Texans Sign New WR to Roster Amid Nico Collins Injury

Wayne, a 6-foot-3, 25-year-old pass-catcher out of Pittsburgh, has been on the Texans' practice squad to start the 2025 NFL season for the first seven weeks of the season, currently in his second year pro after being an undrafted free agent pickup for Houston earlier last offseason.

He comes onboard the Texans' roster in the midst of the recent injuries in the wide receiver room, including Christian Kirk, who missed Houston's latest game vs. the Seattle Seahawks due to a hamstring injury, while star wideout Nico Collins was taken out in the middle of that contest due to a concussion.

With both of their statuses potentially up in the air heading into their matchup vs. the San Francisco 49ers, Wayne now fills in as a nice supporting depth piece to alleviate some of the worries at the position.

Texans Add Jared Wayne to 53-Man Roster

Wayne was on the Texans' roster for three games during the 2024 campaign, where he logged a total of 64 snaps, spending time split between offense and special teams, and had no receiving stats to record.

During his time in college, he was a four-year player for Pittsburgh, collecting 146 catches for over 2,300 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns throughout his 41 games played.

He now joins a wide receiver room for Week 8 that, without Collins or Kirk in the mix, will be headlined by the likes of Xavier Hutchinson, as well as rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, who would likely see an increase in opportunitity if either of Houston's veteran wideouts aren't good to go for the weekend.

With three practices to go before kickoff in Houston for Week 8, we'll gain some additional clarity on what to expect within C.J. Stroud's wide receiver corps vs. San Francisco. But for now, Wayne provides an extra set of hands for the Texans to roll with in the event their offense is a bit hobbled.