The Texans are moving quickly at wide receiver after losing Jayden Higgins for the season.
Houston is signing Sterling Shepard and Zay Jones following Friday’s workout, according to Mike Garafolo. The team had also brought in Josh Reynolds for a workout, and the NFL Transactions wire confirmed the Texans officially hosted Shepard, Reynolds and Jones on Friday.
The timing lines up with Houston’s wider search for help at the position. Jeremy Fowler reported today that the Texans were conducting workouts for free-agent receivers, with Reynolds and Jones on the radar. Aaron Wilson also said Houston is looking into the trade market at receiver, naming Patriots wideout Kayshon Boutte and Ravens receiver Rashod Bateman as possible targets.
Higgins’ season ended this week when he suffered a torn ACL and was placed on injured reserve, forcing Houston to reshuffle its receiver room.
Shepard, 33, entered the league as a second-round pick by the Giants in 2016. He later signed a four-year, $41 million extension that included $21.3 million guaranteed after playing on his rookie deal.
The Giants eventually adjusted his contract, and he became a free agent in 2023. New York brought him back on a one-year deal that year, and after that he joined the Buccaneers this past summer.
He was one of Tampa Bay’s final cuts out of camp before returning to the practice squad, then later signed another one-year deal for the 2025 season. Shepard played in 13 games for the Buccaneers in 2025 and finished with 39 catches for 371 yards and one touchdown.
Reynolds, 31, was a fourth-round pick of the Rams in 2017 out of Texas A&M. After finishing his rookie deal, he spent 2021 with the Titans before landing with the Lions in 2022, where he signed a two-year, $12 million extension.
He later moved on to the Broncos on a two-year deal, but Denver put him on injured reserve before cutting him. The Jaguars claimed him off waivers, then released him in 2025, and he ended up with the Jets.
Reynolds appeared in five games for New York this season and caught three passes on five targets for 21 yards.
Jones, also 31, came into the league as a second-round pick by the Bills in 2017. Buffalo traded him to the Raiders during his rookie contract, and after that he eventually reached free agency again before Las Vegas brought him back.
The Jaguars signed him to a three-year, $24 million contract in 2022, but released him when that deal was nearing its end. Arizona added Jones in 2024, then re-signed him on a one-year, $4.4 million deal for 2025.
He played in eight games for the Cardinals this season and had 12 receptions for 183 yards.
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