There’s some real hype surrounding the Houston Texans wide receivers but…

There are plenty of reasons to be excited about the Houston Texans offense this season. CJ Stroud has a lot of hype around him and rightfully so. Many expect him to have an even bigger season in 2024 than he did in 2023, and if that happens the team will have a lot more wins and hopefully a deeper run in the playoffs. A byproduct of Stroud’s continued success will be his wide receivers making huge plays alongside him.

Stroud might be one of the few quarterbacks to have a team of three 1,000-yard receivers. A feat that has only happened five times before. The 1980 San Diego Chargers, the 1989 Washington Commanders, the 1995 Atlanta Falcons, the 2004 Indianapolis Colts and the 2008 Arizona Cardinals. Of those teams that accomplished this, three d ne of them had Hall of Fame quarterbacks (Dan Fouts, Peyton Manning and Kurt Warner), while another would go on to win a Super Bowl (Mark Rypien).

Stroud may be the sixth man to enter that fraternity of sorts, but he can only do so if the team’s hype at the receiving position moves from paper to on-field production.

There is good reason to believe that Stroud will be the sixth quarterback to reach the threshold of three 1,000-yard receivers in the same season. There’s also reason to doubt he can do it, after all, it’s not like he has the same type of talent around him as guys like Manning and Warner.

These two had proven guys, team players, who did everything they could to help the team improve. In addition, they were in good health. The Houston Texans’ trio of potential stars have lingering question marks.

For example, Stefon Diggs declined some from 2022 to 2023. Is this his new normal or was this a blip on the radar? Plus, is he someone who will put his ego aside to help the team win, or will he pout when he’s ignored?

Next we have Nico Collins. Collins had a big 2023, but was that a fluke or a sign of things to come? This question will be tested often in 2024.

Finally, we have Tank Dell, who obviously will be ready to go, but the man broke his leg during the season and was then the victim of a nightclub shooting earlier this spring in Florida. This type of physical ailment can take a lot of time out of a person, so will they be healthy all season?

There’s good reason to believe this trio will be as good as advertised, but with more and more outlets raising expectations and the bar for them, it’s important to remind ourselves of all the possible outcomes. Even the most unpleasant ones. This helps keep us grounded and makes our expectations much more manageable.