The Houston Texans wide receiver corps took a hit in the last few weeks by losing Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins for multiple weeks.

This opened the door to players like John Metchie III, who impressed coach DeMeco Ryans with his ability to embrace those in front of him.

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“Continue to take the opportunities you get,” Ryans said. “That’s what it’s all about. Whatever the opportunity is, the important thing is to maximize that opportunity. It doesn’t matter how many there are, it’s what you do with the operations you take that matters.”

This led to Metchie catching five passes for 74 yards and a touchdown against the Detroit Lions in Week 10, marking the best game of his two years in the NFL.

Metchie is starting to look like the player the Texans selected in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

“What stands out about Metch is his progression over the last few weeks; seeing him play faster, seeing him jump off the football, run his routes, be more decisive in his route runs and also just get out of man coverage,” Ryans said. “He’s practiced, he’s coached He got his points, took them to the field and acted the right way. He came out and made big plays, especially on third downs. We knew going into the game that they were going to take an aggressive man approach, so we talked about it all week. You’re going to have to make competitive catches, and there’s no better play than the one made in the end zone for a touchdown. The defender’s hands are there but he moves up, with aggressive hands, and makes a competitive catch. “So I’m really proud of his development, taking over the coaching and bringing practice to the field on Sunday.”

It’s been a long journey for Metchie to get to this point after being diagnosed with cancer and buried on the depth chart, but his opportunity is now here and he appears to be making the most of it.

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