Once Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell suffered season-ending injuries last season, the Houston Texans turned to the rest of their wide receiver corps to see who could step up. The likes of Xavier Hutchinson, John Metchie III, Robert Woods, and Jared Wayne all had increased roles in the final stretch of the season. Unfortunately for the Texans, none of them was able to establish themselves as a solid WR2 across from Nico Collins. As a result, Houston's offense flamed out in the second consecutive divisional round loss.
The Texans spent the offseason making changes on the offensive side of the ball. The offensive line will look vastly different, and they added a few more weapons. Christian Kirk, Justin Watson, and Braxton Berrios will hopefully give the Texans offense a boost.
Considering the possibility that Dell will miss the entire 2025 season, it wouldn't be surprising if the Texans add another WR through the draft. Armed with seven draft picks -four of them in the first three rounds- Houston could take a chance on a wide receiver prospect.
Xavier Hutchinson May Be the Odd Man Out in Texans' WR Rotation
In that scenario, Xavier Hutchinson could find himself out the door. In his second season with the team, Hutchinson failed to establish himself as an NFL-caliber playmaker. Despite playing significant offensive snaps and moving up to WR2 status down the stretch for the Texans, Hutchinson wasn't able to make hay. In fact, he didn't have a single game with over two catches the entire regular season.
He finished the year with 12 catches, 117 yards, and zero touchdowns in 493 offensive snaps, ranking as the 113th-best WR in the league per Pro Football Focus. Hutchinson was one of the better Texans in the playoff loss to the Chiefs with four catches and 52 yards while looking solid as a kick returner.
Unfortunately for the former sixth-round pick, however, that may not be enough to keep him in Houston for much longer.