There can be no denying that between All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller the Houston Texans have one of the NFL’s best receiver duos. The “dreaded duo,” as they have become known due to their dreadlocks, complement each others’ skill sets well, and offer quarterback Deshaun Watson plenty of attacking options.
Speaking to SiriusXM NFL Radio via Patrick D. Starr at the NFL owners meeting in Phoenix, general manager Brian Gaine discussed the Texans’ starting receivers.
“Between Hopkins and Will Fuller, their skill sets are a great complement to one another,” said Gaine.
In 2018, the pair combined for 147 catches for 2,075 yards and 15 touchdowns. Of course, Fuller’s season was cut short after seven games, tearing his ACL in the Week 8 win over the Miami Dolphins. Fuller’s injury issue is the only pessimistic aspect that hangs over the Texans’ receiving tandem.
Said Gaine: “As it relates to Will Fuller we feel like his return to play is all on schedule, we think he will be ready to go when the season starts.”
What Fuller provides to the offense that it was missing, even after the trade for Demaryius Thomas from the Denver Broncos on Oct. 30, 2018, was the deep threat.
“There are two areas that I think Will does not get enough credit for and that is his route running and his improved hands,” said Gaine. “Everybody knows that Will can run fast and he is a deep threat, but his skill set in terms of running vertical and getting deep matches up with our quarterback. As well our quarterback throws a great deep ball, so having that dimension in the offense obviously is a great advantage for us.”
If Fuller is indeed on schedule, then it bodes well for a Houston offense that will need every skill set available as it appears, two months into the offseason, there’s not much change in protection or carrying the football.
