The departure of Andre Johnson has opened the door in Houston for a new leading receiver. The Texans have established that Brian Hoyer is their starting quarterback and now the veteran is working on gaining as much chemistry with his wide receivers as possible. The Texans signed Cecil Shorts and Nate Washington to the roster while drafting Jaelen Strong, but it is DeAndre Hopkins that is poised for the biggest year.
Hopkins has been patiently waiting his turn. The wide receiver has been playing in the shadow of Johnson since his arrival in Houston and now he is the leading man for 2015. Hopkins and Hoyer have been looking very impressive as a solid quarterback-receiver duo heading into 2015 which will make fantasy football owners very happy. Hopkins is quick to give credit for his early-season success to Hoyer.
"Arm strength isn't a question. If anyone can run this offense, he can," Hopkins said, via CBSSports.com "He's been in this position before as a starting QB. He knows what it's like to have this pressure on him if you say so. I think he brings a lot of aspects to this team and to this offense. Watching film on him in Cleveland and I want to say he had a ball about 70 yards that he threw, or maybe it was close to 80 yards, so you know his arm strength isn't a question."
Outside of Hopkins, Strong and Shorts are battling it out to be the second receiver in the rotation. Both players have found success in the preseason as they each record touchdowns. Strong has improved with each outing in Houston leaving head coach Bill O'Brien very impressed. Is it enough to give the third-round draft pick the opportunity to start Week 1?
"He's a very talented guy," O'Brien said, via the team website. "He's big, he's strong, he's a very instinctive player, he makes contested catches and I think that he's improved every week. The key for Jaelen, the key for every rookie, is to keep improving. All of these rookies at some point are going to hit a wall, and they've got to be able to climb over that wall. All these guys, Jaelen, they all have to just continue to improve. If they can continue to improve, they'll be in good shape."
The quality at the receiver position will make Hoyer's job much easier when the season begins. The run game is also going to be a solid compliment for the quarterback. Alfred Blue and Chris Polk are excelling as a tandem while Arian Foster could return much sooner than expected. The Texans could have a much improved offense in 2015.