With Nico Collins sidelined again, Dalton Schultz looks like the Texans’ best bet to carry the passing game in Week 3.
That was already the case in Houston’s Week 2 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, when the offense spent much of the afternoon searching for answers without its top wideout. The Texans were held to their lowest point total in a game dating back to 2024 in a 6-20 defeat, but Schultz turned in one of his strongest outings in years.
He finished with 12 catches on 15 targets for 140 yards, topping 100 receiving yards for the first time since his first season with Houston in 2023. On a day when C.J. Stroud attempted 55 passes, Schultz accounted for more than a quarter of the targets.
That kind of usage is hard to ignore, especially with Collins set to miss another game this weekend against the Indianapolis Colts because of a hamstring strain. The setup points to Schultz being leaned on heavily again.
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans made it clear Wednesday that he views Schultz as a steady part of the offense.
"Always love to see Dalton making plays. He's done that no matter who's been up, or who's not been up.
Dalton has always been that playmaker for us," Ryans said of Schultz on Wednesday. "He's always available.
He's always open, and C.J. does a great job of finding him."
The Colts defense has done little through two weeks to suggest it can slow down a reliable target over the middle. Indianapolis enters Week 3 ranked in the bottom three in the NFL in passing yards allowed, giving up an average of 337 passing yards against the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs. Those two games have also produced an average of 37 points allowed per contest.
Travis Kelce piled up nine catches for more than 100 yards and a touchdown in Week 2, while Lamar Jackson and the Ravens also found plenty of room through the air in their season debut.
The Texans are not built exactly like Baltimore or Kansas City, and their own offense has been uneven enough that the numbers alone don’t guarantee a breakout. Houston piled up more than 400 yards last week and still scored only six points. But the Colts’ secondary has been vulnerable enough that someone in this offense should be able to take advantage.
If the Texans don’t hit on one of their deeper options like Kayshon Boutte or Jaylin Noel, Schultz is the most likely candidate to do the damage. He should be in line to lead Houston in both catches and receiving yards, and he enters Sunday as the name to watch outside of Stroud.
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For the Texans, that puts an unfair amount on Strouds shoulders and leaves little margin for error if defenses keep treating Houston as a one-dimensional offense. David Montgomery and Woody Marks have not yet given the unit the steadier production it needs, and until that changes, the Texans will keep asking their quarterback to carry far more of the load than any young passer should have to. [Read more 🡒]