Admin October 30, 2024
NFL Week 8 Overreactions
Mackenzie Salmon breaks down the wildest games from Week 8.
Sports Seriously
The Houston Texans find themselves in an unenviable position at receiver as the midpoint of the 2024 NFL season arrives.
The Texans entered the campaign with one of the league’s best receiver trios: Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs, and Tank Dell.
Only Dell is available of the group entering their Week 9 matchup against the New York Jets. Collins is missing his fourth game because of a hamstring injury, while Diggs is out for the season after suffering a torn ACL in Week 8 against the Indianapolis Colts.
Once Collins returns, C.J. Stroud‘s group of offensive weapons should be in good shape. That’s why Texans coach DeMeco Ryans didn’t express much interest in acquiring additional receiver depth ahead of the 2024 NFL trade deadline.
“We like the guys we have,” he told reporters on Tuesday, Oct. 29. “We’re excited to see who steps up next.”
Still, Houston general manager Nick Caserio will likely monitor available receivers before the trade deadline. The Texans could use a little extra depth to replace Diggs, and there are plenty of experienced options on the market who could help out Houston’s offense.
Here’s a handful of the options the Texans could consider to help replace Diggs.
Texans WR trade options
Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals
The Texans trading for Higgins, a pending free agent due a big-money contract, doesn’t seem likely. The Bengals would probably prefer to deal him to either an NFC team or a non-contender in the AFC – if they even trade him at all.
Even so, Houston should still call Cincinnati to see if they can convince them to part with Higgins. The 6-4, 219-pound receiver is a proven producer with two 1,000-yard seasons. He would give the Texans two top receivers with mismatch size – Collins is 6-4, 222 pounds – and that would create matchup issues for opposing defenses.
As much as Stroud would like tossing jump-balls up to Higgins and Collins, the Bengals star still doesn’t seem to be a likely addition. He’s the best remaining receiver on the market who could be traded, but Houston seems likelier to target receiver depth than a big-ticket acquisition.
Mike Williams, New York Jets
Williams represents a more realistic acquisition possibility for the Texans. The 30-year-old is playing on a one-year, $10 million deal, and the Jets may be willing to part with him, given that he has fallen into the No. 4 receiver role on their depth chart.
Williams is almost identical in size to Higgins at 6-4, 218 pounds and would provide Houston with similar insurance behind Collins. Williams has averaged an impressive 15.5 yards per catch during his NFL career and would be a strong No. 3 receiver alongside Collins and Dell. His ability as a downfield threat would mesh well with Stroud’s skill set, so consider this a low-cost, high-reward option for the Texans.
Darius Slayton, New York Giants
Slayton is in his sixth NFL season and has produced at least 724 receiving yards in four of his first five seasons. Impressively, the speedster has done that largely while working with Daniel Jones, so it’s exciting to imagine what he’d be able to do if paired with Stroud.
Slayton, 27, is in the final year of a two-year, $12 million contract he signed with the Giants in 2023. The Texans would easily be able to fit him into their $5.97 million in available cap space, per OverTheCap.com, and wouldn’t have to give up significant draft capital to acquire him.
Tyler Boyd, Tennessee Titans
The Titans already traded DeAndre Hopkins to the Kansas City Chiefs. Could they trade Boyd too? Doing so would leave them thin at receiver, but they may not mind amid a dreadful 1-6 start to the 2024 season.
Boyd is a sure-handed slot maven in his ninth NFL season. The 6-2, 203-pound receiver would be a productive plug-and-play starter in three-wide sets for the Texans and could become a solid security blanket for Stroud. Boyd would further unlock the downfield potential of Collins and Dell, which was what Diggs was meant to do in Houston’s offense.
If the Titans are willing to trade Boyd, it isn’t clear whether they would let him go to a divisional rival. That said, Boyd turns 30 on Nov. 15, so given that he doesn’t fit Tennessee’s timeline for contention, a deal to Houston shouldn’t be categorically ruled out.
K.J. Osborn, New England Patriots
Osborn averaged 53 catches, 615 yards, and five touchdowns per year over his last three seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. He hasn’t yet meshed with the Patriots and ranks just fourth in total snaps within New England’s receiver room. A change of scenery could prove beneficial, and his versatility (556 snaps out wide, 262 in the slot during his final season with the Vikings) should appeal to the Texans.