What's the Internal Confidence Level in the Texans WR Room besides Nico?

Summary

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Payne & Pendergast: What's the Internal Confidence Level in the Texans WR Room besides Nico?

Date: July 17, 2026
Hosts: Seth Payne, Sean Pendergast (with guest Cole Thompson)
Episode Overview:
In this episode, Seth, Sean, and guest Cole Thompson dive into the Houston Texans’ wide receiver room ahead of training camp. The focal point: assessing the organization’s internal confidence in its receivers not named Nico Collins. The hosts break down each wideout’s trajectory, the team’s offseason decisions, and what it signals about the depth chart—blending insider insight with classic Payne & Pendergast candor and humor.

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Main Themes and Purpose

• Assessing the Texans’ internal confidence level in WRs beyond Nico Collins
• Evaluating offseason personnel decisions and what they reveal about team thinking
• Comparing young receiver development, particularly Jaden Higgins and Jalen Noel
• Balancing youth upside with the temptation to sign veterans

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Key Discussion Points

1. The Team’s Approach: Trust in the Young Core

[03:13–04:19]

• Question of the Day: “What’s the internal confidence level of wide receivers not named Nico Collins?”

  • Seth: "You just never know with younger players, but you can feel confident that they're doing things the right way, and... you can build on them. I think [Nick Caserio] is very confident in Jaden Higgins. Jalen Noel's a little bit more of a wild card... but the upside... gigantic." (Seth, 03:27)
  • “The actual confidence level, like a six. Excitement level, maybe a 7, 8, or 9.” (Seth, 03:55)

• Sean’s read on team behavior:

  • “I would say their confidence level is incredibly high right now. Not only in Jaden Higgins and Jalen Noel, but maybe even in Tank Dell coming back from an injury because they haven't done anything with that room in the offseason. They're rolling with the same five guys they had.” (Sean, 04:40–05:07)

2. Wide Receiver Depth Chart and Individual Breakdowns

[05:07–07:28]

• Roster Moves:

  • Only notable addition: 6th round pick Lewis Bond, not considered a top-rotation guy.
  • Last year's acquisition of Christian Kirk didn’t pan out, reinforcing reliance on youth.

• Jaden Higgins:

  • “Quietly last year put up six touchdowns. He actually tied Nico Collins for the team lead in receiving touchdowns.” (Cole, 07:28–07:51)
  • Noted for size and playmaking, physical upside similar to Nico Collins.

• Jalen Noel:

  • Referred to as having “gigantic” upside with physical tools but still raw.
  • Showed flashes, e.g., “being shot out of a rocket on that one touchdown play” (Seth, 07:01).

• Xavier Hutchinson:

  • Considered “a back of the rotation wide receiver.” Focus is more on Higgins and Noel.

3. Growth, Obstacles, and Development Curve

[06:02–07:51]

• Both Higgins and Noel struggled early with system complexity—missed routes, timing issues with QB CJ Stroud.
• "The feeling would be that, man, now that they're integrated into the offense, now that CJ's got better command of it and all that, those things aren't as much of an issue." (Seth, 06:38)
• The offensive line struggles affected receiver development and overall passing game rhythm.

4. Statistical Perspective & Fantasy Angle

[07:28–08:14]

• “Are you surprised that three and a half is Jaden Higgins touchdown number for the upcoming season? I think there’s some money to be made.” (Sean, 07:56)
• Discussion about Higgins as a potential breakout candidate, with even NFL pundit Steve Smith Sr. as a fan:
  • “You know, Steve Smith Sr. loves Jaden Higgins... for a lot of the same reasons you’d get excited about a young Nico Collins.” (Seth, 08:16)

5. The Allure & Pitfalls of Veteran Additions

[12:24–13:59]

• Listeners ask about adding a veteran (e.g., Keenan Allen, Stefon Diggs).
  • Seth’s take: “Yes, [Keenan Allen would] be a good pickup, except that...there's a salary cap...You got to find a balance of believing in and trusting your young draft picks, as long as they're showing you evidence that you should trust them.” (Seth, 12:24–12:46)
• Noted that Stefon Diggs and other big-name veterans are costly and could block development of young talent:
  • “It doesn't make a lot of sense if you feel good about Jalen Noel to say, oh, yeah, let's bring in a better version of Christian Kirk and spend all that money and delay Jalen Knowles development.” (Seth, 13:39)
• “Salary cap is real. You can't sign everyone.” (Seth, 13:59)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Young Receivers:

  • “I think he's very confident in Jaden Higgins. I think Jalen Noel is a little bit more of a wild card still. And. But the upside of Jalen Noel, gigantic.” (Seth, 03:27)
  • “Are you surprised that three and a half is Jaden Higgins touchdown number for the upcoming season? I think there's some money to be made.” (Sean, 07:56)
  • “Steve Smith Sr. loves Jaden Higgins...it sounds a lot like the same reasons you would get excited about a young Nico Collins.” (Seth, 08:16)

• On the Team’s Approach:

  • “They haven't done anything that shifts who the top four or five guys are...their confidence level from coordinator all the way up to GM is pretty high in these guys.” (Sean, 05:13–06:02)

• On Veterans vs. Youth:

  • “You got to find a balance of believing in and trusting your young draft picks...I think that’s exactly where they are with the wide receivers right now.” (Seth, 12:46)

• On Cap Realities:

  • “Because there's so much damn propaganda out there about the cap being a myth, people feel like, yeah, just bring them all in.” (Seth, 12:46)
  • “The salary cap is real. You can't sign everyone.” (Seth, 13:59)

• Fun Banter:

  • When asked about bringing back Brandon Cooks:
    • “Oh, God, no. No, no, no. He ditched us, man. I hold grudges. No.” (Sean, 14:43)

---

Key Timestamps

• 03:06 — Main question introduced: Confidence in WRs not named Nico Collins
• 03:27 — Seth on internal confidence level in young WRs
• 04:40–05:40 — Team behavior as indicator of confidence (no major WR additions)
• 06:02–07:01 — Last year’s hurdles for Higgins and Noel, signs of growth
• 07:28–07:51 — Higgins' rookie statistics and red zone impact
• 08:16 — Steve Smith Sr.'s love for Jaden Higgins
• 12:24–13:59 — Debate on adding veteran receivers, cap realities, and youth development
• 14:43 — Instant reaction to Brandon Cooks suggestion

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Summary Verdict

The Texans are all-in on their young receiving corps behind Nico Collins—especially Jaden Higgins and Jalen Noel.
While the hosts acknowledge some natural uncertainty around the youth and development curve, they interpret the team’s offseason inertia (no big signings, rolling with last year's group) as a strong signal of confidence from the coaching staff and front office. Higgins stands out as a breakout candidate, Noel as a high-upside wildcard, and veterans are unlikely additions due to both cap realities and the desire to see the youth movement blossom. Payne & Pendergast’s tone is candid, light-hearted, and rich with football nerdery—a necessary listen for Texans followers and NFL fans tracking the next crop of wideout talent in Houston.

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Transcript

[Rachel Braethan]

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[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

All right, texter, do not do this to us early in the morning. Don't make us math early in the morning. How close does Altuve need to be to 3,000 hits to get an extension? He's got three years left on his deal. I'm not here to talk about a Jose Altuve extension, nor do the arithmetic to know the whole 3000 hit dynamic right now. Thankfully, Cole Thompson is here and he did it for me. What's he need? 185 hits a year.

[Cole Thompson]

If he finishes today with where he is in hits, he needs to average 185 hits over the next three years.

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

Okay, well, that sounds kind of daunting actually, right now. I don't know that he's going to get there. Get to the 3,000.

[Cole Thompson]

Do you give him the extension on like the vet minimum? Just let's say he's like 20 hits away. Yeah, that last year. Here, go finish it out.

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

He knows this about me. I'm not. I. That would. That would feel like you're manipulating the record just to bring him back on a minimum deal to get 22 hits to get not the record, but to get to the milestone.

[Cole Thompson]

So no Bernie Mackinen, right?

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

I don't like artificial milestones or records. You got to get him through the normal course of playing the sport.

[Seth]

Yeah, I'm a little torn on that, I guess, because he would have value, though, also, as long as it was just some kind of deal where he's coming in as a pinch hitter late in games, maybe even a meaningless game.

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

He's fun to have around, too.

[Seth]

Yeah. Yeah. And veteran leadership.

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

Veteran leadership.

[Seth]

Veteran leadership.

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

You talked me into it. Yeah. Let's go. Don't make us math early in the morning.

[Seth]

That's just got more experience at all ends of the spectrum than Jose.

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

That's true.

[Seth]

He's been on the worst teams in baseball. He's been on the best teams in baseball and everywhere in between.

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

Yep. All right, so training camp is nine radio days away. So starting yesterday, we are counting down to training camp with a question of the day. Cole Thompson sitting in with Seth and I today and on Monday as well. If you want to go back and listen to question number 10, yesterday, it was about the offensive line and are they just more expensive? Are they actually improved? We're going to do it in this segment each day so you can make an appointment. What is today's question?

[Cole Thompson]

Cole, what's the internal confidence level of wide receivers not named Nico Collins?

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

Okay. It's a great question.

[Cole Thompson]

Case in point. You strapped down Nick Caylee into a lie detector test.

[Snapple Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

Yeah.

[Cole Thompson]

He is forced to answer truthfully to save his job. What's the honest answer of the wide receiver room makeup if you don't have Nico Collins?

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

Okay.

[Seth]

I think they're like, you just never know with younger players, but you can feel confident that they're doing things the right way, and you can take what the good things they've done and know that you can build on them. I think he's very confident in Jaden Higgins. I think Jalen Noel is a little bit more of a wild card still. And. But the upside of Jalen Noel, gigantic. So I think the. Okay, there's confidence and there's excitement. So, you know, with excitement hopefully usually being a little bit higher. But I think the. The possibilities of those two, I think he might be at a 7, 8, or 9. I think that actual confidence level, like a. Like a six, they still have to. They still have to make a lot of strides, but they. They did much. They did some much more substantial things than maybe sometimes it feels like when you're discussing the wide receiver room.

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

So the question is about the internal confidence level. We can talk about our confidence level.

[Seth]

Yeah, no, I'm talking about Nick Kaley.

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, no, no. I'm not correcting. You.

[Seth]

I got you.

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

I'm repeating. So the question is about the internal confidence level.

[Cole Thompson]

Yes.

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

So the, the. I, I would. I always judge it by. We don't. Honest. Obviously we can't climb into their brains. We don't know.

[Cole Thompson]

We're not a fly on the water.

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

I'm just judging by the behavior of the team. And I'll expand it from Kaylee to Demico Ryan's and Nick Casario as well. It would seem to me their confidence level is incredibly high right now. Not only in Jaden Higgins and Jalen Noel, but maybe even in Tank Dell coming back from an injury because they haven't done anything with that room in the off season. They've done zero with that room. They're rolling with the same five guys they had.

[Seth]

Well, they're rolling with Lewis Bond, but I mean, that's a six round pick.

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

Yeah. Anything of substance, right? Yeah.

[Cole Thompson]

Bill o' Brien special.

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

Like last year they got Christian Kirk and I, I would say I would. Other than the Pittsburgh playoff game, I would say that didn't work out, especially for the price they paid for him. They paid him $16 million. But they, they haven't done anything that says they haven't done anything that shifts who the top four or five guys are. Louis drafting Lewis Bond doesn't change the dynamic of the first four or five guys. I would say their confidence level and Higgins and Noel are the two big wildcards. And all this because I think Nico is what he is, which is great. I think Xavier Hutchinson is what he is, which is a back of the rotation wide receiver. The huge floor and ceiling guys are Noel and Higgins. And it would seem to me, based on what they've done or not done this off season, their confidence level from coordinator all the way up to GM is pretty high in these guys.

[Seth]

And I think that the whole thing with. The whole thing with Jalen Noel especially, but both Jaden Higgins and Jalen Noel was. You could see the progression last year where early in the season there were times where Higgins and Noel just simply weren't in the right spot at the right time within the offense. Which is something that happens when you've got young guys in a brand new system with a brand new coordinator and the receivers are running option routes and they have to make adjustments based on coverage and all that that's going to happen. And it's frustrating just looking at it in hindsight. Like, okay, yeah, like all the, all the obstacles that you could have predicted. Yep. Those ended up being obstacles. The, the feeling would be that, man. Now that they're integrated into the offense, now that CJ's got better command of it and all that, those things aren't as much of an issue. On the physical side of things like the measurables and the reasons that those guys got drafted. I thought we saw boatloads of evidence of those guys being worth the draft picks that. That Chargers game alone.

[Cole Thompson]

Yeah.

[Seth]

And Jalen Noel being shot out of a rocket on that one touchdown play. But you could see the potential there. It's just that. Yeah, it's. It's hard to utilize all of that even by that point in the season when the O line really still isn't. You go back and watch that game, I get so disgusted with people saying, like, hey, Blake Fisher didn't let up a sack. Like, yeah, but he got beat a lot. Yeah, he didn't let up a sack. He got his butt whipped.

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

What's the pressure rate?

[Cole Thompson]

Let's talk about that.

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

The pressure rate. Yeah.

[Cole Thompson]

What I thought is so interesting is that, like, Jaden Higgins quietly last year put up six touchdowns.

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

Yeah.

[Cole Thompson]

And like, when you compare him to some of the other rookie wide receivers because of. He only had four games where he finished with over 55 receiving yards. It's like, okay, most of his production came in these certain gains, but he still was a factor inside the red zone. And he actually tied Nico Collins for the team lead in receiving touchdowns.

[MLB The Show Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Cole Thompson]

You got to throw in that one rushing touchdown for Nico against the Indianapolis. Which is why he led the team.

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

Yep. Are you surprised that three and a half is Jaden Higgins touchdown number for the upcoming season? I think there's some money to be made.

[Seth]

I was really sorry. I thought that was a misprint. I thought that. I thought the. Cole wrote that wrong when he wrote that down.

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

That was. I put that.

[Cole Thompson]

Yeah.

[Lowe's Advertiser]

Oh, you did.

[Cole Thompson]

Okay.

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

Yeah.

[Seth]

That makes more sense.

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

Degenerate that I am.

[Seth]

No, no, I. Yeah. 100%. You know that. You know, Steve Smith Sr. Loves Jaden Higgins. And it's funny because when you hear him talk about Jaden Higgins, it sounds a lot like the same reasons you would get excited about a young Nico Collins. There's a. He's got an ability to really just like, get in, out. Get in and out of his brakes and lower his pads. That. That not a lot of really tall guys do. And I mean, the measurables and everything with those two, there's so many of those things that just look similar. And I think in just. It's. It's a little. It's too easy to say, oh, all he's got to do is what Nico Collins did. But there is a little bit of truth to that.

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

Become the seventh best wide receiver in football. No problem. No pressure. Yeah, simple as that.

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[Seth]

Well, you know, like Cole, this is one thing. I've talked to Sean about this a bunch, but when. When Jaden Higgins was in the draft process last year, they had asked him who he likes, which receivers he likes to watch, and he said Keenan Allen was one of those guys, and which I liked. And it was interesting. But the. The dangerous thing with that with young receivers is sometime that, okay, Keenan Allen's got. He's a little bit of an unorthodox route runner, and sometimes, like, that's dicey if it disrupts the timing and the rhythm of a play. And that's what happened a lot of times early on in the season. There was a play in the preseason where it looked like CJ overthrew Jaden Higgins, and it was actually that Higgins had kind of thrown in a little hesi step and it got clean, but he ended up being a step short of where he was supposed to be. It was a perfect pass by CJ Stroud, but when you watch it in real time, you're like, oh boy, CJ's inaccurate. What's going on here, like, now?

[Cole Thompson]

Well, it's so much easier to blame the quarterback. That's why.

[Seth]

Yeah, right, right. But I think that was a lot of. That was. Some of the process for Jaden Higgins is like, yeah, you can do some of that cool and funky stuff, but first and foremost, you got to be. You got to hit your spots on time and in rhythm, and that was one of the things that improved as the year went along.

[Cole Thompson]

Would you say both that while Jaden Higgins, you feel confident can be a quality wide receiver, the bigger wild card right now is Jalen Knowles?

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

Yeah, I would say so. Just because there we've. There's a little more. Higgins is a little more proven at this point. You know, Noel, I think, had a harder time kind of cracking that rotation last year. I. You know, and I. The thing. One of the things I like about Noel, and this is separate from the wide receiver question, is the juice he gives you in the return game, too. Like, he's gonna have a role on the team. Like, Jalen Noel is going to impact the season in some way. But, yeah, those are the two. Those are the two big variables. Now, Seth, you mentioned Keenan Allen. So we have a text. Please ask Seth if he would consider Keenan Allen a good pickup.

[Seth]

No, they see, that's like, he's a veteran player. This is the problem. Yes, he'd be a good pickup, except that. But this is the. This is why there's a salary cap. Like, yeah, there's lots of guys out there. Bring Stefan Diggs in, Bring Keenan Allen in. Bring Joey Bosa in. Bring all these guys in.

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

Now you're talking.

[Cole Thompson]

Go. Full nostalgia, baby.

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

Yeah.

[Seth]

And because there's so much damn propaganda out there about the cap being a myth, people feel like, yeah, just bring them all in. Like, there's. You got to find a balance of believing in and trusting your young draft picks, as long as they're showing you evidence that you should trust them or believe in them. And I think that's exactly where they are with the wide receivers right now. Stefan Diggs, for instance, man, look, he was a model citizen when he was here, at least inside the building. And the. Yes, he'd be a valuable addition, but he also probably wants at least 12 million a year.

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

Yeah.

[Seth]

Where Jaden Higgins and Jalen Noel are on their rookie contracts, Jalen Noel at this point has way more burst and potential for separation than Stefon Diggs does. Stefan Diggs was very productive last year, did an awesome job, but he's not going to necessarily provide you that same burst that he used to have. And, and he's 33 years old. You know, coming off of a. Coming off an ACL two years ago. 33 is a really dicey age for wide receivers. It doesn't make a lot of sense if you feel good about Jalen Noel to say, oh, yeah, let's bring in a better version of Christian Kirk and spend all that money and delay Jalen Knowles development. And it just get. But because there is a salary cap.

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

Yeah, well, I gotta spoil everybody's Friday morning by bringing up the cap being real. Seth, what do you know?

[Seth]

We didn't really delve into it as much yesterday, but I went and read a few articles out of Boston when Stefon Diggs was released, and people kind of being skeptical about it. And at that time, I think they were at least pretending like the AJ Brown trade wasn't a done deal. Yeah, but he was like, he did a lot of things last year better than he'd done since his rookie year. Like his catch rate, his drop rate, some of these, his yardage after catch. Like, he, he performed really, really well in limited snaps.

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

Yes.

[Seth]

And, you know, he's 32 years old. He's coming off of an ACL injury. Like, you got to factor all of that into it.

[Cole Thompson]

So what you're telling me is that go get Brandon Cooks. That's what everyone.

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

Oh, God. No, no, no. He ditched us, man.

[Cole Thompson]

I saw people actually commenting not too long ago. Brandon Cooks is that wide receiver. 3 is the perfect addition for the ditched us.

[Host 1 (possibly Seth)]

No, I. Man, I hold grudges. No. All right, headlines coming up next. We had a schedule release yesterday in baseball. We'll get you up to speed on everything going on with the schedule next year. Games resuming tonight. The Orioles come into town. We've got items to get to here in headlines. We'll do that coming up next.

[Lowe's Advertiser]

Messi fans. Lowe's Messy halftime event hits July 19th. That's coming up fast. So now's a really good time to become a Milos Rewards or my Lowe's Pro Rewards member. Join for free and get access to exclusive messy moments and epic surprises. Let's just say halftime's looking different this year. Make sure to follow Lowes on TikTok and tune in to the Lowe's Messy halftime event on July 19. Members get more at Lowe's loyalty programs subject to terms and conditions. Visit lowe's.com terms for details. Subject to change.

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Yep.

[Snapple Advertiser]

So anyways, this has been a refreshing break. Brought to you by Snapple Real Tea, Real Juice with snaps and isn't refreshing.

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