NFL Nation

          Which Texans' receiver will start with DeAndre Hopkins?

          HOUSTON -- Apart from the selection of their starting quarterback, one of the biggest questions the Houston Texans will answer this offseason will have to do with the wide receiver position. Who will start for the Texans along with DeAndre Hopkins, the 2013 first-round pick who had his first thousand-yard season last year?

          A mailbag questioner asks, and we shall answer.


          Ganguli: The top options here include free-agent pickups Nate Washington (31) and Cecil Shorts III (27), and rookie Jaelen Strong, who was taken in the third round with the 70th pick in this year's draft. Strong's start has been delayed a bit, and we'll get to that more later. Coach Bill O'Brien was effusive in his praise of Washington last week. "I really like Nate. I think he's been a good addition to our football team, both from a veteran leadership standpoint and then from his route-running ability. He's really practiced hard all spring. He's been here a lot. He's been out there every day at practice. He's picked up our offense well. He's always communicating with the other receivers and the quarterbacks. I think he's going to add a lot to our offense. I'm glad he's here."


          Ganguli: That would be tough. The Texans kept five receivers on the active roster last season -- Andre Johnson, DeAndre Hopkins, Damaris Johnson, Keshawn Martin and DeVier Posey. Johnson and Posey are gone, and the Texans have added two receivers in free agency and two in the draft. Travis Labhart made a good play in the Texans' final organized team activities session, grabbing a tipped pass from Brian Hoyer and scored with it, but that's a crowded room for him to work his way through.


          Ganguli: They would indeed, and some have suggested that could contribute O'Brien's timeline for making a decision on who the starting quarterback will be. My view on it is that if O'Brien is truly undecided going into camp, he won't rush the decision just because he doesn't want it shown on "Hard Knocks." But if he has a pretty good idea, then he'd much rather avoid having the quarterback decision-making process part of the drama of the show.


          Ganguli: This is a bit of a tough question to answer because by definition an under-the-radar player won't be one making a splash. I'm keeping an eye on a few players, though. Safety Terrance Parks is one of them. He was on the Texans' practice squad for a few weeks and has been competing at the position. Outside linebacker Lynden Trail has tremendous size, at 6-foot-7, 269 pounds. Chandler Worthy is a receiver out of Troy who scored a few touchdowns as a returner last season. He'll be competing for that spot which is truly wide open this season.


          Ganguli: I don't see it this way. Louis Nix came into Houston recovering from an injury, which was part of why he fell in the draft at all. He suffered several injuries that left him unable to contribute during the season and drew the ire of O'Brien for how he handled things after that. Strong suffered a hamstring injury during the Texans' first OTAs, which is sometimes an injury that is the result of not being in the right condition for practice. He hasn't returned yet, which is a function of those kinds of injuries. Too much time lost will be a big problem, but we aren't there yet. O'Brien called the injury minor a couple of weeks ago.


          Ganguli: He'll deserve one in the eyes of Texans fans. But that is just the kind of frill he'll allow over his dead body (to borrow an expression)!


          Ganguli: We've talked a lot about this group, but I'll say this: Watch for a jump from second-year tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz. The second year is big for NFL players, and both Fiedorowicz and the Texans' organization are pleased with his progress and expect a much better season out of him. His blocking was expected to be a strength, and O'Brien has indicated he thinks it will be more of one this year.