The Texans took a hit when Jaylin Noel landed on injured reserve with a toe injury, but Houston may not be scrambling quite as much as it first looked.
Noel’s injury, announced earlier this week, is expected to keep the second-year receiver out for the rest of the regular season. That stings on its own, and it stings even more considering how productive he’s been through the first seven games. Noel has led the Texans in receiving yards with 331 and in yards per catch at 17.4.
Still, Houston’s passing game isn’t staring into a void. The receiver room looks very different now than it did when the season opened, and that changes the equation.
The biggest reason is the arrival of Marvin Harrison Jr., who came over in a trade after Houston’s Week 5 win over the Tennessee Titans, plus the return of Tank Dell. Dell got back on an NFL field for the first time in nearly two years this past weekend against the New York Giants, and even if the usage was limited, his presence matters.
That wasn’t the case early in the year. In Weeks 2 and 3, with Nico Collins sidelined by a hamstring strain, Kayshon Boutte and Xavier Hutchinson were the names carrying the load at wide receiver. A month later, Houston is in a completely different place.
There’s still one obvious hurdle: getting Harrison Jr. and Dell onto the field for longer stretches. Against the Giants, the two combined for fewer than 30 snaps on offense, which made sense given where both players are in their respective recoveries and ramp-ups.
The bye week could change that. Harrison Jr. should have another week in the playbook, and Dell should only get more comfortable after working his way back from the knee injury. If that happens, Houston can start leaning on a much deeper and more dangerous mix of receivers.
With Collins already established as the top target, the Texans have enough firepower to keep the passing game moving without Noel. That doesn’t make the loss painless, especially with another high-upside receiver in Jayden Higgins now sidelined from the offense’s picture alongside Noel.
But if Harrison Jr. and Dell continue to grow into their roles, Houston has a path to staying steady through the air while it waits for the rest of the room to settle. Time will tell whether that setup turns into the answer the Texans need.
In Other News...
Texans Just Sent A Concerning Signal About Their Backfield
The Texans added another running back to the mix this week, claiming Emari Demercado off waivers from the Cowboys as they continue sorting through their backfield depth. It is the kind of move that usually does not grab much attention on its own, but in this case it arrives with a clear layer of concern attached to it.
Houston has not said whether David Montgomery will be back after the bye week, and the groin issue that has limited him has left the team with an unsettled outlook at the position. Bringing in Demercado gives the Texans another available option while they wait for more clarity, and it also suggests they are bracing for the possibility that Montgomery may need additional time. [Read more 🡒]
Former Texans DB Just Turned Up Heat On DeMeco Ryans Defense
The early-season struggles have not let up in Houston, and with the Texans sitting at 2-5, the attention has increasingly shifted toward DeMeco Ryans and the defense that was supposed to be the teams strength. Now Steven Nelson, one of the more productive former Texans corners in recent memory, has added his voice to the conversation, publicly taking issue with what he sees from the unit and pointing specifically to the tackling and the scheme.
Nelsons comments land with extra weight because he is speaking from inside knowledge, after a tenure in Houston that he still points to as a productive stretch. For a defense already under scrutiny, criticism from a former starter who knows the system from the inside only sharpens the questions about where this group is headed and whether the current approach is getting the Texans closer to the standard they expected. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Bye Week Draft Picture Exposes A Roster Problem Ahead
The Texans bye week has put an unusual kind of spotlight on the future, and it is not the sort of view teams usually enjoy this far out. With four selections currently lined up for the 2027 NFL Draft, including a projected fourth overall pick, the early board already hints at how much work could be waiting ahead. The discussion around possible targets has naturally started to drift toward premium positions, with a Notre Dame cornerback and a defensive tackle among the names and spots being kicked around as the roster gets evaluated.
Houston also has a separate question to sort through at running back, where depth remains part of the conversation as the team looks ahead. None of these projections are set in stone, of course, but the fact that the Texans are already being mapped against such a high-value draft slot says plenty about the way this roster is being viewed right now. For a team trying to keep building, the next wave of needs may be just as important as the current push. [Read more 🡒]