Texans Sign New WR to Roster Amid Nico Collins Injury

The Houston Texans have added on a wide receiver to their 53-man roster heading into Week 8.

According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the Texans are signing wide receiver Jared Wayne to their active roster.

#Texans signing wide receiver Jared Wayne to 53-man roster from practice squad, per a league source. Christian Kirk (hamstring) and Nico Collins (concussion) are both sidelined @KPRC2
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) October 22, 2025

Wayne, a 6-foot-3, 25-year-old pass-catcher out of Pittsburgh, has been on the Texans' practice squad to start the 2025 NFL season for the first seven weeks of the season, currently in his second year pro after being an undrafted free agent pickup for Houston earlier last offseason.

He comes onboard the Texans' roster in the midst of the recent injuries in the wide receiver room, including Christian Kirk, who missed Houston's latest game vs. the Seattle Seahawks due to a hamstring injury, while star wideout Nico Collins was taken out in the middle of that contest due to a concussion.

With both of their statuses potentially up in the air heading into their matchup vs. the San Francisco 49ers, Wayne now fills in as a nice supporting depth piece to alleviate some of the worries at the position.

Texans Add Jared Wayne to 53-Man Roster

Sep 7, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams running back Blake Corum (22) attempts to tackle Houston Texans wide receiver Jared Wayne (14) during the fourth quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Wayne was on the Texans' roster for three games during the 2024 campaign, where he logged a total of 64 snaps, spending time split between offense and special teams, and had no receiving stats to record.

During his time in college, he was a four-year player for Pittsburgh, collecting 146 catches for over 2,300 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns throughout his 41 games played.

He now joins a wide receiver room for Week 8 that, without Collins or Kirk in the mix, will be headlined by the likes of Xavier Hutchinson, as well as rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, who would likely see an increase in opportunitity if either of Houston's veteran wideouts aren't good to go for the weekend.

With three practices to go before kickoff in Houston for Week 8, we'll gain some additional clarity on what to expect within C.J. Stroud's wide receiver corps vs. San Francisco. But for now, Wayne provides an extra set of hands for the Texans to roll with in the event their offense is a bit hobbled.

Be sure to bookmark Houston Texans On SI and follow @TexansOnSI on X for daily Houston Texans news, interviews, breakdowns and more!