Nov 30, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Houston Texans safety Jaylen Reed (23) is helped off the field following an injury during a game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Grace Hollars-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images Grace Hollars-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Texans Rookie Defender Placed on Season-Ending Injured Reserve

Originally posted on Houston Texans on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Dec 6, 2025 3:55 PM ET

A tough break for the Houston Texans, as another one of their rookie defensive backs has officially been placed on season-ending injured reserve.

According to a team announcement, the Texans have placed safety Jaylen Reed on injured reserve for a forearm injury for his second designation of the season, effectively ending his rookie campaign prematurely.

Texans Place Jaylen Reed on Season-Ending IR

Reed, the Texans' sixth-round pick out of Penn State in this offseason's draft, had previously been sidelined on the injured reserve list across the first six weeks of the season as he was recovering from an earlier foot injury.

He would officially make his rookie debut against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 7, and soon find his way into becoming a starting safety in the back-end of Houston's defense in their latest game against the Indianapolis Colts amid the recent injury suffered to M.J. Stewart.

However, in the middle of the action in Indianapolis, Reed would go down with a forearm injury, breaking a metal plate in his arm from a previous surgery in college, an issue that would require surgery to repair before being able to get back to the field.

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans would note heading into Week 14 he was optimistic that Reed wouldn't end up on IR, and could return sometime down the line this season.

But now, it seems like that recovery will be a bit longer than expected, and he will join third-round cornerback Jaylin Smith on the sidelines as Houston's second rookie of this year's class to go down with a season-ending injury.

In his seven games active for the Texans this season before going down, Reed had a combined 14 tackles and one fumble recovery to his name, most of those numbers stemming from his breakout performance against the Buffalo Bills, where he had a team-leading 12 tackles in the midst of their TNF victory that led to his eventual start.

With Reed now out for the season, the Texans have since elevated veteran safety Jalen Mills to the 53-man roster, who will fill in some extra depth into Houston's secondary, and could even navigate to a starting role in due time.

Reed will now eye the 2026 NFL season for a return to the field, where he should inevitably retain a solid role in the Texans' defense for his second year in the fold once he's back to 100%.

This article first appeared on Houston Texans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: