3 Texans Offensive Weapons Who Can Take a Major Leap in 2026

As the Houston Texans have been busy tweaking this roster for the 2026 season, most of the work done in hopes of taking this group to the next level has been focused on improving the interior of their offense and defense rather than overhauling their group of offensive weapons.

Outside of the move to trade for David Montgomery and selecting Marlin Klein in round two of the draft, the Texans' collection of skill players has remained relatively similar to last year's crew. It shows Houston's confidence in the talent they have in-house and banking on their internal development next season to find those offensive improvements.

So of the talent Houston has in the building offensively, who could be primed to take the biggest leap next season?

Let's sort through three names on the Texans' roster who could take a step forward in their production in one way or another for the 2026 season:

1. Jayden Higgins

Nov 9, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins (81) spikes the ball after scoring a touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second half at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The biggest and best candidate on the Texans' offense to take a step forward in 2026 is none other than their second round selection from last summer: Jayden Higgins.

Higgins really began to catch his stride at the end of last year when he became a featured part of the offense opposite of the alpha Nico Collins.

From Weeks 9 through 18, Higgins was averaging over five targets a game while playing 60% of the Texans' offensive snaps; a considerable jump from his production in Weeks 1 through 8, where he was on for 54% of the snaps and less than three targets a game. He also found his groove as a real redzone threat, having secured six touchdowns throughout his first season.

That trust in his abilities and opportunity is only going to be greater after a full offseason of development, and could offer him a route to a true breakout campaign as the clear number two pass-catcher in this offense.

2. Jaylin Noel

Dec 27, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Jaylin Noel (14) runs after the catch against the Los Angeles Chargers during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

One name who's been lost in the shuffle of the Texans' wide receiver room has been another day two pick from last year's draft, Jaylin Noel, who was stuffed into more of a special teams and returner role in his rookie campaign as opposed to being a consistent part of this offense.

This season could look a lot different for Noel, though, based on the jump in opportunity he looks to have in Houston's pass-catching room.

Noel be the top name to factor in as the Texans' slot specialist following the departure of Christian Kirk to the San Francisco 49ers. His primary competitors at WR3 will be Xavier Hutchinson and Tank Dell, both of whom will land their fair share of snaps, but might not have the same upside of prowess in the slot like Noel possesses.

If Noel can be a viable weapon in the middle of the field and in the short passing game, his presence for C.J. Stroud could be significant.

3. Woody Marks

Jan 12, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Houston Texans running back Woody Marks (27) runs during the first half of an AFC Wild Card Round game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

It'll be pretty tough for Marks to reach his same numbers from last season as the Texans' lead rusher towards the end of the season. New addition David Montgomery is all but certain to be Houston's bell cow, claiming a majority of the carries in the backfield.

But where Marks can make a vastly different impact from last season is in the receiving game. Marks has already expressed earlier this offseason how Nick Caley plans to utilize him as a pass-catcher out of the backfield, and that dual-threat ability should allow him to find a sustained role in the offense, even while being slotted to RB2 on the depth chart.

In his rookie season, Marks totaled 24 receptions for 208 yards, having three of his five total touchdowns come off of passes. It really wouldn't be too shocking to see that yardage number doubled by the time next year comes to a close, so long as he can consistently stay on the field.

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