Jayden Higgins' Recent Injury Adds to Texans' Growing WR Concerns

The Houston Texans' wide receiver room has suffered a couple of injuries in the past week.

First, the Texans would lose second-year wideout Jaylin Noel, who had been recovering from a finger injury he was dealing with entering camp, but has since suffered a hamstring strain that will take him out for the time being.

And now, the Texans could be without another one of their top wide receivers in the offense in just their second week of the preseason following Jayden Higgins' recent injury.

Jayden Higgins Suffers Injury in Texans' Joint Practice

The Texas saw their 34th-overall pick from the 2025 draft, Jayden Higgins, go down with what was deemed a lower leg injury in the red zone during a drill in Tuesday's joint practice with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Higgins didn't need a cart for the injury, and walked off the field under his own power, but he did not return to practice because of it.

Head coach DeMeco Ryans didn't give any update on the injury after practice, but Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud expressed confidence that his wideout would be good to go long-term.

“I think he’ll be fine. But I wish the best," Stroud said of Jayden Higgins after practice. "Hope he’s all good.”

To hear that the hopes appear to be positive around Higgins' injury status from his quarterback is good news to be had. However, there are no guarantees surrounding what exactly the second-year pass-catcher is dealing with, or whatever time he might be set to miss, if any.

But if Higgins were slated to miss any time rolling into the year, that's a tough break for the Texans' offense.

The Texans are already having to deal with the absence of one young wide receiver in the room in the form of Noel. If Higgins is out from practice or preseason moving forward, it makes those holes even bigger, and therefore, creates a notable hit to a position group that looked pretty deep before training camp.

Jan 18, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins (81) warms up before an AFC Divisional Round game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Higgins has also been expected to take on a significant role in the Texans' wide receiver room all throughout the offseason and into training camp.

Last season, the pass-catcher finished with over 40 receptions, 500 receiving yards, and six touchdowns, and should see those numbers only increase with a full year of development in the books.

But an absence around this time of year, if lingering for multiple weeks and keeps him out of preseason, might just be what leaves him to start the season off a bit slow, or at least, slower than initially expected coming into Week 1.

A year-two breakout is still largely in the cards for Higgins, and a big role will be coming his way. But depending on how long he'll be out with his newest injury, his absence could tend to have a ripple effect for how the start of his 2026 season pans out.

For as long as Higgins and Noel are out in Houston, expect to see more reps be handed to guys like Xavier Hutchinson, who comes off a career year in 2025, Tank Dell, who's looking to return from his 2024 knee injury, and fringe roster guys like Jared Wayne, Lewis Bond, and Justin Watson looking to make it past the 53-man cut.

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