The Houston Texans' roster has undergone plenty of changes since the 2025 NFL offseason started. Free agency brought veteran talents to town, the NFL Draft injected some much-needed youth at both ends of the field, and the trade market even brought in some help as the Texans eye a third consecutive AFC South title this fall.
Although several areas of the roster look quite different compared to last year, the wide receiver room is one of the positions that changed the most. Returning WRs Nico Collins is one of the few returning faces, as the Texans went out this offseason to add veteran wideouts Christian Kirk, Braxton Berrios, and Justin Watson, as well as rookie receivers Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins.
The Texans' new WRs haven't wasted time proving themselves to head coach DeMeco Ryans and quarterback C.J. Stroud throughout training camp and the preseason. With that being said, one Houston playmaker has used his new teammates as motivation to step up and show that he shouldn't be forgotten this summer.
Texans WR Xavier Hutchinson Poised for a Big Role After Strong Preseason
With so many new faces joining the WR depth chart, Texans fans wondered what that would mean for Xavier Hutchinson's outlook. The former Iowa State product has been with Houston since he was drafted 205th overall in 2023, but he hasn't exactly done much on the gridiron to make him untouchable, seemingly positioning him to be a roster cut candidate.
At least, that was the case until the Texans got deeper into the offseason.
Ever since training camp started, Hutchinson has been stealing plenty of attention. The St. Augustine, FL native has been giving it all with each passing practice, with KPRC 2 Houston's Aaron Wilson going as far as saying that Hutchinson has been having "a really consistent training camp."
Great route by Texans WR Xavier Hutchinson against CB Derek Stingley Jr. in the 7-on-7 drills…#Texans #Sarge #TexansTailgateTalk pic.twitter.com/ftmFLcOGXb
— BIG SARGE MEDIA LLC (@BigSargeSportz) August 19, 2025
Hutchinson has seemingly made a ton of improvements over the summer, proving so with a solid catch against star cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. during Tuesday's 7-on-7 drills (h/t @BigSargeSportz). Considering how Stingley is one of the NFL's top pass disruptors, Hutchinson's performance shouldn't go unnoticed.
Hutchinson has seen a decent amount of playing time in the Texans' first two preseason games, hauling in three targets for 29 receiving yards and a first down on each catch. His performance has resulted in career-high Pro Football Focus preseason grades when it comes to receiving (68.2) and overall offense (68.3) so far.
If Hutchinson maintains his momentum, he could start the season as the Texans' WR3 behind Collins and Kirk. Noel and Higgins might not be ready for the spotlight at this point, while Berrios and Watson aren't exactly known to intimidate opposing defensive backs. In other words, this is Hutchinson's job to lose.
In his first 32 regular-season games (3 starts) as a Texan, Hutchinson has posted 20 catches for 207 receiving yards with a touchdown. He could potentially double that output across the board if he can hold onto Houston's WR3 job throughout the 2025 season.