HOUSTON — Houston Texans Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins suffered a Grade 1 hamstring strain in practice on Wednesday, missed Thursday's practice and is in danger of missing Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Houston.
The potential absence would further thin a depleted receiver room. Houston is already without wide receivers Tank Dell and Jayden Higgins, and if Collins is inactive the Texans would have only four other receivers on the 53-man roster, assuring at least one gameday call-up from the practice squad and possibly two. Collins previously missed five weeks in 2024 with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, raising caution about pushing a mild Grade 1 into a more severe injury.
That scenario could put former Bengals wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley in line to face his old team. Tinsley made Cincinnati's 53-man roster last year and was arguably the team's toughest cut at final cuts this year. After clearing waivers, he declined a spot on the Bengals' practice squad and instead signed with Houston's practice squad.
A call-up is not guaranteed. Houston also has Josh Kelly, Daniel Sobkowicz and Lewis Bond on the practice squad, and all three were with the Texans through the offseason and training camp and could sit ahead of Tinsley in the pecking order. Still, Tinsley made several big plays in the regular season last year after making the 53-man roster and remains a name to watch heading into the weekend.