Of all the second-year talents on Houston’s roster with something to prove in 2026, the name that stands out most is Jayden Higgins — the 34th overall pick in 2025 who quietly became one of C.J. Stroud’s most reliable targets by the time the season reached its final stretch.
A Slow Build That Turned Into Something Real
Higgins did not arrive in the NFL and immediately dominate. His rookie year unfolded the way many young receivers’ careers do — gradually, with growing pains early and genuine production emerging only once trust was established between player and coaching staff.
But that trust arrived. From Week 9 through Week 18, Higgins averaged over five targets per game and topped 40 receiving yards in each of those nine contests, hauling in four touchdowns over that span — more than any Texans receiver not named Nico Collins had managed across the entire season. By the time the calendar turned, he had quietly established himself as Stroud’s second option in the receiver room.
That late-season momentum now carries directly into an offseason where Higgins has had the runway to refine everything that made that stretch possible.
Building the Complete Receiver
Higgins has approached his second offseason with a dual focus — the physical and the mental. At OTAs, he laid out exactly what that preparation has looked like:
“First and foremost, working on my strength, working on my speed, my lateral movements, quickness, route running. This offseason I worked a lot on my intellectual phase, just making sure I’m understanding the concepts we’re running, making sure I’m understanding when the timing needs to be, where I need to be in a certain time. Doing those two things has really helped me a lot.”
The combination of sharpened athleticism and a deeper command of the playbook is the profile of a receiver ready to make a genuine leap. Higgins is also benefiting from something that cannot be manufactured — continuity.
The Texans return largely the same offensive personnel around him. Stroud is back. The receiver room is mostly intact. Offensive coordinator Nick Caley enters his second year running the system. That stability compounds the work Higgins has put in individually and accelerates the natural development timeline for a young pass-catcher.
“Thinking back to last year, just the confidence that I built up has been crazy,” Higgins said. “Having the same offense, having the same guys around, it just allows me to go out there, play fast. I understand what I’m doing. Really, I can just go out there and make the plays when they come to me. Coming into Year 2, I feel a lot more confident and just ready to go out there and ball.”
The Role and the Ceiling
At 6-foot-4 with the athleticism to match his frame, Higgins profiles naturally as Houston’s starting X receiver — the big, physical complement positioned across from Collins on the boundary. It is a role that plays directly to his strengths and one the Texans appear ready to hand him.
That said, Higgins has made clear he is not rigid about where he lines up. Versatility appears to be part of his pitch for an expanded role.
“For me, the sky’s the limit,” he said. “However they want to incorporate me in the offense, putting me at different positions, whether that’s X, Z, F, no matter what, in the slot, outside, whenever I can go out there and make a play.”
Bottom Line
The pieces are in place for Higgins to emerge as one of the more productive young receivers in the AFC this season. He enters 2026 with proven chemistry with his quarterback, a deeper understanding of the offense, and a late-season body of work that suggests the production was real — not a fluke. If he develops into a consistent downfield threat capable of demanding attention alongside Collins, Houston’s offense becomes significantly more difficult to scheme against — and that makes an already formidable Texans roster genuinely dangerous.
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