Jayden Higgins, Braden Smith and More Texans Injury Updates Heading Into Week 1

The Houston Texans enter Week 1 with injury questions. Jayden Higgins' ACL during an August 18 joint practice with the Las Vegas Raiders, removes Houston's planned No. 2 receiver. The timing hurts because Higgins was expected to make a major jump in year 2 after catching 41 passes for 525 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie. The 6-foot-4 wideout gave C.J. Stroud a big target opposite Nico Collins. Tackle Braden Smith's absence creates another problem in front of Stroud. He is expected to miss at least the first four games after suffering a partially torn plantar fascia on September 1 and being placed on injured reserve. Tank Dell remains a potential midseason boost, not a Week 1 solution. He is still recovering from the devastating knee injury suffered in December 2024, which included torn ACL, MCL, LCL and other ligaments. Defensive end Ali Gaye is on season-ending injured reserve, adding another absence to Houston's defensive front. Fullback British Brooks underwent surgery for a broken hand earlier in camp, though he returned to practice in late August. Jake Hansen suffered an ankle/foot injury during camp, with no clear return timetable reported at the time of the latest updates. Buffalo is an early test for how well the Texans can survive these absences. The good news is that Houston still has Nico Collins, one of the league's premier outside receivers. Houston traded for Kayshon Boutte after Higgins' injury, giving Stroud another young receiver with NFL experience. Current projections have Collins, Hutchinson and Noel as the primary Week 1 receivers, with Boutte potentially moving into a larger role as his chemistry with Stroud develops. Trent Brown is the immediate answer for Braden Smith. Brown's experience matters because Houston cannot afford another stretch of poor offensive-line play. Last season, the Texans ranked last in run-block win rate at 68.4% and 30th in pass-block win rate at 55.5%. Nick Caserio has used the roster and practice squad aggressively to cover holes created by injuries. The Texans added players including Dominique Robinson, Brevin Jordan, James Neal III, Bryce Hall, Jawhar Jordan, Josh Kelly and George Odum around the final roster moves. The Texans also signed defensive tackle Junior Tafuna and international/exempt offensive tackle Max Pircher to the practice squad in September. The defense gives Houston a safety net while the offense heals. They return nine of 11 defensive starters from a unit ESPN identified as arguably the team's biggest strength. This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.