Texans Starter Gets Great Injury Update vs. Colts

The Houston Texans have taken the field for their second practice of the week leading into their upcoming divisional matchup vs. the Indianapolis Colts for Week 3.

And in that second practice session for the Texans on Thursday, there was one recently injured starter who was reportedly able to participate in practice after missing out on Wednesday.

However, it wasn't wide receiver Nico Collins. It was right tackle Trent Brown, who was out on Wednesday due to a wrist/knee injury, according to the Texans' injury report.

Trent Brown, Dalton Schultz back at it after missing Wednesday
No Nico Collins, Ed Ingram, Jadeveon Clowney#Texans pic.twitter.com/6DH9Y2XuS9
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) September 24, 2026

What Trent Brown's Return Means for the Texans

While a return to practice for Brown isn't quite as significant as the same would be for Collins, seeing a starter on the Texans' offensive line back healthy and participating is huge for this weekend's game against the Colts.

Brown has been a frequent listing on the Texans' injury report since the start of the season with a lingering wrist injury, yet hasn't seen anything to truly put his status in jeopardy for game time.

This week, if all holds to form heading into Sunday, Brown should be able to keep his season attendance at 100%.

Sep 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans offensive tackle Trent Brown (77) runs onto the field before the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Brown has plugged in as the Texans' starting right tackle for both games of their regular season thus far, who landed his same starting role from last season in large part because of the preseason foot injury suffered by Braden Smith, putting him on injured reserve for the first four weeks of the year.

So far, Brown has been serviceable on the right side of Houston's line, totaling eight pressures, four penalties, and one sack through two weeks of the season. However, in any case in which Houston is without both Brown and Smith, their tackle depth quickly becomes a bit concerning.

The Texans have just two tackles down their depth chart behind Brown on their 53-man depth chart, that being 2024 second-round pick Blake Fisher and cutdown day trade acquisition Nate Thomas, which would be far from an ideal setup for any team trying to climb out of an 0-2 hole like Houston is.

Thankfully, rather than pinning either of those two with starting duties in Week 3, Brown can reclaim his spot at right tackle with hopes of a better collective offensive line performance than their previous loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

What to Make of Nico Collins' Fourth Straight Absence

Along with the news on Brown, we now also know that Nico Collins is set to miss his second straight practice for this week, and thus his fourth straight missed session since first suffering his hamstring injury in practice last Wednesday.

Seeing that fourth-consecutive missed practice, of course, is not great news for Collins and his hopes of getting on the field this Sunday.

Jul 31, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (12) during training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With a grade 1 hamstring injury that he reportedly suffered before facing the Bengals, the expected timeline for recovery tends to be around one to two weeks for said injury.

So for now, Collins continues to be on track, and the issue remains a minor one when looking from a big-picture lens, though it could still hold him out of the action for a second straight game to then be on track for a return in Week 4 against the Dallas Cowboys.

If that's the case, expect an increased dose of responsibility to the remaining healthy pieces in the wide receiver room, including Xavier Hutchinson, Kayshon Boutte, and Jaylin Noel.

Each of them got at least 60% of the offensive snaps last weekend against Cincinnati, and they might just be trending towards the same fate against Indianapolis.

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