The Houston Texans are once again dealing with a hit to their cornerback depth, and this one figures to keep Jaylin Smith out for at least the next four weeks.
Smith has been placed on injured reserve after reportedly suffering a Grade 2 hamstring injury, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. The issue surfaced in last week’s game against the Dallas Cowboys, and Smith had been getting secondary opinions on it before the Texans made the move.
It’s a frustrating turn for the second-year defensive back, because this is now the third time Houston has had to send him to injured reserve in his young career. Smith has appeared in only eight of his 23 available games between the regular season and playoffs, and this latest setback will keep him out for at least four more.
The timing stings, too, because Smith had just worked his way back from a similar hamstring injury earlier this season. He missed four games just two weeks into the 2025 campaign, returned in Week 8 against the San Francisco 49ers, and then went down again one game later against the Denver Broncos with a torn meniscus that ended his year.
Wilson’s report that there is optimism about Smith eventually returning is at least a positive sign that this won’t be a season-long absence. Once the four-week IR window passes after Week 9 against the LA Chargers, Houston can reassess where things stand.
Still, the bigger concern is hard to miss: Smith keeps losing time before he can really carve out a role. The Texans drafted him with a day two pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, expecting a versatile defensive back who could hold up in man coverage and grow into a useful piece for the future. That plan has barely had room to breathe.
Smith has logged just 38 defensive snaps across the eight games he’s been active, and only seven of those came this season. Most of his workload has come on special teams, where he’s played 65% of Houston’s snaps in that phase this year.
The Texans had viewed him as a potential CB3 behind Derek Stingley and Kamari Lassiter, but repeated injuries have made that path much harder to see. With the latest setback, his ability to hold onto a larger secondary role - now and down the line - is very much in question.
For now, the Texans are expected to turn to Tremon Smith in that CB3 spot and as the top backup on the boundary behind Stingley and Lassiter. That would mirror what happened last year, when Jaylin Smith was out and Tremon Smith stepped into the role and handled it well.
In 2025, Tremon Smith posted 23 total tackles, two passes defended and a forced fumble while appearing in all 17 games. So with Houston short-handed again, the veteran is likely to be leaned on more heavily in the secondary and on special teams.
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