The Houston Texans have high hopes for the 2026 campaign, as they believe they can take a step forward after advancing to the divisional round of the playoffs in each of the past three seasons. In order to do that, though, the team needs to stay healthy, and unfortunately, they have been dealt some tough blows early on during training camp.
The most recent gut punch of the bunch saw second-year wide receiver Jayden Higgins go down with an injury earlier this week, which was revealed to be a torn ACL. Higgins will miss the entire season as a result of this injury, and in the wake of this news, the Texans front office was forced to make a tough move involving the talented pass catcher.
Texans Place Jayden Higgins on Injured Reserve
A second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Higgins was an immediate contributor for the Texans as a rookie. He managed to suit up for all 17 of the team’s games, racking up 41 receptions for 525 yards and six touchdowns. By the time the season wrapped up, he was essentially Houston’s No. 2 wide receiver behind Nico Collins.
Even with the impending return of Tank Dell, Higgins was performing so well early on in training camp that he appeared likely to reprise that role entering the 2026 campaign. Instead, he suffered a devastating injury, as a torn ACL will force him to undergo surgery and an arduous rehab process before returning to the field next year.
Losing Higgins is a big blow, largely because Jaylin Noel is currently dealing with hamstring and finger injuries, and Dell is still working his way back from his own serious injury. Houston’s front office is reportedly looking at external candidates to replace Higgins, but first, it had to make a necessary roster move by placing him on injured reserve, which will officially end his season.
“Texans officially placed WR Jayden Higgins on season-ending injured reserve,” Adam Schefter of ESPN shared in a post on X.
Texans Must Find a Way to Replace Jayden Higgins
GettyThe Texans have lost wide receiver Jayden Higgins for the entire 2026 campaign after he suffered a torn ACL
Higgins appeared to be primed for a breakout campaign in 2026, so now that he’s gone, somebody else is going to have to step up and fill in his shoes. Noel and Dell are the top internal candidates, as is Xavier Hutchinson. If the injuries continue to pile up, though, the Texans may have no choice but to find someone from outside the organization to come in and get the job done.
Having Collins leading the way helps make this loss a bit easier to absorb, but more help is going to be needed in order for Houston to make the sort of improvements it is looking for. The Texans need to make sure that Higgins’ absence isn’t something that holds the team back this year, and while there is still time for the front office and coaching staff to sort out the wide receiver room, they need to act with a heightened sense of urgency now that his year is officially over.
Texans Make Official Jayden Higgins Move After Injury Announcement