Nico Collins News: Starters suiting up Saturday

Collins will join quarterback C.J. Stroud and the majority of Houston's starters in suiting up for Saturday's preseason game against the Panthers, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Collins and Stroud both sat out the Texans' preseason opener against the Vikings last week, but key starters will get a chance to log some exhibition reps versus Carolina. Though he remains positioned as Houston's clear No. 1 wideout, Collins' surrounding context has changed substantially since last season, as Stefon Diggs (ACL) is now a member of the Patriots and Tank Dell (ACL) appears set to miss a good portion of the 2025 campaign. Replacing Diggs and Dell in three-wide sets alongside Collins is veteran slot specialist Christian Kirk, with rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel seemingly battling for opportunities in the No. 3 role.