and to take that role, they’ll do a tremendous job.”
Collins suffered a concussion Monday night during a 27-19 road loss to the Seattle Seahawks when his head bounced off the artificial turf while trying to catch a pass in the fourth quarter.
Kirk, who has 10 catches for 109 yards on 16 targets, reinjured his hamstring last week in practice.
Collins is now under the mandatory NFL concussion protocol. He must pass a baseline neurological exam and have symptoms subside and return to practice before he can be cleared to play.
Collins went to the blue medical tent for evaluation before being ruled out for the remainder of the game at Lumen Field.
“Right now, he has a concussion,” Ryans said. “So, evaluate him as the week goes on.”
The Texans struggled to get Collins more involved as the offense delivered an ugly performance as they went 1 for 3 in the red zone and couldn’t run or pass the football well.
He was targeted a team-high 10 times, but had just four catches for 27 yards. Collins had an uncharacteristic dropped pass in the first half.
Collins, who caught 68 passes for 1,006 yards and seven touchdowns last season, leads the Texans in targets, yards and touchdown catches.
“I thought he played really well,” quarterback C.J. Stroud said of Collins after the Seattle game. “I got to find a way to get him to touch the ball. I got to throw him a better ball. That’s just the bottom line. It’s going to be tough. He’s our best player on offense. He’s one of the best players in the league time and time again.
“We also got to find ways to get him the ball in better situations. So that starts with me trying to get us in the right looks. But, yeah, it would suck. Hopefully, he’ll be okay and we have a short week, but if not we got to just step up in other ways, and, you know, put more on my plate hopefully and try to help us out.”
In other injury news, rookie cornerback Jaylin Smith was designated for return from injured reserve. He was sidelined with a hamstring injury. He can be activated at any time.
Smith was limited Wednesday along with tight end Brenden Bates (wrist), tight end Dalton Schultz (back, shoulder), defensive end Derek Barnett (ankle) and defensive lineman Denico Autry (knee). Rookie corner Alijah Huzzie participated fully. He is designated to return and remains on the non-football injury list after tearing his ACL at the East-West Shrine Bowl all-star game and going undrafted.
Tight end Cade Stover and safety Jimmie Ward are expected back within the next few weeks. Stover is recovering well from a broken foot and surgery. Ward had two offseason foot surgeries with one to remove hardware to aid the healing process.
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com