DeMeco Ryans on Nico Collins return “Going to help everyone”
The Houston Texans are going through a midseason rut having lost three of their last four game, but look to turn things around in Dallas on Monday night.
The Houston Texans were tabbed as one of the favorite to knock the Kansas City Chiefs off their AFC throne this year after a remarkable turnaround season last year. Injuries have complicated the things over the last couple months, but it looks like they are going to get a big piece of the puzzle back this Monday night in Dallas.
Collins set to return Monday night
Houston was rolling to start the season with second year phenom quarterback C.J. Stroud and a beefed up arsenal of weapons, but they Texans were hit by the injury bug early in the season and things would get worse before they got better. Joe Mixon went down with an ankle injury in Week 2, then Nico Collins suffered a hamstring injury in Week 5 against the Bills. Stefon Diggs suffered a season ending knee injury against the Colts, and since then the Texans have lost their last two games.
While things haven’t been ideal for the Texans in the last month or so, there is help on the way. Nico Collins is set to return to action for the Lone Star State showdown between Houston and Dallas. Collins was put on IR after suffering a strained hamstring on a TD play against Buffalo, and missed the last five games. Houston is 2-3 in those games, and while they still have a commanding lead over the rest of the AFC South, their playoff positioning is slipping with the Bills, Steelers and Ravens sitting between them and the Kansas City Chiefs.
DeMeco Ryans knows how important it is to get C.J. Stroud’s favorite target. “Any time you get a starting receiver back and Nico, a guy who’s been -- before he was out, he was the top receiver in the league,” Ryans said. “So, I think any time you get him back, it’s going to help everybody.”
Can Texans turn things around in Dallas?
Collins was a game-time decision in the Sunday night loss to the Detroit Lions last week, but was held held out of action from Ford Field. Ryans told reporters after the game that there was “No setback with Nico, that was just a game-time decision,” Ryans said on Tuesday, via the team’s official transcript.
Before the injury, Collins was leading the NFL with 567 yards receiving and had three TDs. He remains the leading receiver for the Texans despite not playing in the last five games. Stefon Diggs had 496 yards before suffering his season ending injury against the Colts three Sunday’s ago. Tank Dell is third on the list with 394 yards and two TD catches.
It will be Dell and Collins trying to get the Texas back on track against a depleted Dallas team on Monday night. The Cowboys are dealing with their own problems, having lost their quarterback and are facing elimination just 10 weeks into the season.