Jayden Higgins' Continued Praise Reinforces Why Texans Trust Him as WR2

The Houston Texans wide receiver room didn't see many changes this offseason.

Outside of Christian Kirk departing to the San Francisco 49ers and the Texans taking Lewis Bodine in the sixth round of April's draft, this is largely the same group Houston had this past season––plus the addition of Tank Dell, who's set to return to the field this season for the first time since his leg injury in 2024.

It might be a bit surprising to some for the Texans to stand pat at receiver when considering that this passing offense was pretty average amongst the league last season. On the surface, pursuing a veteran addition or two might've made a whole lot of sense to take this offense to the next level in 2026.

But the Texans seem to feel pretty confident about their core in place by not having made any major changes to the room in the past few months. And a lot of that approach can be credited to the appealing traits that second-year wideout Jayden Higgins continues to show throughout the offseason.

Jayden Higgins' Hype Continues to Grow Ahead of His Second Season

The buzz surrounding Higgins' second year with the Texans has only grown since the team wrapped up their OTAs and minicamp earlier this month, with signs pointing towards the 23-year-old gearing up for an increased role in the offense, while also having looked strong during his early offseason workouts.

Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer is one of the latest to comment on the hype surrounding Higgins and what his second year with the Texans could look like, making note of the impressive showing he's had during the spring, and the fit he creates as a one-two punch next to Nico Collins.

"The Texans’ offense had a really nice spring, and there’s one guy in particular worth keeping an eye on. That guy is second-year receiver Jayden Higgins," Breer wrote. "It’s easy to forget that Higgins was essentially Houston’s first-round pick last year, taken 34th after the Texans traded out of Round 1 when the Giants came up to get Jaxson Dart."

"Higgins certainly has looked that part in the spring. His frame is nearly identical to Nico Collins’s, and while Collins is the physically stronger player, Higgins is a smoother, looser athlete than the Texans’ incumbent No. 1—one staffer illustrated it as having a power forward (Collins) and small forward (Higgins) at the position. And having those two guys at around 6'4" on the outside certainly stands to present defenses with a host of problems."

Higgins Brings a Much-Needed Spark to This Offense

Breer's insight here is wise. While Higgins and Collins do have similar builds and physical traits, they offer enough differences in their skillsets to make them a dangerous pairing on opposite sides of the field.

The two of them showcased that when Higgins got his increased reps at the end of his first season, and that confidence in his abilities will only stretch higher now that he has a full offseason under his belt.

From Weeks 9 through 18, Higgins averaged over five targets and 40 yards a game, hauling in four touchdowns across that stretch, and was on the field for over 61% of the offensive snaps; a vast difference from the first half of the year where he had just 2.8 targets a week and less than 20 yards per.

Dec 21, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins (81) is introduced before playing against the Las Vegas Raiders at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

There's going to be a lot more statlines from Higgins in 2026 that look like what he did through that latter half of his rookie year, and doing so will be critical for this Texans offense to reach their aspired heights and balance effectively with the elite talent they have on the defensive side of the ball.

Combining with Collins, along with other targets slated to have a big role like Dalton Schultz at the tight end spot, and another budding second-year wideout in Jaylin Noel, the pieces are starting to come together for this offense to look at lot more potent than things turned out to be a year ago.

Of course, there's still a ton of time to go before the Texans get training camp going, and we get to see what Higgins looks like when the pads come on, and what his usage might be in his second year pro.

But based on what the early signs show, Higgins feels bound to be a force to be reckoned with that helps both C.J. Stroud in a pivotal year for his future, and this offense's production as a whole.

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