The Houston Texans entered the offseason with questions about their receiver pecking order behind star Nico Collins.
In their first preseason game, 2022 second-round pick John Metchie III put his best foot forward in an attempt to earn snaps.
"All our receivers did a really nice job, John Metchie showed up," Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said, via Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston. "A ton of different guys showing up, so they're still, you know, we got a really full room of guys there who can play in the NFL, so it's tight competition going down to the wire."
In Saturday's 20-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, Metchie led the Texans with five catches on eight targets for 45 yards.
"It was good, it was good to get out there," Metchie said. "It was good to play against somebody else. It's more of a process thing rather than just a single day, not just, of course, on gameday, but it's more a process than how you show up every day, how consistent you can be."
Metchie missed his entire rookie season after being diagnosed with leukemia. Since being cleared to return ahead of the 2023 campaign, the former Alabamba product hasn't been able to set himself apart in Houston. In 29 career games, he has 40 total catches for 412 yards and one touchdown.
The Texans' drafting of Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, while trading for Christian Kirk and signing Justin Watson, pushed Metchie further down the depth chart. Even with Tank Dell potentially missing the entire 2025 season, Metchie's roster spot isn't guaranteed. That's why performances like Saturday are encouraging.
In a crowded wideout room, Metchie said they're all pushing each other to new heights.
"Just showing up, everybody brings their best every day and we all uplift each other," Metchie said. "On days you're not feeling it, the guys will uplift you. On days, the guys aren't feeling well, that's kind of our culture. We kind of band together.
"You talk about that competition in the room, but everybody likes each other, everybody wants to get better, everybody just kind of helping each other."
Metchie's versatility to play slot and outside boosts his chances of making the roster and potentially carving out a role. On Saturday, he played 19 snaps out wide and 12 in the slot.
