'I am very excited to have my guy back': Texans' Nico Collins set to return vs. Cowboys

HOUSTON — Nico Collins knows what’s at stake as he’s set to make his much-anticipated return to the football field after missing five games with a right hamstring injury.

Playing on prime time also gives him a “great opportunity” to remind the world what type of receiver he was before the injury.

“[I] gotta go out there and take advantage of my opportunities,” Collins said. “In order to pick back up, I gotta ball out when the ball touches my hands. When the ball is in the air, I have to do something with it.”

The Houston Texans started 4-1 with Collins, but in his absence they’ve won two games in five weeks, including a historic loss to the Detroit Lions when they became the second team since 1933 to lose a game when leading by 15 points and collecting five interceptions.

When Collins landed on injured reserve following the Texans’ 23-20 win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 5, he was leading the NFL in receiving yards (567). His 113.4 yards per game remains tops in the league, the Texans (6-4) are hoping he adds a spark for a struggling offense against the Dallas Cowboys (3-6) on “Monday Night Football” (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC).

Collins came off injured reserve and practiced the Friday before the Lions game, but Houston decided he needed one more week. He practiced every day leading up to game day with the Cowboys, and he told ESPN, “Hell yeah, I’m playing” before being removed from the injury report Saturday.

Coach DeMeco Ryans said he wants to see quarterback C.J. Stroud “cut it loose” and “rip it,” as the second-year quarterback tries to bounce back from the third multi-interception game of his career.

“Getting Nico back is always very great for all of us,” Ryans said. “Nico’s been one of our best players when he was healthy, so it’s great to have him back, great to have his presence and the energy that he brings and also the playmaking ability that he brings.”

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THE TEXANS’ OFFENSE ranked sixth in total offense (376.6 yards per game) with Collins, but that dipped to 299 yards (24th) without the fourth-year receiver — and that’s with running back Joe Mixon rushing for 471 yards (third most) in that stretch. Their 165 passing yards per game ranked 29th from Weeks 6-10.

In their first game without Collins, the offense scored 41 over the New England Patriots, who are now 3-8 on the season. But in Weeks 7-10, the unit averaged 20 points (16th) and 282.5 total yards (27th), and Stroud’s production tailed off. His QBR of 34.5 ranked 27th, but through the first five weeks, he ranked third in passing yards (1,385), tied for 10th in touchdowns (seven) and 10th in QBR (66.2).

The Texans also lost their second-leading receiver in Stefon Diggs to a torn ACL in his right knee in Week 8 against the Indianapolis Colts. But even with Diggs, following Collins’ injury, Stroud averaged 187 passing yards from Weeks 6-8 and had a career-low 86 yards in the Texans’ 24-22 loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 7.

“I am very excited to have my guy back,” Stroud said. “I am just happy for him to be back with the team, be a part of the locker room again. They are in solitude, when players are injured, they are on their own. So I am glad he is just able to be around the guys again and be able to do the sport that he loves to play.”

Wide receiver Tank Dell became the No. 1 target in Diggs and Collins’ absence and had 11 catches for 165 yards in the last two games. With Collins returning, Dell can slide into the No. 2 role, which could make life easier for him because Collins “opens up the offense.”

“Nico brings a lot to the table,” Dell told ESPN. “Defenses have to account for him. You gotta have eyes on him at all times. That just opens up things not only for the receivers but the run game.”

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MISSING COLLINS ISN’T the only reason for the offensive woes. The Texans’ pass block win rate during his absence of 54.8 ranks 23rd, which is why Stroud’s been under pressure on 46.8% of his dropbacks, second-most among starters.

Collins has helped relieve the pressure on Stroud, who has a QBR of 72 with Collins on the field compared to 41 when he’s out this season. Stroud has a 133.3 passer rating when he targets Collins as well, which ranked sixth among duos with at least 30 targets coming into Week 11, according to Next Gen Stats.

Collins is ready to recreate some of their magic, stating they have to “just continue to do what we do.”

“When [Stroud’s] back foot hits the ground, [he’s] letting it rip,” Collins told ESPN. “There’s no better feeling than that. Just happy to be feeling good and happy to be able to have the opportunity to play this week.”

The Collins-Stroud connection could also be a formula the Texans need to break their two-game losing streak.

Coming into Week 11, quarterbacks against the Cowboys are averaging the second-highest passer rating (105.1) in the NFL, and they are allowing 210 passing yards per game (17th). They also allow 362.9 total yards per game (26th) and 28.8 points per game (second most).

But as much as Collins’ return to the field will be appreciated by his teammates, his absence taught him to appreciate his opportunities.

“You don’t know when it’s going to be your last game, you don’t know what it is,” Collins told ESPN. “I came out there strong the first four weeks, then boom [injured], out of nowhere. Now I’m missing time, just realizing this s— is not for long. You have to do whatever you can to give it your all.”