HOUSTON -- After a two-game absence, Houston Texans wideout Nico Collins is set to return against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4.
Collins practiced Wednesday and Thursday this week after hurting his hamstring during a Week 2 practice.
The injury forced Collins to miss Weeks 2 and 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals and Indianapolis Colts as the Texans went 0-2. Without Collins, the offense averaged 11.5 points per game, but Houston scored 31 against the Buffalo Bills with the Pro Bowl wideout in the lineup in the season opener.
Coach DeMeco Ryans knows how vital the Texans' star receiver is to their offense and hopes he provides a major boost.
"Everyone understands and knows the type of player Nico is," Ryans said Wednesday. "He's an explosive playmaker any time he's touching the ball; any time he's on the field, he's a threat. Defenses have to prepare for him and they have to do different things to adjust for him, so we're happy to have Nico back."
Houston sits 0-3, and this week is a borderline must-win game for the Texans to keep any hopes of making the playoffs alive. The only time a team ever started 0-4 and made the postseason was in 1992, when the Chargers did it.
The winless start is disappointing considering Houston had Super Bowl aspirations. But 0-3 is where the Texans sat after three weeks in 2025 before finishing the regular season by winning 12 of their remaining 14 games.
Houston's offense also gets back starting right guard Ed Ingram, who missed the last two games.
