The Houston Texans’ offense lacked juice at times last season. Second-year wide receiver Jaylin Noel, the team’s primary punt returner last season, is expected to help in that regard. But the Texans could get unexpected contributions from rookie Lewis Bond.
Bond is a different type of receiver than Noel.
That will certainly make how the Texans deploy both something to watch in training camp an in the preseason.
Lewis Bond Draws Attention After Texans’ Offseason Program
GettyLewis Bond made waves during the Houston Texans’ offseason program.
The Texans selected Bond 204th overall, adding the former Boston College Eagles standout to a group that includes two-time Pro Bowler Nico Collins, as well as Noel and his his fellow draft mate, Jayden Higgins.
All three incumbents are expected to hold significant roles in the Texans’ offense, as are Justin Watson and, even more so, Xavier Hutchinson.
Bond will need to carve out a niche, but he is showing well so far.
“Bond, a 2026 sixth-round pick, practiced with the second-team offense and has made plays with the group,” ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime wrote on June 22. “He has turned heads throughout the offseason to the point that he has an online team fanbase called the Lewis Bond Fan Club. It’s early, so we need to see if he can continue this performance into training camp, but this is a great start for the former Boston College standout.”
Bond was a five-year contributor at BC. He fell just shy of 1,000 yards during his final season and finishing with a 213-2,385-11 career line. Bond also contributed on special teams, returning kicks and punts during the 2023 campaign.
He can help fill in the gaps for the Texans early on while he gets acclimated to the league. Still, Bond’s greatest contributions could and arguably should come on offense.
The Texans ranked 14th in passing offense and 18th overall on that side of the ball in 2025.
Lewis Bond Could Fill Missing Role in Houston
GettyLewis Bond could bring a missing element to the Houston Texans’ offense.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler projected Bond as a seventh-round pick or priority free agent. That means the Texans reached a bit to select him.
“Bond is more quick than explosive, but he has NFL-quality short-area route skills and ball skills,” Brugler wrote in his “The Beast” draft guide. “His skill set projects best as an underneath slot receiver, which won’t be a fit for every team.”
That is exactly the kind of option the Texans lacked last season.
In addition to Noel being a rookie with key duties, the Texans were also without Tank Dell, another explosive slot option. Offseason trade pickup Christian Kirk battled injuries, too.
Kirk has moved on, signing with the San Francisco 49ers in free agency during the 2026 offseason. Meanwhile, the Texans have not gotten Dell back in full just yet. That should happen in training camp.
Bond indeed still has a lot to prove and a long way to go until the regular season begins.
He is off to an encouraging start, though. That bodes well for a Texans team that could use more consistency from its relatively young wide receiver corps this coming season.
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