The Houston Texans will feel the effects of the Jayden Higgins injury throughout the 2026 NFL season. With the team now in a more dire need of help offensively, it appears the front office is casting a wide net to find Higgins’ replacement before Week 1.
Aaron Wilson of NBC Houston reported on Friday that Houston is hosting veteran free-agent wide receiver Zay Jones for a workout. He’s among the receivers on the open market who the team intends to either look into or explore to provide more depth at the position through the rest of training camp and potentially beyond.
Jones, age 31, is a Texas native who spent the last two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. The 6-foot-2 receiver played sparingly in 2025, appearing in just eight games with 12 receptions for 183 receiving yards. Across two campaigns in Arizona, he totaled 20 receptions for 267 receiving yards (13.4 yards per reception) on 29 targets in 19 games.
Given Jones’ limited production over the last few seasons, even a signing would likely not have much of an impact on the Texans’ offense this upcoming season. Instead, at a time when Tank Dell is slowly recovering from his devastating knee injury and Jaylin Noel (hamstring) is overcoming a setback that will sideline him multiple weeks, the team simply views Jones as much-needed depth. However, Nick Caserio is exploring more impactful options.
Wilson also reported that the Texans reached out to the New England Patriots regarding the availability of wide receiver Kayshon Boutte. A call was also with the Baltimore Ravens, seeing if the team would be willing to move wideout Rashod Bateman this summer.
Boutte, who is in a contract year, has sought a way out of New England after the team signed Romeo Doubs and traded for A.J. Brown to serve as its top offensive weapons. While the 24-year-old receiver has been prominent in NFL trade rumors throughout the summer, there have been no signs that a deal is close with the Patriots seemingly prepared to keep him entering the season.
Acquiring Bateman seems even more unlikely. Even with rookie Ja’Kobi Lane shining throughout Ravens training camp, the team is thin at wide receiver beyond Lane, Zay Flowers and Bateman. Trading him to a fellow contender in the AFC may also be an issue for the Ravens’ front office, making a Bateman trade to the Texans even more unlikely.
For now, the most probable outcome would be Jones signing a one-year contract with Houston to immediately offer depth amid so many injuries. Another move could happen closer to the NFL roster cutdown deadline on Aug. 30, when every team must submit its initial 53-man roster entering September.
Matt Johnson is Senior Editor of NFL and College Football for Sportsnaut. His work, including weekly NFL and college … More about Matt Johnson