The Houston Texans are putting the finishing touches on their 2025 training camp ahead of Saturday afternoon's preseason finale against the highly touted Detroit Lions.
Thursday morning, the Texans and Lions participated in a joint practice session, and one member of Houston's offense was unstoppable no matter what Detroit tried on the defensive side of the ball. This has left Lions fans and media alike wondering aloud whether the defending NFC North champions have a bigger issue on their hands than they thought.
While he wasn't the only wide receiver to have a productive day against Detroit's secondary, Texans star Nico Collins showed off all of his skills on Thursday, as multiple media members in attendance, including Greg Bailey of KTRK, commented on how the Lions had no answer for him.
After a slow start vs the Lions the #Texans offense came alive late in the joint practice. Nico Collins was all but unstoppable. Jaylin Noel made the play of the day with a leaping TD catch in the red zone. It wasn’t easy. Detroit is legit.
— Greg Bailey (@GregBailey13) August 21, 2025
Texans WR Nico Collins Became Lions' Biggest Headache in Joint Practice
After missing several weeks during the 2024 campaign after suffering a hamstring injury in Houston's Week 5 game against the Buffalo Bills, Collins appears to be fully healthy again ahead of the 2025 regular season. His performance on the practice field on Thursday reinforced that fact and left Detroit's Dan Campbell impressed with the "premier" receiver.
DETROIT -- #Lions coach Dan Campbell on #Texans 'premier receiver' Nico Collins @lbg_nico7 @UMichFootball @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/LInLyBPzM2
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) August 21, 2025
"He's really established himself as a premier receiver," Campbell said of Collins following practice, via Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston. "It's clear when you lose a player like that, it hurts. That's for sure. The guy's a crafty route runner. He's got radar, which means he can track the deep ball and make big-boy catches. He plays strong. He plays physical. There's really not much he can't do. He's certainly somebody that elevates that offense and I know the quarterback has a ton of trust in him. You see that on tape. When you have got that kind of rapport with your guy it makes it difficult on defenses."
Throughout Houston, there are Texans fans who are nodding in agreement with every word Campbell said regarding the team's star receiver. Having him back and as close to 100% healthy as any player is entering Week 1 will only help Houston's impressive offensive attack continue to grow.
When you consider that Collins, starting quarterback CJ Stroud, and rookie Jayden Higgins are all under the age of 26, this is as formidable a young offensive core as there is in the entire league. This doesn't even include 25-year-old WR Tank Dell as he continues to work his way back to the fold from a knee injury that left him on the PUP list throughout camp.
Texans fans can only hope that the success Collins had against one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl is a sign of things to come this season in Houston.