Texans Sign Sterling Shepard and Zay Jones After Jayden Higgins' Torn ACL

Jayden Higgins tore his ACL on Tuesday during a joint practice with the Las Vegas Raiders. By Friday, the Texans had two new wide receivers on the roster.

Houston signed Sterling Shepard and Zay Jones after both worked out for the team Friday, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, who broke the news alongside colleague Ian Rapoport. Both players reportedly impressed enough to earn contracts on the spot.

Neither is a name that gets Texans fans excited. Shepard is 33 and entering his 10th NFL season. Jones is 31 and entering his ninth. Both are well past their physical prime. One social media user reacting to Garafolo's post called it "unserious" roster management for a team with real playoff aspirations.

Houston tried the exciting route first

Before settling on Shepard and Jones, Houston made "exploratory trade calls," according to KPRC 2's Aaron Wilson. The Texans reportedly looked at New England Patriots receiver Kayshon Boutte and Baltimore Ravens receiver Rashod Bateman, according to Bleacher Report's Julia Stumbaugh, citing Wilson's reporting. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler added that free agent Josh Reynolds was also "on the team's radar."

None of those moves materialized. Boutte has been floated as available since the Patriots signed A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs this offseason, and Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reported back in May that Boutte could go for as little as a fifth- or sixth-round pick. Bateman has drawn trade interest too, with ESPN's Rich Cimini reporting in May that the New York Jets were among teams considering him. Once Houston signed Shepard and Jones, Stumbaugh wrote it's now "reasonable to think" the Texans are out on both trade targets.

Who Houston actually got

Shepard, a 2016 second-round pick out of Oklahoma, spent his first eight seasons with the New York Giants before two years in Tampa Bay. Last season with the Buccaneers he caught 39 passes for 371 yards and one touchdown in 13 games. For his career he's got 443 receptions, 4,800 yards and 25 touchdowns, according to Heavy.com. At 5-foot-10, he profiles as slot depth, filling a spot in Houston's rotation that was unsettled even before Higgins went down.

Jones, a 2017 second-round pick out of East Carolina, has played for four teams: the Buffalo Bills, Las Vegas Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars and Arizona Cardinals. His best season came in 2022 with Jacksonville, when he caught 82 passes for 823 yards and five touchdowns. Last year in Arizona he managed just 12 catches for 183 yards in eight games before tearing his Achilles in Week 10. He's since recovered fully.

Why it matters for the depth chart

Higgins was coming off a rookie season with 41 catches, 525 yards and six touchdowns in 17 games, and Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley had praised his growth just last week, saying Higgins "doesn't have any limitations, he really doesn't." Instead, Higgins is done for the year, and Houston's receiver room was already thin. Jaylin Noel and Tank Dell have both been dealing with injuries throughout camp, according to Heavy.com's Josh Buckhalter, leaving Xavier Hutchinson and undrafted free agent Jared Wayne as the de facto WR2 and WR3 heading into the signings.

Battle Red Blog's team coverage raised a fair question: did Houston sign both Shepard and Jones expecting only one to make the 53-man roster, or is this a sign the team isn't confident in Noel and Dell being ready for Week 1 regardless of Higgins? Nico Collins remains the unquestioned WR1, and quarterback C.J. Stroud will lean on him more than ever.

Cutdown day is roughly two weeks away. Both Shepard and Jones will now compete against Hutchinson, Wayne, Lewis Bond and Justin Watson for what may be a limited number of open roster spots. Houston's only remaining preseason action will serve as the primary evaluation window before final decisions get made.