Texans' Jayden Higgins Reportedly Suffers Major Knee Injury in Joint Practice vs. Raiders

Houston Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins suffered a torn ACL in Tuesday's joint practice with the Las Vegas Raiders, according to ESPN and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Higgins, a second-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft, caught 41 passes for 525 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie.

He figured to have a fairly sizable role in the passing game for the season ahead.

Nico Collins, who's coming off his third straight 1,000-yard campaign, will be the No. 1 target, but Higgins was likely to be the first option for quarterback C.J. Stroud when Collins is covered.

Tank Dell is a major question mark after missing all of 2025 because of significant knee injuries, while Jaylin Noel is dealing with a hamstring issue.

Now, the Texans will have to forge ahead without Higgins for the entire year.

This is going to put a lot of importance on Dell staying healthy and returning to the form he enjoyed in 2023 and 2024, when he had 1,376 receiving yards in 25 appearances.

Somebody else will need to step up as well, whether it's Noel, Xavier Hutchinson or sixth-round draft pick Lewis Bond.

Stroud is approaching what could be a pivotal season. The Texans have picked up his fifth-year option, and a big 2026 could net him a sizable pay raise. Higgins' injury represents a small blow to those hopes before a down has been played.