The Houston Texans' organized team activities (OTAs) have flown by with Thursday's session being their last before mandatory minicamp begins on June 10. It'll only be a matter of time before training camp is here and Texans fans have a better sense of how the 2025 roster is shaping up ahead of head coach DeMeco Ryans' third season behind the bench.
In the meantime, OTAs have given the Texans their first real look at their offseason additions. Some members of this year's rookie class haven't wasted any time proving themselves to Ryans' staff, including a first-year receiver who's made one of his veteran counterparts expendable.
Texans Rookie WR Jayden Higgins' Has Made John Metchie III Expendable Post-OTAs
There are plenty of new faces in the Texans' wide receiver room this offseason, including rookie wideout Jayden Higgins. Houston needed to bolster its playmaking depth after losing Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell to free agency and injury, respectively, leading to the franchise drafting Higgins with the 34th overall pick
As with most second-round talents, Texans fans had high hopes for Higgins right out of the gate. After all, the 22-year-old WR is coming off a massive performance at Iowa State that saw him register career highs in catches (87), receiving yards (1,183), and touchdowns (9) while earning second-team All-Big 12 honors.
While some rookies take time to adjust to the NFL level, that hasn't been the case for Higgins. The Cobb County, GA native has drawn praise from coaches and teammates alike throughout OTAs, including when fellow WR Nico Collins couldn't help but sing the rookie's praises last week.
"Boy is nice man," Collins said about Higgins on May 28. "The type of guys we got bringing in, these playmakers man. It's an honor to share the field with them."
Assuming that Higgins continues to impress throughout the summer, it's going to become increasingly clear that bubble receivers like John Metchie III are expendable. The former 2022 second-round pick has yet to live up to his potential, leaving his future up in the air ahead of the final year left on his rookie contract.
Dealing with health issues to begin his NFL career, Metchie has recorded only 40 receptions for 412 yards and one touchdown in 29 games (3 starts). He also finished the 2024 campaign as Pro Football Focus' No. 103-graded WR among 133 eligible players, further proving how disappointing he's been.
Spotrac lists the Texans as potentially saving over $1.8 million if they trade or cut Metchie before the 2025 campaign. After adding the likes of Higgins, rookie WR Jaylin Noel, Christian Kirk, Braxton Berrios, and Justin Watson this offseason, Houston no longer needs Metchie as badly as it once did, making a divorce more likely than before.
Unless he dazzles during the final OTA practice and throughout the mandatory minicamp, Metchie's time with the Texans could be over before the summer truly begins.