C.J. Gardner-Johnson Wildly Compares Texans WRs to Daytona 500

Through the motions of the 2025 NFL offseason, the Houston Texans made an emphasis to tweak the outlook of their wide receiver position for the year ahead.

And through a variety of moves, the Texans brass did just that.

The Texans added Christian Kirk from the Jacksonville Jaguars by trading just a seventh-round pick for his services, drafted the Iowa State duo of Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel this past April, and even added Kansas City Chiefs wideout Justin Watson down the depth chart in free agency to pair alongside Houston's highly talented WR1 of Nico Collins.

Undoubtedly, a major statement from this Texans front office, and so far through training camp, the new wide receiver corps has already made a noticeable impression on veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

Gardner-Johnson broke down a bit of what he's seen from the Texans' wide receivers so far through training camp following Wednesday's practice, going as far as to compare Houston's pass catchers to a NASCAR race.

"It's like the Daytona 500. We're running fast every play. Everybody fast," Gardner-Johnson said. "All the cars are competing for first place. We've got a fast receiver corps. I'm going to be honest, it's probably one of the fastest corps I've ever seen. But they're a dynamic group with different skill sets. They're diverse. They understand that (quarterback) C.J. (Stroud) needs them. They need C.J. and C.J. needs them. They work very well in practice. We have our days. They win some, we win some. But today we got the best of the NASCAR group."

Jul 23, 2025; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Jaylin Noel (82) and wide receiver Jayden Higgins (81) during training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Having that otherworldly speed appears to be the main takeaway for Gardner-Johnson only a few days deep into training camp, which is a stellar asset to be had for C.J. Stroud as he takes on his third year in Houston.

Between a shifty new slot option like Kirk, a vertical threat like Watson, and two rookies in Noel and Higghins with young legs, this Texans group of wideouts is certainly fast, and one that'll prove to be a matchup issue in due time for opposing defenses–– something that's seemingly even been the case against a talented Houston defense in practice, at least according to Gardner-Johnson.

Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson (8) walks on the field during warmups before Super Bowl LIX between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

From a tested NFL safety and reigning Super Bowl champion, certainly some good reviews to be had for this Texans wide receiver core. Time will tell if they can carry that hype into the regular season in order to help this Houston offense on its road to a bounce-back campaign.

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