Houston Texans mailbag: Expectations for second half of season? Is Nico Collins to Chiefs real?

DeMeco Ryans said that he liked the approach and focus the Houston Texans had when they returned from their week off Monday.

The Texans are 2-5 heading into their Week 9 game against the L.A. Chargers, and need something to feel good about. 

A win here would do that. 

As a reminder, I do a mailbag every Wednesday. To ask a question, use the form below, email me at jonathan.alexander@houstonchronicle.com or send me a message on X. 

Some of your questions may be lightly edited for brevity and/or clarity. 

Let’s get to them: 

Q:Which is more likely: That we see the complete evaporation of jumbo sets by offensive coordinator Nick Caley, or much more diversification of the play calls out of Jumbo sets?
 
–Clayton Anderson

JMA: I think we can all agree that when Caley has made mistakes this season, he’s usually made an adjustment the following week. Everyone knows they ran the ball too often out of the jumbo set.

I’d expect Caley to mix it up this week, as opposed to going away from it. Teams know the Texans like to run out of jumbo. The idea is to have a counter for that and hopefully catch the defense trying to bite with a play-action pass. 

When they have passed it out of the jumbo set, oftentimes it has produced explosive passes for them. 

Q: What will it take (for the Texans) to be sellers?
 
–Jeremy Branham

JMA: It depends on your definition of sellers. My definition of being a seller means a team is putting on a fire sale and trading their best players. 

The Texans aren’t at that point. Whether you believe the Texans are delusional or not, they still believe they have the team this year and next to go on a Super Bowl run. 

Being a seller in that sense, is completely punting on a season. And as long as DeMeco Ryans is the head coach, that won’t happen.

Having said that, they could trade one of their five offensive tackles. 

Those guys are healthy now and the Texans have no need for five. They dress only three tackles on gameday, so two end up being a healthy scratch. 

I also look at the receiver position. I understand Jaylin Noel just got hurt and the Texans likely want to keep all five of their receivers, which would make sense. But I don’t think the Texans would pass up on a good offer for a guy like Kayshon Boutte, who doesn’t play special teams and whose targets have started to dwindle. 

Q: When Jayden Higgins comes back, who is most likely to get moved from the WR position? –Beetle Sports

JMA:Xavier Hutchinson, Kayshon Boutte, and Tank Dell will all be free agents this offseason. 

That’ll leave the Texans with four receivers on the active roster by the start of the 2027 offseason – Higgins, Noel, Nico Collins and Marvin Harrison Jr. 

So the Texans will need to add at least two more receivers. 

I think both Hutchinson and Dell will test the market, but ultimately return in some capacity, while Boutte finds another team. 

Q: Big-picture season outlook and expectations for the second half of the season? – Joseph

JMA: As much as I would love to be wrong, I’m not convinced the Texans are good enough to reel off 10 consecutive wins again. 

The 2025 team was clearly special. This team has too many deficiencies.

But I do expect the Texans to get better and finish with a winning record – either 9-8 or 10-7. Will that be good enough to make the playoffs? We’ll see. 

Q: Also, do you go to every away game? – Joseph

JMA: Yes, I do. 

Q: I had a disagreement about the future of Nico Collins with a friend of mine. I feel like the fact he didn’t get an extension and you have used three second-round picks on receivers signals that they are considering moving off him in the offseason. Am I reading too much into them just giving him a bump and not adding years?
 
–Mr. Optimistic

JMA: I think it is a smart and fair observation. While no one has told me it is true, I’ve had the same thoughts. Collins’ stock and the demand for him will probably be at its highest next offseason. So perhaps GM Nick Caserio wants to hear what teams would offer for him before making a decision on whether to extend him. 

We’ll likely know whether Collins is part of the Texans next March.

Q: Any whispers Texans are taking calls on Nico? Specifically KC? –Houston4Life

JMA: Teams make phone calls all the time and Caserio listens to them all. But the Texans have no plans to trade Collins before the trade deadline. 

If the Texans lose to the Chargers on Sunday, perhaps we could be having a different conversation.

Caserio’s phone will be ringing off the hook for Collins if the Texans fall to 2-6.

But to me, if the Texans were to come to that conclusion of considering offers for Collins, they definitely wouldn’t trade him to the Chiefs – a team they view as one of their obstacles to getting to a Super Bowl. 

Still, the chances of the Texans trading him before the deadline – win or lose – are extremely low. 

Q: What does (Cole) Popovich bring as an offensive line coach that can’t be done by someone else at this point?
 
– Frankie

JMA: I suppose his familiarity with the system and the players.

But I do agree with what I believe is your underlying point – that Popovich hasn’t done a great job this season. 

Q: What is the philosophy of in-game adjustments to our scheme? If the 13 personnel isn’t working effectively, why continue trotting an extra OT out there? Are we going to continue seeing OT3 get more snaps than WR3? – John C Bland III

JMA: Last week, the Texans ran 22 plays with six offensive linemen, and 34 plays with at least three wide receivers. 

In regard to the overall premise of your question, the Texans thought they had an opportunity to run the football against the Giants, who are poor against the run, but really good against the pass. They’ll probably make adjustments week to week. 

The issue wasn’t that they were using six offensive linemen. The issue was that they didn’t have any variety. They ran it 19 times and made themselves predictable at that point. 

Q: What would it take for our Texans’ defense and offensive line to resemble what the Bears displayed last night?  –Byron Johnson

JMA: Likely another impact player or another offseason of figuring it out. I think the Bears are just ahead of the Texans right now. Their offense is playing at an elite level and teams haven’t caught up yet. 

But teams have caught up to the Texans and it’s on them to figure it out. 

Q: Who will get more snaps against the Chargers, Tank Dell or Marvin Harrison Jr?  –Robert Rison

JMA: It’ll likely depend on where the game is in the fourth quarter, which player is making the plays and how Dell feels physically. 

Q: Who’s the better fit at left tackle: Aireontae Ersery, Trent Brown or Braden Smith?  – Ed

JMA: Right now it’s Ersery, even though he has struggled this season. We haven’t seen Brown or Smith train at left tackle this year, so suggesting one of them would just be a guess. 

Q: Is the ship rightable? I can’t give up on the season yet. The defense from last year may not happen but they have to be better than this, right? –Texans and Spurs fan

JMA: Definitely. I’ve seen teams get better on defense as the year progresses. That certainly happened for the Ravens last year. And the offense is playing well. 

Also, crazier things have happened that sometimes clear the path for an unexpected team. Last year, Bo Nix suffered an ankle injury before the AFC championship game. And last week, Lamar Jackson suffered a finger injury on his throwing hand.

So yes, they can right the ship. They first have to win this week. 

Q: Why does Nick Caley continuously shy away from running more up-tempo?

What goes into these WR “packages” he puts together?

Why is jumbo utilized so much & only for run plays? It’s too predictable.
 

Why has the offensive play-calling been so inconsistent?
 

When will Marlin Klein play? –Peoples Hernandez

JMA: To your first question, I don’t know why Caley doesn’t run more up-tempo, but I do know when they have, it hasn’t always worked. 

To your second question, it’s dependent on the receivers’ specialties, whether they are better run blockers, better on obvious passing downs when there are more yards to go, better in short yardage. 

Other times, it’s figuring out who gives them the best matchup. The Texans like to rotate receivers to keep them fresh, as these are one of the few positions running full speed on almost every play. 

On run plays, they often take Nico Collins out to preserve him. Collins has a sickle cell trait and often needs breaks in between. And then a guy like Marvin Harrison Jr., he’s still learning the offense. The reasoning varies. 

Third question, I addressed it above. 

Fourth question, I’m not sure how to answer that question. Each game calls for something different. Perhaps it’s something you see on film. Perhaps you’re trying to take advantage of a matchup or a deficiency from the other team. 

And fifth question, likely when they feel Klein can contribute at a greater rate,or if there’s an injury. 

Q: What will it take for Nick Caserio to be moved on from when the season ends? –SK

JMA: The Texans would probably have to lose their remaining 10 games for him to be fired. 

Q: What’s your gut telling you – will the Texans be buyers or sellers at the NFL trade deadline?  –Ed Helinski

JMA: The Texans will likely be neither.

I wrote about it here. 

Q: If the Texans lose to the Chargers this weekend, do you see the team pivot towards “tanking” or will they continue being “joyously” competitive?  –Freezen

JMA:The Texans won’t tank. That’s not in Ryans’ DNA.Plus, teams tank to get a new quarterback. The Texans have theirs.

Q: Due to the bad start, this may not be a timely question but we see other teams being super aggressive in acquiring players and head coaches who don’t hesitate to be aggressive on the field. However the Texans just sit back and let things happen! Is the ownership content?  –John Whisnant

JMA: Ownership is not happy with the start. However, you can’t just starting trading away draft assets for more players. It doesn’t always work out.

Q: Why shouldn’t the Texans be sellers? –LUT

JMA:It would be an admission that the Texans have no hope in their present or future. It would be an admission that there is no path forward. And Houston isn’t at that point. 

Think about it. The only teams selling at this point are the Titans and Colts – two teams that need a reset at quarterback. Even the Chargers haven’t become sellers yet, though that could change if Houston wins this week. 

Q: Looking at the Jaguars’ schedule, it seems almost impossible for us at 2-5 to catch up to them at 5-2. A wild-card spot isn’t realistic, either. Realistically, our playoff hopes are pretty much over, right? – HTownSportsFan

JMA: I wouldn’t call them over, but the Texans certainly have a big hill to climb. 

The Jaguars, who lead the AFC South, look like the real deal. 

The Broncos and Bills also feel like locks. The Steelers, Chiefs and Bengals are all playing well right now. And the Patriots, who are currently the seventh seed, are playing much better than they had at the start of the year. 

But again, things happen. Teams get hurt and the landscape changes. Among the teams on the outside looking in, I think the Raiders and Texans have the best chance to sneak in. 

Q: What adjustments should we expect from the defense? – Flemish Edwin

JMA: That is to be determined. Whatever those adjustments Ryans has up his sleeve, he doesn’t want his opponent to know. 

To me, the Texans were improving defensively in some areas. But they’ve got to do a better job of tackling and limiting explosive plays, which has been their biggest Achilles’ heel. 

Q: Once David Montgomery gets healthy, do you think Woody Marks has done enough to keep the starting job? –Caitlin Walker

JMA: It’s a great question. Because I do think Marks should be the starter. He has more explosive ability. But I also don’t think the Texans are going to penalize Montgomery for injuries. They’ll give him a chance and see what he can do, while mixing in Marks. 

And whichever player is playing the best will get the bulk of the carries. 

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Q: Why did Texans place Jawhar Jordan on practice squad IR instead of just keeping him on the practice squad? Unless his injury is season-ending, it doesn’t make sense to me. If they bring him back, they have to use a designated to return move? –UnnecessaryApo2

JMA: The Texans have three returns remaining. With 10 games left, I don’t think it’s out of the question they could use it on Jordan at some point. The only other player eligible at the moment is running back British Brooks, whose primary role is special teams. 

I think the Texans wanted to leave their options open as opposed to not being able to use that spot on the practice squad. 

Q: What did DeMeco mean when he said the team has addressed the penalty issues? Considering that his teams have been near the top of the league in penalties every year since 2023, I would love to know why he’s only addressing this now and what steps were actually taken. –Johnny James

JMA: I don’t know the exact steps that were taken. I’d assume that limiting penalties will be an even greater emphasis in practice, or that there will be a potential lineup change. 

I think he’s tried to address the issue each year. Why it hasn’t shown up is an entirely different question that even he doesn’t know the answer to. 

Q: Should Eagles fans be more mad at Brooks Kubena? He showed up and their team crumbles.

Q: Who are some guys who could potentially get moved if the Texans take an L?
 

Q: Now that they’ve acknowledged the jumbo usage concerns, what do you expect to see from the O?

Q: How was your off week, Jon? –FondofHouSports

JMA: All legitimate questions. And I’m laughing at Brooks catching a stray for no reason at all. In his defense, though, the Eagles won in 2025 when he was covering them. 

Anyway, I think regardless of whether the Texans lose or not, Braden Smith or Nate Thomas could be moved. I think wide receiver Kayshon Boutte is another player who could be moved at the deadline. 

And I don’t think it’s out of the question that Wyatt Teller could be moved, too. 

Basically the second-string guys with starter potential, who aren’t playing much. 

In regard to your question about what I expect to see from the offense, I expect them to mix it up and not be as predictable. 

And lastly, my off week was great. I got a chance to handle all the personal errands you don’t get a chance to address during a busy season and see my family. 

Thanks for asking. 

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This article originally published at Houston Texans mailbag: Expectations for second half of season? Is Nico Collins to Chiefs real?.