Texans 'offensive triplets' among the best in the NFL for 2025

The Houston Texans' offense is looking to respond with secondary options in the passing game heading into the 2025 NFL season. While C.J. Stroud and Nico Collins are considered among the best duos in the league, there are questions at the other receiver spots, plus the tight end role after a down year from Dalton Schultz.

Running back Joe Mixon is coming off his first 1,000-yard season since joining the Texans, marking also the first 1K runner for the franchise since 2019. While dealing with a foot injury, he's expected to be back at full speed for the start of the regular season and remain the bell cow bruiser.

The Texans might have questions outside of their star trio, but it remains one of the better units in the league entering the summer. Sports Illustrated agreed with the sentiment based on its rankings of all 32 trios for the upcoming season. Albeit not top-five, the website listed Houston just on the outside at No. 6.

"The Texans didn’t live up to their offseason hype, but their offense remains full of excellent weaponry," SI wrote. "Stroud had a bit of a statistical sophomore slump, but that’s largely because the offensive line was atrocious, allowing the league’s third-most sacks. Stroud still managed to throw for 3,727 yards and 20 touchdowns, while Collins totaled 1,006 yards in 12 games."

Collins, who signed a three-year extension ahead of the 2024 season, was well on his way to leading the league in receptions and receiving yards before a hamstring injury sidelined him for five games. He still managed to finish with over 1,000 receiving yards and seven touchdowns while leading Houston in every category.

Part of Stroud's "sophomore slump" was caused by the lack of consistent weapons. Collins wasn't the only receiver to miss multiple games, leaving the 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year out to dry. Tank Dell missed three games and likely won't return in 2025 after undergoing multiple leg surgeries. Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs was out after eight games because of a torn ACL.

Mixon even missed three games that cost him a potential 1,200-yard season. He was one of the hottest running backs to begin the year, but an ankle injury had him miss a majority of September and early October. At his peak, there's no reason to believe that Mixon can't be a top-12 running back.

The Texans could prove to be a one-year fluke offensively if Christian Kirk or one of the rookies step up, but at least the trio will keep pace in the AFC South for the meantime.

This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans 'offensive triplets' among the best in the NFL for 2025