HOUSTON – Veteran Texans defensive tackle Maliek Collins and wide receiver Nico Collins remain sidelined, and both key players are not slated to return for a Thursday night game against the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles.
Both players have made steady progress in their recovery from injuries. Maliek Collins has a chest injury and Nico Collins has a groin injury. Both missed the Texans’ 17-10 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday at NRG Stadium after getting hurt in a 38-20 road loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
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Because of the short turnaround from the Sunday game, it would be difficult for them to be back in time for this nationally televised contest.
“It will be harder,” Texans coach Lovie Smith said. “If you had a few more days, they’d be in a little bit better position to play maybe. If we look at injuries, we knew when they got hurt, and we knew that this game was coming up.
“For some of the guys, maybe we kept them out a little bit longer before. Yeah, we’d be happy if there was more time, but we won’t put any of the guys out there until they are ready to go. We’ll see how it goes. I know the rehab is coming along well.”
Both players’ absence played a role in the loss to the Titans.
The passing game struggled without Collins’ imposing presence. And the run-stopping woes continued without Collins, as they allowed Titans All-Pro running back Derrick Henry to punish them for 219 yards and two touchdowns.
The Texans started rookie defensive tackles Kurt Hinish and Thomas Booker with Collins sidelined. Roy Lopez Jr., still listed as the starter on the latest unofficial depth chart, had a sack of Titans rookie quarterback Maliek Willis after being replaced in the starting lineup against Tennessee by Booker.
“I think we are still going through that,” Smith said. “We’re going to play the guys we think give us the best chance. Back to the initial question, if we take someone out, we think that we need to look at someone else. The rookies, that’s who we have right now. Those guys had their moments too.
“When the Maliek Collins, the Mike Dwumfour, some of the guys that normally play, Jonathan Greenard, aren’t out there, it’s the next guy’s time to step up. Sometimes, the play is not exactly what we want it to be, but they will get better as they keep playing.”
Texans nickel back Tavierre Thomas is expected to return as soon as this week from a quadriceps injury, according to a league source, after being designated for return from injured reserve and returning to practice last week. Tight end Teagan Quitoriano, also designated for return after being sidelined with a knee injury, and Thomas are both trending toward being back, per Smith.
Offensive guard Justin McCray, who suffered a concussion Sunday, didn’t practice on an estimated participation report along with Collins and Collins, safety Grayland Arnold, who injured his quadriceps Sunday, and linebacker Neville Hewitt, who has a hamstring injury.
Offensive guard A.J. Cann, who missed the game with an illness and was replaced by McCray, is feeling better and was listed as limited participation along with rookie linebacker Christian Harris, who had a hamstring injury in the preseason, and cornerback Desmond King, who has a knee injury.
Texans safety Jonathan Owens, benched in the second half and replaced by Eric Murray, will retain his starting job.
Owens got repeatedly stiff-armed by Henry, missing a series of open-field tackles.
“If we take a player out, we feel like he’s maybe not doing something we would like for him to do, and we think that we should look at a different option at the time,” Smith said. “Eric Murray played an outstanding game. Some days, we have a baseball team playing, you need to bring in a relief hitter. I think you need to do that in football sometimes, too, and that’s what we did with Jonathan. He’s still our starter and all that, but the move we made, Eric came in and tackled well.”
The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday afternoon. The primary trade commodity on the Texans’ roster is veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks.
With the NFL trade deadline approaching Tuesday afternoon, Cooks is at the center of trade inquiries as teams have explored trade scenarios involving the Texans’ team captain and leading receiver.
Although the Los Angeles Rams, New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs have displayed interest in Cooks with the Rams exploring trade scenarios, no deal is imminent or developing at this time, according to league sources. A trade has not been ruled out, but it isn’t advancing at this time because the Texans want significant draft capital in exchange for Cooks and NFL teams have some hesitation because of his $18 million guaranteed base salary in 2023 under the terms of a two-year, $39.6 million contract extension signed this spring.
The Texans are open to trading Cooks, provided that they get the compensation they’re seeking. Smith and general manager Nick Caserio are in constant communication about the roster.
“Nick and I talk always about it,” Smith said. “We’re always talking to improve the ball club, but I’ll say there’s a lot of things going on. That’s no different. I know the trade deadline is coming up, but we’re always talking about improving our ball club. We have guys working out weekly. You’re always looking for ways to do that.”
Aaron Wilson is a contributor to KPRC 2 and click2houston.com