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Texans WR Nico Collins just getting started on record-setting season

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Nico Collins is getting warmed up.

Three 100-yard games into the season are simply the new baseline and standard set for the fourth-year Houston Texans receiver as September ends.

“My standard is continuing to be me, continue to submerge in the deep end, block out distractions, continue to be myself, continue to find the things I need to work on, which is everything,” Collins said Sunday following a 24-20 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. “I feel like there’s always room for improvement on your game. My mindset, man, don’t get too comfortable.”

While Collins might not let himself get cozy, he’s at home as C.J. Stroud’s go-to target entering 2024. It’s been that way since Week 1’s win over the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.

It stayed that way Sunday as Houston improved to 2-0 in the divisional standing with a comeback win over a winless Jacksonville squad. Stroud completed  27 pass attempts for a season-high 345 yards and two touchdowns.

Twelve of those passes went to Collins for 151 yards and a 3-yard touchdown. Perhaps the more underlying fact is there were zero drops or turnovers.

“He always gives me confidence, just like I give him,” Stroud said of Collins. “He’s just a heck of a player. I’m super proud of him.”

With Collins’ dominance, history has been made in Houston. His 489 receiving mark is the most for a Texans’ receiver through the first four games of the regular season, surpassing DeAndre Hopkins’ 443 in 2018.

That year, Hopkins finished with 1,572 yards off 115 catches. Collins is on pace for 122 catches, 2,078 yards and 11 touchdowns as the Buffalo Bills arrive this Sunday.

“Nico is deserving of all the praise and all the credit that he’s getting,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “He’s one of the top receivers in the league, and he’s showing it. He doesn’t have to talk about it. He’s just showing it by what he does on a game-to-game basis.

“He should be All-Pro, Pro Bowl, all those accolades should come to Nico because he’s shown it every single week.”

The Texans envisioned Collins being a constant target when they traded back into the third round to draft him out of Michigan in 2021. Given the state of the franchise, his first two years were decent, though he struggled to remain consistent due to health.

A new spark arrived in 2023. That was Stroud, the No. 2 overall pick fresh off a College Football Playoff appearance and Heisman-worthy season at Ohio State. Stroud said by the end of his first OTAs, he knew Collins was a superstar.

“I feel like ever since then, he’s had a swagger and a confidence starting from last year, and it’s just rolling now,” Stroud said. “He’s been big for us.”

Stroud’s right. Last season while helping Houston end a four-year playoff drought, Collins posted career-highs in receptions (80), receiving yards (1,297) and touchdowns (8).

He was rewarded a new three-year, $72.75 million contract extension in the offseason and has lived up to billing through four weeks. During the Texans’ game-winning drive, he caught two passes for 33 yards, including a 26-yard reception to set up Houston and Jacksonville’s 27-yard line.

Stroud and Collins averaged 12.6 yards a completion. They’re averaging 16.3 for the year.

Everyone knows what’s Stroud’s ceiling. Collins’ potential still might remain a mystery, but he’s getting his chance to figure out how high the stock can rise.

“Nico’s been great since he was born,” Stroud said. “He just needed an opportunity.”