Houston Texans Depth Chart
- AFC South
- Stadium
- NRG Stadium
- Head Coach
- Lovie Smith
- Offensive Coordinator
- Pep Hamilton
- Defensive Coordinator
- Lovie Smith
- Special Teams Coach
- Frank Ross
- Defensive Scheme
- 4-3
Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills pointed to second-year wide receiver Nico Collins as a player who stood out this spring. Mills said Collins has a "good grasp of this offense" and "his talent is off the charts." Mills also said that the team needs to "find ways to get (Collins) the ball" this year. The 23-year-old wideout has looked stronger this offseason after hauling in 33 of his 60 targets for 446 yards and one touchdown in 14 games in his rookie campaign. Collins appears to have also improved his chemistry with Mills, which is extremely important. Along with veteran Brandin Cooks, who is the Texans' unquestioned No. 1 receiver, Collins is poised to improve in his sophomore season in 2022.
Houston Texans running back Marlon Mack could see a heavy workload to begin the season. The 26-year-old wasn't able to do much on the field last season. To be fair, the Indianapolis Colts didn't have much of a need for Mack and barely used him. In 2019, Mack rushed for more than 1,000 yards, so the talent is there. Aaron Reiss of The Athletic believes that the Texans are going to lean on Mack early in the season. That could be true with the Texans not having much depth at running back. The assumption is that rookie Dameon Pierce will eventually work his way into the mix. However, the Texans could ease Pierce into things, so Mack could take on a heavy workload. Now, fantasy managers will need to see if the Texans' offensive line is strong enough to actually functionally run the ball.
The Texans waived running back Scottie Phillips off of injured reserve on Thursday after waiving him from the 90-man roster in May with an injury designation. The 24-year-old played 11 games over the previous two seasons, although he hardly saw the field. He'll likely visit a few teams heading into training camp, although he's certainly not guaranteed to get a contract from another squad.
The Houston Texans signed free-agent tight end Mason Schreck to an undisclosed deal on Friday and released tight end Darrell Daniels in a corresponding move. Schreck spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals after being selected in the seventh round in 2017 out of Buffalo. The 28-year-old played in just one game last year before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. He will be competing for a roster spot in training camp, but he hasn't caught a single pass on just one target in 23 NFL games.
Houston Texans wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton (knee) will undergo knee surgery, but is expected to return at some point this season. He suffered a non-contact injury during OTA workouts. Luckily, the injury isn't believed to be a torn ACL, which is good news. The 27-year-old was released by the Denver Broncos in March after missing all of the 2021 season. Hamilton has recorded 81 receptions with 833 receiving yards over the course of his first three seasons in the NFL. He's not expected to have a huge role in the Houston offense, assuming he returns in time for the beginning of the season.
