Two Texans WRs Who Could Beat Kayshon Boutte in Targets

The Houston Texans made a big move for their wide receiver room going out to acquire Kayshon Boutte in a trade with the New England Patriots.

In exchange for second-year safety Jayden Reed and a future seventh-round pick, the Texans brought in Boutte as a new piece for their receiver room in the wake of their recent season-ending injury to 2025 second-round pick Jayden Higgins.

We have acquired Kayshon Boutte via trade with the New England Patriots and made other roster moves. pic.twitter.com/RfaVh3tz2v
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) August 25, 2026

Now, Boutte joins the roster and adds a bit more depth and security in the wide receiver room.

But even with Boutte now a part of the Texans for the 2026 campaign, and many expecting him to take ahold of Higgins' snaps as the No. 2 wide receiver in the offense, there's a chance that he might not have as featured of a role as a couple of other underrated pass-catchers on the roster.

After all, the Texans' investment in Boutte was minor: a sixth-round safety from last year's draft and a future seventh-rounder were all it took to get the Patriots to pull the trigger. So if he's not in a premier role, it's not exactly a shock.

And when taking a step back to look at the Texans' depth chart, there are two wide receivers who have the best opportunity at beating out Boutte for targets across the course of the season–– outside of the obvious bet that is Nico Collins.

Let's break down which two guys that might be:

1. Xavier Hutchinson

Aug 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson (19) catches a ball and warm-ups before the Houston Texans played the Las Vegas Raiders at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After the Texans saw their No. 2 wideout in Jayden Higgins go down with a season-ending injury last week, the attention surrounding who would take ahold of those No. 2 receiver duties in the offense immediately turned to fourth-year pass catcher Xavier Hutchinson.

Hutchinson has gradually found his way into a bigger and bigger role within the Texans' passing attack, and now enters his fourth season after being selected in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Last season, Hutchinson filled in for Tank Dell as he was out with his knee injury, and had career-bests in receptions (30), yards (428), and touchdowns (3).

Now, Hutchinson is in a similar position: Higgins is out, he's due to fill into a bigger role, and he might just be ready to take on even more responsibilities than he did in 2025. That, in turn, would leave Boutte with less work to take advantage of, and potentially even behind Hutchinson on the depth chart throughout the season.

If Boutte starts the year off hot in practice and camp, the Texans may have no choice but to put their new acquisition into that No. 2 role on the outside opposite of Nico Collins. But if he's slow to adjust, expect Hutchinson to be the primary beneficiary to take those snaps as the Z receiver instead.

2. Jaylin Noel

Jan 18, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Jaylin Noel (14) runs with the ball in the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots in an AFC Divisional Round game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Now, Noel has a clear role within the Texans' offense this season. After spending most of last season getting looks on special teams, he'll be able to fill in for recently departed wideout Christian Kirk as one of the more featured guys in the slot.

So as a direct competitor to Boutte and his placement on the outside of the Texans' offense, he and Noel will be able to co-exist together quite well. There are going to be many times this year where you see both Boutte and Noel on the field at the same time.

But there's certainly more emphasis for someone like Noel, a third-rounder from just a year ago, to be more involved in Houston's passing attack than Boutte, who arrived via trade less than a month from the season.

Noel has had a great offseason by all accounts, is trending back to full health after missing the first couple of weeks in camp due to injury, and has felt primed for a steep jump in opportunity for some time now. So the expectation remains that Noel remains more involved on a weekly basis than Boutte.

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