As the Houston Texans offense attempts to work its way through a prolonged identity crisis, an untimely and unfortunate wrinkle will make things even more difficult this Sunday when the San Francisco 49ers come to town. The Texans expect to be without both of the top two wide receivers on their depth chart -- Nico Collins and Christian Kirk -- meaning CJ Stroud and an unproven cast of pass-catchers will be relied upon to get Houston's aerial attack going.
Two players who will be tasked with stepping into much bigger roles will be rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, a pair of former Iowa State Cyclones who were selected by the Texans only 45 picks apart back in April. Neither Higgins nor Noel has made a significant splash yet, but this could be the week that changes.
It's not just an assumption that both Higgins and Noel will be more involved this week than they have at any other point this season... it's an expectation that head coach DeMeco Ryans isn't shying away from speaking about publicly.
“They just need to be themselves and be the guys who we saw at Iowa State make play after play after play because they did it the right way. So, that’s what they have to go do," Ryans said, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 Houston. "If their roles are increased, great. It means more opportunities for those guys to make plays, but they don’t have to go out and be someone else."
Who Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel were at Iowa State was one of the most productive duos in the nation. Last season, Higgins and Noel each topped 1,110 receiving yards and combined for 17 touchdowns. They were vital pieces of a Cyclones team that set a school record with 11 wins during the 2024 campagin.
To further illustrate how prolific these two Cyclones were, Higgins and Noel are one of just four pairs of Power Conference teammates who have each ranked inside the top 10 in the country in receiving yards in the same season over the last 10 years, along with Emeka Egbuka and Marvin Harrison Jr. (Ohio State, 2022), Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson (LSU, 2019), and Michael Crabtree and Danny Amendola (Texas Tech, 2007).
Higgins and Noel feel ready for the opportunity
We'll need to wait about 72 more hours before we find out if Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel can walk the walk, but leading up to Sunday's game, both of the former Iowa State standouts are prepared to talk the talk.
“My preparation stays the same, preparing like I’m the No. 1 guy mentally,” Noel said. “So just having full confidence in myself, full confidence in my teammates that we’ll be able to go out there and be successful. I would say it’s a big difference from Week One to now, just kinda settling in and understanding what my process is each week and then going into the game, knowing what to expect, the speed of the game.”
“I always feel good,” Higgins added. “I always feel like I can go out there and make a play whenever my number is called. So, that’s where I stand. The biggest thing, it comes down to the little details, making sure we’re executing in the moment when the play comes and I know C.J. is gonna give me a good ball more times than not. For me, it’s just making sure I’m winning and going out there and making the play.”
Thus far this season, Higgins (9 catches, 121 yards, 1 touchdown) and Noel (9 catches, 99 yards, 1 touchdown) have made a minimal impact for the Texans, but that says more about the state of Houston's passing attack as it does anything else. But versus the 49ers, they'll at least theoretically have the opportunity to shine.