Texans' Christian Kirk Ready to Prove Something vs. Jaguars

After missing the first two weeks of regular season action with his new team, Houston Texans wide receiver Christian Kirk now looks on track to be ready to go for his Week 3 debut against none other than his former team: the Jacksonville Jaguars.

His return comes at a great time for the Texans. After an 0-2 start and facing many concerns on the offensive end through two games, the slot maestro in Kirk can now fill into Houston's receiving core as a key member of C.J Stroud's passing attack, hopefully providing the necessary spark to instill more confidence in this scoring unit moving forward.

And after a couple of weeks of rest and recovery behind the scenes, now back healthy and ready to go, Kirk is eager to integrate himself into the fold.

“Yeah, I feel great,” Kirk said after his first practice back from injury. “Obviously, the injury was unfortunate. But it’s a part of football, so it’s all about how you respond and just work your way back... I put in a lot of time to get myself ready to play. So just looking forward to getting back out there this week, getting integrated back into practice and hope to get ready for Sunday.”

Kirk's return comes at an ideal time not just for the Texans offense, but himself as well.

The veteran receiver would be traded to Houston earlier this offseason from the Jaguars in exchange for a seventh-round pick, his NFL home for the past three years. Now, for the first game in a new uniform, he'll be lining up on the opposite side of where he played his last snap in the league.

So is there a bit of extra motivation for Kirk to put together a strong outing against his former team? Of course, there's a little bit, but over anything, Kirk says he's just excited to get back on the field and play.

“I think at the time you get traded away from somewhere, you feel like you need to prove something. But, for me, it’s just honestly getting back out on the field," Kirk said. "It’s been so long since I’ve actually played in a game. So, I’m just looking forward to just getting back out there, playing with this team, and hopefully getting us back on track.”

Last season with the Jaguars, Kirk played in eight games before going down with a broken collarbone, posting 27 receptions, 379 yards, and one touchdown, good for nearly 50 receiving yards a game.

Adding Kirk's production, experience, and skillset into Houston's scoring attack after two weeks of facing growing pains, on paper, looks like a strong asset to bring into the mix.