The Houston Texans will be without a key piece in their wide receiver room for the 2026 season, as second-year wideout Jayden Higgins reportedly suffered a torn ACL during a joint practice with the Las Vegas Raiders earlier this week.
It's a big shake up to the position group , no doubt. Higgins was expected to see a heightened share of targets within the offense for this coming season, had a productive offseason after a strong rookie campaign, but now will have to wait until 2027 to get back on the field for Houston.
And from the Texans' perspective, their wide receiver room will have to shift a bit from their initial expectations when they entered training camp. They'll have to call up one or multiple new pass-catchers for their 53-man roster heading into Week 1 , and fill out the depth that Higgins now leaves open.
A lot can happen within the next two weeks as it relates to the Texans' wide receiver room. But at the very least, for the next few days that remain ahead of cutdown day, one player already on the 90-man roster feels due for much better odds to make the 53-man cut: third-year wideout Jared Wayne.
Wayne, who first joined the Texans in 2024 as an undrafted product out of Pittsburgh, has slowly started to emerge as an interesting candidate to make Houston's 53-man roster, and that wasn't exactly the case when camp first started.
Houston's wide receiver room felt largely settled. They had a clear six to seven names to rely on ahead of Wayne, with Justin Watson and rookie Lewis Bond being the most likely to compete for those final spots, while Wayne felt more geared towards a look on the practice squad.
After all, Wayne hasn't shown a ton through two years in the league, and in the four games he's been active for, that warrants a ton of confidence that he should be due to be an addition to the roster as early as Week 1.
Aug 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Jared Wayne (89) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
But recently, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound wideout has certainly begun to make a statement in both camp and preseason throughout recent weeks to warrant him more attention than just the practice squad.
Wayne has been a standout in the Texans' training camp, making plays throughout the past couple of weeks. He's someone the coaching staff clearly trusts entering his third year in the facility, and is showing up in his reps to prove why that is.
Wayne capitalized on his most recent preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers by tying the Texans' team-high of three receptions for 19 yards, including a highlight, five-yard touchdown grab on a red-zone pass from Davis Mills; Houston's only score of the game.
Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud also had some positive reviews to hand Wayne for the way he's approached the past couple of weeks after Tuesday's joint practice.
"I think J-Wayne has been one of our best guys we've always had since I've been here," Stroud said. "I'm super proud of him, the work he's put in. He's been able to show up this camp, and I'm super happy and proud of him."
So even without the recent news that was surrounding Higgins and his availability for the season, Wayne's stock was on the rise-- potentially as one of the last names who could make the active roster at receiver next to the likes of Watson and Bond.
Now? That opportunity to make it past the cut is better than it's ever been for Wayne, who has a chance to get even more snaps on the outside, continue to convert, and truly get over the hump here in the next two preseason games to cement himself as one of the better pass-catchers on the roster.
Expect the Texans to hand a ton of work to Wayne in their matchup against the Raiders, as well as their preseason game against the Carolina Panthers next week to see just how much he can handle in what's been an already impressive 2026 campaign to start.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/texans/onsi as This Dark Horse Can Make Texans' Roster After Jayden Higgins Injury .
