Do the Texans have the best WR trio in the NFL?

Tyler Greenawalt

Do the Texans have the best WR trio in the NFL? image

Wide receivers are all the rage in the NFL nowadays. Not only are teams paying them more money, but they're bringing in as many quality options as possible to give their quarterback the best possible pass-catching options.

There are a lot of teams with two quality wide receivers on their roster but more are adding a third to play more snaps due to the rise of 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end and three wide receivers). The Texans had two solid options in Nico Collins and Tank Dell, but also added Stefon Diggs to the group to create — perhaps — the best trio in the league.

So where does Houston rank among its peers? I looked at the first three players listed on all 32 teams' depth charts and ranked the trio using three data points to determine a composite rank that should definitively explain which teams have the best receiver trios. I used:

  • The combined 2023 receiving yards production
  • The average Approximate Value, per Pro Football Reference, of the three players
  • The average AV rank for the three — so the teams with more highly-ranked players earned a better score.

Here's what the data determined:

WR Rank Team Players
1 Texans Nico Collins, Tank Dell, Stefon Diggs
2 Dolphins Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Braxton Berrios
3 Rams Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, Tutu Atwell
4 Eagles A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, DeVante Parker
5 49ers Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings
6 Bears Keenan Allen, D.J. Moore, Tyler Scott
7 Seahawks D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba
8 Cowboys CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, Jalen Tolbert
9 Browns Jerry Jeudy, Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore
10 Buccaneers Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Trey Palmer
11 Colts Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs, Alec Pierce
12 Lions Amon-Ra St. Brown, Kalif Raymond, Jameson Williams
13 Packers Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks
14 Vikings Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Brandon Powell
15 Titans DeAndre Hopkins, Calvin Ridley, Treylon Burks
16 Saints Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Cedrick Wilson Jr.
17 Raiders Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker
18 Bengals Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Trenton Irwin
19 Jaguars Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, Gabriel Davis
20 Panthers Diontae Johnson, Adam Thielen, DJ Chark
21 Chiefs Rashee Rice, Marquise Brown, Justin Watson
22 Broncos Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims, Josh Reynolds
23 Ravens Zay Flowers, Nelson Agholor, Rashod Bateman
24 Falcons Drake London, Darnell Mooney, Rondale Moore
25 Commanders Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Olamide Zaccheaus
26 Giants Darius Slayton, Wan'Dale Robinson, Jalin Hyatt
27 Jets Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard, Mike Williams
28 Steelers George Pickens, Calvin Austin, Miles Boykin
29 Patriots Demario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne, K.J. Osborn
30 Bills Curtis Samuel, Khalil Shakir, Justin Shorter
31 Chargers Josh Palmer, Quentin Johnston, Derius Davis
32 Cardinals Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch, Andre Baccellia

So there you have it: The Texans do indeed have the best wide receiver corps, on paper at least. The trio of Diggs, Collins and Dell ranked No. 1 in total receiving yards and average AV player rank and finished third in average AV.

I'd be remiss if I didn't include a few caveats:

This list only includes wide receivers, meaning teams with tight ends or running backs who finished as a top-three pass-catcher were not included. That pushed the Chiefs down considerably as well as the Lions, 49ers and Vikings.

Additionally, the data is also solely reliant on 2023 production, meaning players who were injured throughout the 2023 season (like Justin Jefferson, Mike Williams and Tee Higgins) were docked considerably. It also doesn't account for the fate of a few key free agents like Hunter Renfrow and Tyler Boyd — two quality veterans who could upgrade any unit. Finally, this list will assuredly change after the 2024 NFL draft when teams add highly-touted rookies like Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze.

Another interesting note is that the Texans and Seahawks are the only two teams in the NFL that will roster three receivers who caught at least 45 receptions for 500 yards in 2023. But while the Texans rank first, the Seahawks rank seventh because none of their top wide receivers performed statistically better than any of the No. 1 receivers on the six teams ranked higher.

But for now, this list is a good start. And it paints a very obvious picture of the teams that look solid heading into the 2024 season and those that still need some support if they want to compete this year.

Tyler Greenawalt

Tyler Greenawalt Photo

 

Tyler Greenawalt is a contributing writer for The Sporting News after stops at Yahoo Sports, USA Today Sports and Turner Sports. He’s worked in written, video, social media and augmented reality content since he graduated from Syracuse University in 2014. His favorite teams – the New York Jets, Orlando Magic and Tottenham Hotspur – always find new and exciting ways to disappoint him, and he consistently questions his fandom. You can follow his bad sports takes at @TyGreen14 on X.