Quarterback CJ Stroud will be without an emerging weapon this season as he looks to bounce back for the Texans.
Second-year wide receiver Jayden Higgins is out for the season after suffering a torn ACL during Tuesday’s joint practice with the Raiders, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday.
It’s a big blow for Houston as Higgins, a 2025 second-round pick (No. 34 overall) out of Iowa State, had a significant impact as a rookie, catching 41 passes for 525 yards and six touchdowns while appearing in all 17 games.
The 23-year-old also had nine catches for 98 yards across the Texans’ two playoff games.
Higgins was listed as one of the Texans’ three starting wide receivers on their depth chart, along with two-time Pro Bowler Nico Collins and Xavier Hutchinson.
Collins has been a strong No. 1 receiver for Houston but has had his share of injury issues, which included a concussion that forced him to miss the team’s Divisional Round loss to the Patriots last season.
The Texans also have the once-promising Tank Dell, who missed all of last season after a brutal knee injury late in the 2024 campaign.
Stroud, 24, has gone 28-18 as a starter over three years but has failed to replicate the magic of his rookie season, when he threw for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns and five interceptions across 15 games.
In 2024, he had 3,727 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 17 games, and last season he had 3,041 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 14 appearances.
Stroud struggled mightily during the playoff loss to the Patriots in Foxborough, going 20-for-47 with 212 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions.
