Texans WR Jayden Higgins Reportedly Tore ACL, Ending Season

The Houston Texans have suffered a huge hit to their wide receiver room.

According to a report from Jonathan M. Alexander of The Houston Chronicle, Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins has torn his ACL, and his 2026 season is effectively over.

#Texans WR Jayden Higgins tore his ACL, per a source, ending his 2026 season.
— Jonathan M Alexander (@jonmalexander) August 19, 2026

Higgins suffered the injury during the Texans' joint practice against the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday, where he went down with what was initially deemed a lower leg injury that he walked off under his own power from, but wasn't able to return to the action.

It turns out that the injury was a much more severe injury than initially thought, and will put out Higgins from football activities for the foreseeable future.

It's the second ACL tear the Texans have dealt with on their 90-man roster within the past week. Backup quarterback Graham Mertz suffered one in Houston's first preseason game against the LA Chargers, and now Higgins is the latest to get struck by the injury bug.

But this injury is a huge loss to the Texans' offense. Higgins was expected to have a significant role in Houston's passing attack throughout the 2026 campaign, yet will now see his season come to an end before it even started.

What Jayden Higgins' Injury Means for Texans WR Room

Higgins was one of the few bright spots of an otherwise uninspiring Texans offense in 2025, coming out for over 40 receptions, 500 yards, and six touchdowns in his rookie campaign.

He was primed to take on a much bigger workload and snap count in his second year with this offense catching passes from C.J. Stroud, and really, be the WR2 in the offense behind Pro Bowler Nico Collins after a productive offseason.

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

However, his season is now effectively over. The Texans are forced to turn in another direction for those WR2 duties instead of being able to rely on their 2025 second-round pick as expected.

Considering Houston does have a deep wide receiver room, it does help knowing that they aren't without options, even if having Higgins in this attack would make things much more potent and explosive. Nico Collins' presence atop the depth chart helps out as well. But as to who will be the one to step up behind him remains to be seen.

Jaylin Noel, Houston's third-round pick from Higgins' same draft in 2025, is now in for an expanded role himself, but he's also dealing with a hamstring injury as of this week that will keep him sidelined for some time.

Tank Dell could be in for a few more targets, but is still recovering from his major 2024 knee injury. Perhaps Xavier Hutchinson, after a career year in 2025, will also be due for a bigger share of the workload at receiver, or rookie Lewis Bond could continue to build on a productive offseason program.

Regardless, plans are certainly changing in the Texans’ wide receiver room compared to initial expectations, and Higgins will be forced to wait until 2027 to get back onto the field for Houston.

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