DeMeco Ryans Has Clear Message on How Texans Will Use Their Rookies

The Houston Texans, through the first 10 weeks of the NFL season, have fluctuated the usage of their rookie talent on a bit of a week-to-week basis.

Rookie wideouts Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel have seen their snap counts and touches go up and down. Fourth-round running back Woody Marks has consistently split his reps with the veteran Nick Chubb, and in turn, it's raised a few questions for just how long it'll take for the Texans to take the training wheels off their explosive young talent.

However, that time to elevate the responsibilities of those rookies seems to be approaching pretty quickly, as Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans made it clear during his recent appearance on Texans Radio that he's not viewing his first-year talents quite like "rookies" anymore.

“No more rookies," Ryans said. "Like, Woody [Marks], like let’s go. Woody's done a great job. We gotta continue to feed him more. [Jayden] Higgins, on the outside, everybody sees the guys catch radius is insane. Like, put the ball in his vicinity, he's going to go and get it. You need a big play, who shows up on 4th down? It’s Jaylin Noel showing up when we needed it most to make that play."

"So, these guys are not rookies. They're making plays in the critical times of the game. Crunch time, we need it most, we're counting on the rookies."

DeMeco Ryans Says Texans' Rookie Nameplates Are Off

Nov 2, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans during the first half against the Denver Broncos at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The Texans, through the past three weeks, have started to get their rookie talents more involved, showing the increase in trust and confidence that Ryans has within his young players.

Jayden Higgins caught his third-career touchdown in the Texans' comeback victory over the Jaguars, Woody Marks saw a vast bulk of the carries in the backfield within that same game, and Jaylin Noel outpaced his veteran counterpart, Christian Kirk, in snaps and touches with four catches for 35 yards.

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Ryans has even seen some increasingly positive signs out of their second-round rookie left tackle, Aireontae Ersery, as the season's gone on as well.

"[Aireontae Ersery] is doing a good job there at left, continuing to battle down in and down out. He's getting better as the season's gone on. The rookie name plate is off. It's like, let's go, and how can we finish the season the right way?”

“No more rookies. Woody, like let’s go. We gotta continue to feed him more. Higgins, the guys catch radius is insane. You need a big play on 4th down, who shows up, it’s Jaylin Noel. Tae is doing a good job there at LT. The rookie name plate is off.”

-DeMeco Ryans pic.twitter.com/J10SAhoZlB
— Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) November 13, 2025

As the Texans attempt to climb the standings heading into the second half of the season, getting the young and talent rookies involved, especially on the offensive end, will continue to be critical in those efforts to move their way up the ladder.

Clearly, Ryan’s has no reservations to make that happen, which in turn could make this Texans unit continue to look a bit more explosive on the offensive end in the coming weeks because of it.

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