The Houston Texans kicked off their preseason with a 20-9 win over the New England Patriots. It was most notably the debuts of CJ Stroud and Will Anderson Jr., the second and third overall selections of the 2023 NFL Draft.

But a few other players made their NFL debuts. One of whom was John Metchie III, a second-round pick from the 2022 NFL Draft who missed last season with a torn ACL and recovering from a leukemia diagnosis. Tank Dell was another. The Texans drafted him in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. These two should figure prominently in the Texans' passing attack in the future.

Teams typically list veterans as starters on their depth chart as a show of respect for the hard work those veterans have put in over the years. Robert Woods and Noah Brown got that respect. They're listed as the number one and number three receivers on the Texans' first unofficial depth chart that was released last week.

Third receivers haven't always been nominal starters on NFL offenses but the rise of 11 personnel across the NFL has made that a starting position. They're listed as starters for now, but it remains to be seen if they can hold off John Metchie III and Tank Dell.

2) Noah Brown

Noah Brown is projected to be Houston's starting slot receiver. While this is also a position Metchie can play, it's more likely that Tank Dell occupies this spot if Brown were to relinquish it. If Thursday's preseason game was any indication, Dell is coming for this spot full speed ahead.

Tank Dell is a small receiver. He measured at only 5-8 and 165 pounds at the NFL combine. But the guy is a baller. He was electric at the University of Houston over the past two collegiate seasons. He caught 199 of 290 targets for 2,727 yards and 29 touchdowns.

Noah Brown, meanwhile, has mostly been a special teams ace over his seven NFL seasons. The most yards he's registered in a season is 555 a year ago with the Dallas Cowboys. Before that, it was 184. It shouldn't be a stretch to assume Dell can take his spot.

1) Robert Woods

Robert Woods is projected to be the Texans' Z receiver; the one that doesn't line up on top of the line of scrimmage. That would be great if the Texans signed the Robert Woods of 2-4 years ago. Unfortunately, Woods' play declined last season. Coming off the torn ACL he suffered in practice with the Rams in the middle of the 2021 season, Woods admirably recovered in time for the start of the 2022 season with the Tennessee Titans.

But Woods wasn't up for the task. An anemic pass attack didn't help, but Woods posted career lows in yards per target (5.79) and receiving yards (527). He had fewer receiving yards last season despite playing every regular season game than he did in 2021 (556) when he played in just nine games that season. He exceeded 50 receiving yards in a game just twice in 2022.

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An American football jersey that is black and has a large question mark in the middle of it. Next to it are the logo for the Houston Texans and several eyeball emojis.

Ben Strauss ·

Houston Texans running back Dare Ogumbowale standing next to the goal posts with a speech bubble “I can do it all!” with a logo for the Houston Texans.

Ben Strauss ·

GM Nick Caserio in the middle, Kamari Lassiter, Javon Bullard, Michael Hall Jr around him, and Houston Texans wallpaper in the background

Enzo Flojo ·

Robert Woods may be over the hill, but John Metchie III isn't. The Z receiver role is one that Metchie excelled in during his third and final season at Alabama. He caught 96 of his 133 targets for 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns. If it weren't for a torn ACL he suffered during the 2022 SEC Championship against the Georgia Bulldogs where he caught six balls for 97 yards and a touchdown and a cancer diagnosis, Metchie probably would already be stamped as a starter by now.

Metchie was quiet in his NFL debut; he caught his only target for five yards. But he's got the goods to take Woods' spot. This is a battle to monitor as camp continues.

Moving forward

The Texans invested Day 2 draft picks in both John Metchie III and Tank Dell. Both players are versatile and can play all across the field. Meanwhile, Woods' best days are behind him and Brown doesn't have much of a pedigree as an NFL receiver. Robert Woods and Noah Brown are listed as starters for now. But it shouldn't be a surprise if/when their spots fall to the hands of John Metchie III and Tank Dell sooner than later.