Key facts
- Jayden Higgins, 23, tore his ACL in joint practice Tuesday with the Ravens (or Raiders; sources differ on opponent)
- Second-round pick (No. 34 overall) in 2025 who had 41 catches, 525 yards, and 6 TDs as a rookie starter
- Will miss entire 2026 season; leaves Texans thin at WR with Tank Dell still recovering from major knee injury
- Nico Collins and Xavier Hutchinson now primary receiving targets alongside TE Dalton Schultz (82 catches last year)
- Jaylin Noel (3rd-round pick, 2025) expected to see increased role in slot and out wide
The injury and the loss
Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins tore his ACL during a joint practice on Tuesday and will miss the entire 2026 season. The 23-year-old was the team’s starting outside receiver, lined up across from Pro Bowler Nico Collins. Sources report the injury occurred during practice, though one outlet identified the opposing team as the Ravens while another cited the Raiders.
Who Higgins was and what he provided
Higgins was a second-round pick (No. 34 overall) in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Iowa State. As a rookie, he appeared in 10 games as a starter and posted 41 catches for 525 yards and a team-high 6 touchdowns in the regular season. He added 9 catches for 98 yards in two playoff games. At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, he filled a size and athleticism need alongside Collins (6-foot-4, 222 pounds) as a physical downfield target for quarterback C.J. Stroud. Collins praised Higgins during training camp, calling him “a dog” and saying he “has all the tools in the world” to become the face of the franchise.
The depth-chart impact
The Texans will shift their receiving targets significantly. Collins remains the primary option at wide receiver, while tight end Dalton Schultz, who led the team with 82 catches last year, continues as a central weapon. Xavier Hutchinson (6-foot-3, 210 pounds) is expected to serve as a like-for-like size replacement for Higgins. Jaylin Noel, a third-round pick from Iowa State last year, is positioned to see additional snaps both in the slot and out wide.
The bigger question mark is Tank Dell, a 2023 third-round pick who had 98 catches for 1,376 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first two seasons but suffered a devastating knee injury late in the 2024 season. Dell dislocated his knee, tore his ACL, MCL, and LCL, and suffered meniscus damage. He missed all of last year and is still working his way back; the coaching staff remains uncertain whether he will play in the preseason.
Context for the team
Wide receiver health has been a chronic issue for Houston. Beyond Dell’s extended absence, Collins missed two games last year while Christian Kirk missed three. In the 2024 season, Collins missed five games, Stefon Diggs tore his ACL midway through the year, and Dell got hurt late in the season. The team’s defense was one of the best in the NFL last season, but the passing game struggled due to inconsistent pass protection for Stroud and recurring injuries at the receiver position. The hope for 2026 was stability at both positions; Higgins’s loss arrives at a difficult moment as Houston tries to provide Stroud with reliable weapons.
Sources
Featured photo: Front Office Sports via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)