DeMeco Ryans himself just confirmed the Marvin Harrison Jr. trade to the Texans, right after they blew out the Titans. Houston is sending a 2027 second-round pick, currently slotted at 39th overall, to Arizona for Harrison, with the Cardinals also moving up from the seventh round to the sixth in a 2027 NFL Draft pick swap. Look, the trade compensation is in the normal range, even if Harrison isn’t guaranteed to be the absolute best of the second-round WRs like a De’Zhaun Stribling or Ladd McConkey moving forward. But hey, he’s definitely better than a lot of those names, and he’s joining a Texans team with some serious offensive questions.
Houston’s Run Game Is a Total Mess
Let’s be real, the Texans absolutely *have* to be a pass-first team now. If you stack up every team’s offensive success rate, Houston is 13th in passing but a cringe-worthy 63rd out of 64 units in rushing, only barely ahead of the Browns’ run plays. This isn’t some new problem, either. It’s been the worst rushing team since CJ Stroud and DeMeco Ryans teamed up. A David Montgomery groin injury might give Woody Marks some reps, but the running back and offensive line talent are nowhere near fixed in 2026, and this team is fighting off a 1-4 start with a clear-cut contender in their division. Good thing Stroud can actually handle a pass-first offense, at least when Nico Collins is healthy. Stroud’s +0.16 EPA per play with Collins on the field is QB5 in the league, trailing only Jared Goff, Josh Allen, Brock Purdy, and Dak Prescott. When Harrison takes snaps from Xavier Hutchinson and Kayshon Boutte, and with 2025 third-round slot WR Jaylin Noel playing the right amount, they *could* become even more potent.
Collins Reigns Supreme, Even with Harrison in Town
Alright, let’s talk about Nico Collins because the dude is a beast. He’s half-PPR’s per-game WR4 on WR8 usage, rocks 105 air yards (that’s WR9), and is easily the top red-zone threat on the team. His downfield role? Unlikely to change with Harrison Jr. around. Collins will still eat the most snaps at X receiver, a role that demands a well-rounded but vertical-built route tree. Funny enough, the Cardinals tried Harrison in that exact role, and it straight-up failed because he lacked speed. Collins is one of those rare receivers who can get the most difficult route assignments and still produce like one of the best in the game. If there’s one area that might get squeezed a bit with Harrison around, it’s the red zone, since his big frame makes him an obvious first-read asset. This might drop Collins down a hair in rest-of-season rankings , I’d take him WR10 if I were drafting today , but let me be clear: this is not a 1A/1B situation. Nico Collins is simply on another planet in terms of talent and efficiency.
So while Houston tries to figure out their pass-heavy offense and how to balance their new toys, we’re still sitting here processing that 32-29 final against the 49ers. What a tough one, Hawks. We’ll be looking for a bounce-back next week for sure.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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