With Stefon Diggs gone and Tank Dell injured, the Houston Texans' wide receiver corps is Nico Collins and a host of question marks.
This offseason, the Texans drafted Iowa State products Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, who bring different elements to the club, and made other additions, including the trade for veteran Christian Kirk.
Collins said Wednesday that he's been impressed with what Kirk has brought to the table thus far.
"Everything. Everything has impressed me," Collins said, via the team's official transcript. "His work ethic, what he brings to the field, his leadership and just his advice. He is a guy that you need to get advice from. He has been around this game for a long time, so it's only right that you learn from him. I'm glad he is a part of this unit and glad he is a part of this team. It's only right that we build and keep going."
Injuries derailed Kirk's 2024 season, in which he played just eight games, catching 27 passes for 379 yards and one touchdown. It marked consecutive seasons on the downward spiral after a 1,108-yard 2022. The Jacksonville Jaguars planned to release the veteran before the Texans swooped in with a trade of a 2026 seventh-round pick.
A full-time slot, Kirk complements Collins on the outside.
"Slot magician man," Collins said of Kirk. "Slot magic man, he is in the slot going crazy. That's one guy you need. Just another playmaker. Another guy in the offense that's going to make plays and that's one of them."
With Dell's availability uncertain this season after a gruesome late-season injury, there will be a battle for targets behind the alpha Collins. Kirk, John Metchie III, Higgins, Noel, Xavier Hutchinson, and free-agent additions Justin Watson and Braxton Berrios are among those battling for reps during offseason workouts and into training camp.
