Two years ago, John Metchie III looked like an ideal complementary piece opposite Brandin Cooks and Nico Collins for the Houston Texans‘ passing game.
Fast-forward 24 months and the former second-round pick is now competing for a spot on the roster behind Collins, breakout rookie Tank Dell and Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs.
The expectation is for Collins, Dell and Diggs to start as part of the ‘five-headed monster’ in C.J. Stroud’s arsenal. After that, the final three receiver spots are up for grabs between seven potential options.
That number might be down to two since Metchie continues to turn heads in the early stages of training camp. One could argue he’s been the Texans’ most consistent pass-catcher through three practices.
“He’s been dealing with a lot,” Collins said Thursday. “He’s coming in every day and is working on himself, working on his body, the things he needs to improve on and it’s showing on the field.”
The former Alabama star mostly has been running with the second-team offense, but he rotates from time to time with the projected starters. On Saturday, he caught two balls during team drills, including a 50-yard touchdown pass from second-string quarterback Davis Mills.
Metchiiiiiiiieeeeeeee 🥋🔥 pic.twitter.com/HfqPx02VrZ
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) July 20, 2024
The concept was simple: go deep and get open. Metchie, who totaled over 1,000 yards during his final season with the Crimson Tide, pulled a double move at the line of scrimmage and sprinted vertically past Mike Ford in coverage.
The offense celebrated, including Stroud, perhaps Metchie’s top supporter since the start of the offseason.
“[He’s] just another great guy that we have,” Stroud said earlier this offseason. “I’m just excited to see him just show his value that we all have known, and now he’s putting it on the field. He’s going to continue to go and he is going to be very pivotal and important to this football team for a lot of games to win.”
Metchie breakout szn 🔋 pic.twitter.com/7UIEQkqI0g
— Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) July 18, 2024
Metchie is essentially entering his second season of professional football. As a rookie, he was diagnosed with leukemia just before the start of training camp and missed the entire year while in treatment. Last season, he moved rotated in with Robert Woods and Noah Brown as the No. 3 option.
The Texans still envision a future with Metchie. Entering the off day, he looks to be in good standing, both on the field and in health.
“He’s in much better football shape,” Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik said Saturday. “And that’s to be expected. What he went through — two years, he couldn’t do a football workout — and then he all of a sudden rolls on the field last year, and has to go roll? That’s really, really difficult. I think that’s credit to him as a person.”
