Texans lose Jayden Higgins for the season and scramble to patch a hole at receiver
Houston's promising second-year wideout tore his ACL in a joint practice drill, wiping out a player C.J. Stroud was counting on. The team signed Sterling Shepard and Zay Jones two days later, but questions remain about whether that's enough.
In brief
The injury nobody saw coming - and the one Houston can't afford
It looked minor at first. Jayden Higgins ran a route in the end zone during red zone 11-on-11 drills in the Texans' joint practice with the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday, Aug. 19, fell awkwardly, and couldn't get back up immediately - though he eventually limped off under his own power. Coach DeMeco Ryans said after practice the team was evaluating the severity. By Wednesday morning, the news was the worst possible: Higgins had suffered a torn ACL, per NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, and the second-year wideout will miss the 2026 season.
The injury occurred during a red-zone drill and was described as noncontact. Those are often the cruelest ones - no collision to point to, no defender to blame, just a knee buckling at the wrong angle on a Tuesday afternoon in August.
For Houston, the timing stings on multiple levels. With Tank Dell still slowly making his way back to the field, Higgins was expected to play an important part in Houston's aerial attack in 2026. The Texans had gone 12-5 last year and reached the playoffs for a third consecutive season, before getting knocked out in the divisional round. They came into this summer with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations. Now their second receiver slot - the one Higgins was supposed to own - is a patchwork job.
Who Higgins was and what he meant to Stroud
The 23-year-old was selected No. 34 overall by Houston in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Iowa State and finished his rookie regular season with 41 receptions for 525 yards and six touchdowns in 17 games, including 10 starts. He also caught nine passes for 98 yards during Houston's two playoff games. Those numbers don't fully explain the role he was filling. At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, Higgins gave C.J. Stroud another physical, big-bodied wide receiver target opposite two-time Pro Bowler Nico Collins, who also stands 6-foot-4.
Higgins filled an important role in Houston's passing game in 2025, catching 41 of 68 targets while seeing his target share increase by 8.1 percentage points during the Texans' nine-game winning streak to close the regular season. That late-season surge was what had everyone around the team excited heading into year two. He scored four of his six touchdowns in Weeks 10-18 and produced his two highest single-game yardage totals in Weeks 13 and 17 - the kind of trajectory that suggested a breakout was coming, not a year on the sideline.
Collins had already been singing Higgins' praises publicly this camp. "He's a dog," Collins told reporters in early August.
A receiving room already running thin
The Higgins injury doesn't land on a healthy roster. Both Tank Dell and Jaylin Noel are working back from injuries. Dell missed all of 2025 with a knee injury, and Noel has been dealing with a broken finger and a lingering hamstring issue this camp. Dell, a 2023 third-round pick who had 98 catches for 1,376 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first two seasons, dislocated his knee, tore his ACL, MCL and LCL and suffered meniscus damage in 2024, then missed all of last year working his way back. Ryans said he is unsure whether Dell will play in the preseason.
It is also the second ACL tear the Texans have dealt with on their 90-man roster within the span of a week. Backup quarterback Graham Mertz suffered one in Houston's first preseason game against the Chargers. Bad luck at that rate starts to feel like something more.
Xavier Hutchinson, a sixth-round pick in 2023, posted career highs last season with 35 receptions for 428 yards and three touchdowns and figures to step into a bigger role. Jaylin Noel, a third-round pick out of Iowa State, could see more action in the slot and out wide, while Hutchinson is a more like-for-like replacement for Higgins in terms of size. Neither is what Higgins was supposed to be.
Houston's quick fix: Shepard and Jones
The front office didn't wait around. The Texans signed veteran wide receivers Sterling Shepard and Zay Jones after learning that Higgins would miss the 2026 season, per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. The two were in Houston for a workout on Friday and reportedly performed well.
Both Shepard and Jones are 31 years old or older and have at least nine years of NFL experience. That experience is the point. Neither is a true No. 2 receiver at this stage of their careers, but they know how to run routes and function in a pro offense. Josh Reynolds also tried out, per ESPN's Adam Schefter, but it appears he didn't make the cut.
The Texans brought both Shepard and Jones to their 90-man roster and have a pair of veteran wide receivers who can compete for a spot past cutdown day, which sits a little under two weeks away. Whether either survives to the 53-man deadline is another question. There's no guarantee that either Shepard or Jones would eventually make the final roster, but it gives the Texans more options to see if any of these veterans might be able to help fill the role left by Higgins.
Houston has also reportedly looked at a trade for New England's Kayshon Boutte, but a move for him would likely command a high price. For now, Shepard and Jones are the plan.
What this actually means for Houston's season
The Texans open the regular season against the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 6 - the defending AFC favorites with Josh Allen, DJ Moore and James Cook. Houston is now expected to lean more heavily on Nico Collins while increasing opportunities for Xavier Hutchinson, Dell, Noel, rookie Lewis Bond, Justin Watson and Jared Wayne. That is a lot of unproven names being asked to step up, quickly, against a tough opponent.
Stroud has never had a conventional arsenal around him. He made the playoffs three straight years while his supporting cast fought through injuries and inconsistency. But losing Higgins - a young, physically gifted receiver who was developing real chemistry with his quarterback - is different from the depth-chart shuffles of past years. Higgins had been one of the standouts in training camp and was being counted on to be the Texans' No. 2 receiver.
Houston will turn to the likes of Xavier Hutchinson, Jaylin Noel and Justin Watson in an attempt to fill the void while maintaining hope Dell can contribute at some point. On Aug. 21, Dell was still at the Houston Methodist Training Center in shorts, watching the practice Higgins won't be a part of for the next 12 months.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
