Who Should I Start? Xavier Gipson or Lewis Bond

Wednesday, June 24, 9:33 AM

Houston Texans rookie sixth-round wide receiver Lewis Bond has made plays and has turned heads through the offseason, to the point where he already has an online team fanbase called the Lewis Bond Fan Club, according to DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN. The Boston College standout still has a ways to go heading into training camp, but he's a young receiver to watch going into his first year in the NFL. In his five years at Boston College, the 5-foot-10, 190-pounder had 2,385 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns on 213 receptions across 46 games played. Even though he has stood out this offseason, Bond has a steep uphill battle to climb to make the 53-man roster going into Week 1 of the regular season, given Houston's crowded WR room. Nico Collins is the unquestioned WR1 of the group, but both second-year wideouts Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel figure to have bigger roles in Year 2. The Texans are also still hoping that Tank Dell (knee) can return from a devastating knee injury that kept him out for all of 2025. Bond will be battling Xavier Hutchinson and Justin Watson for a roster spot in training camp and the preseason.