Texans wide receiver Jaylin Noel is expected to miss the rest of the season and undergo surgery on his toe, a person with knowledge of the injury told the Houston Chronicle on Wednesday.
The team placed Noel on injured reserve Wednesday afternoon because of turf toe. Landing on IR means he will miss at least the next four games, and the Chronicle report says the Texans expect him to be out through the end of the season.
How It Happened
Noel hurt his toe in Sunday’s 27-21 overtime loss to the Giants at NRG Stadium. The injury held him to just 15 routes in that game, per NBC Sports. As of Tuesday night, the team was still gathering information on how serious it was. Our Texans vs. Giants recap has the full story of that game.
A Breakout Year Cut Short
The news is a tough blow for the second-year receiver, who was having a breakout season. Through seven games, Noel led the Texans with 331 receiving yards. He had 19 catches and two touchdowns on 23 targets, according to the Chronicle and CBS Sports. He did it on just 200 total snaps, and he was also Houston’s main return man.
Houston picked Noel in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Iowa State.
Who Steps Up at Receiver
The Texans have some depth to lean on. They recently traded for Marvin Harrison Jr., and Tank Dell returned last week from his long knee injury recovery. The Chronicle notes that Dell can play in the slot like Noel and also line up outside. Our look at Dell’s road back covers that comeback.
CBS Sports also lists Xavier Hutchinson and Kayshon Boutte as receivers who could see more chances in the passing game. Houston is 2-5 and coming off its Week 8 bye.
What’s Next
No date for Noel’s surgery had been reported as of Wednesday. LFG Houston will update this story as the Texans share more.
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