The Buffalo Bills could end up seeing a familiar face lining up against them in Week 1.
The Houston Texans, the season-opening opponent for the Bills, suffered a blow to their wide receiver room when Jayden Higgins was placed on season-ending injured reserve. The Texans are expected to look around for some help, with a former Bills receiver reportedly at the top of the list.
Former Bills Receiver Zay Jones Could Land New Role
ESPN reporter Jeremy Fowler noted that the Texans are expected to act quickly to fill their hole at wide receiver, with former Bills pass-catcher Zay Jones on their list.
“The Texans, thin at receiver with Jayden Higgins out, are conducting free agent receiver workouts. Josh Reynolds is a name on the team’s radar, as is Zay Jones (as @AaronWilson_NFL mentioned),” Fowler shared in a post on X.
Jones has made several stops over the course of his NFL career, which began with the Bills in 2017. He was the top wide receiver in Josh Allen’s rookie season in 2018, making 56 receptions for 652 yards and seven touchdowns.
The Bills were offensively challenged in Allen’s rookie season, when the team fell to 6-11 and Allen missed the only games of his career with an elbow injury. The Bills brought in help the following season with proven wide receivers John Brown and Cole Beasley, going 10-6 and making the playoffs.
Texans Suffer Major Blow to Wide Receiving Corps
The Texans were left shorthanded when Higgins went down in practice this week, with NBC Sports reporter Charean Williams noting he was diagnosed with a torn ACL and will miss his second season.
“He injured his knee in a joint practice with the Raiders on Tuesday. The 2025 second-round pick landed awkwardly in the end zone during an 11-on-11 red zone drill,” Williams wrote. “Higgins started 10 games and had 525 receiving yards and six touchdowns during his rookie season. He was expected to start opposite Nico Collins.”
That will leave a significant hole in Houston’s offense when they host the Bills in Week 1. Williams noted that the team will need to lean more heavily on their reserve wide receivers.
“Xavier Hutchinson, Tank Dell and Jaylin Noel now will be more important than ever to the Texans’ offense this season. Dell and Noel continue to work their way back from injuries,” Williams wrote.
Bills Could Face Josh Allen’s Top Rookie Year WR Target in Week 1