The image is burned into your brains, isn’t it, Texans fans? Texans driving, crowd buzzing, ball inside the 20… and here comes Ka’imi Fairbairn trotting on for another field goal. Another red-zone stall. That was the story way too often in 2024. Close, but not quite. And yeah, it stung. Now, as 2025 kicks off, help might finally be on the way—and it’s coming from a rookie with something to prove. He’s already catching eyes at camp and making it clear: he sees the cracks, and he’s here to patch them up.

In a recent episode of Houston Football with Cody Stroots, the host highlighted exactly where the Texans struggled last season, and exactly what rookie Jayden Higgins seems to turn into his weapon. “He wants to be a red zone weapon. He has talked about it a couple of different times… And the Texans were putrid in the red zone last year,” he said. And he is right. Houston just couldn’t finish in the red zone last year.

They ranked 30th in red zone TD percentage, scoring only 48.4% of the time after getting inside the 20. And yeah, CJ Stroud had a great year overall (3,700+ yards, 20 touchdowns, just 5 picks), but once they got into the red zone? Things just…stalled. Stroud’s numbers inside the 20 told the real story. 50.9% completion, 9 touchdowns, and 2 picks. Down there, windows shrink, reads get tougher, and it was clear at times he didn’t have that big, physical target to trust when things got tight. And that’s where Jayden Higgins comes in.

After starting at Iowa State and finishing strong at Eastern Kentucky, he turned into a red zone nightmare for defenses. At 6’4″, 215, he’s built to win those one-on-one battles, and he backed it up with 10 red zone touchdowns over his last two college seasons. So yeah, he’s been talking about becoming a ‘red zone weapon’ since before he even got drafted, but he might already be one.

And if Higgins and CJ click early? It might solve the entire red zone concern for the Texans. The chemistry would be everything. Even more so after Tank Dell‘s injury.

Tank Dell’s setback, and a golden window for Higgins

Amidst all the potential Higgins promises, Texans are facing a tough blow. Tank Dell is expected to be out for most, if not all, of 2025 after undergoing surgery for a torn meniscus. Brutal. It’s a gut punch for Dell, no way around it. His thriving connection with Stroud was supposed to be the Texans’ north star. Now? That meniscus injury delays everything.

Deep into the season, probably. And that’s tough, because when he’s healthy, Dell’s electric. Just look at 2023: 709 yards, 7 touchdowns in 11 games. But two major setbacks in two years? You start to wonder if durability’s gonna be the one thing that keeps holding him back. And the host couldn’t help but throw shade at him.

“Higgins—big, tall athlete, trusty hands, reliable because he doesn’t miss time with injury,” he said. The host wasn’t just hyping up Higgins’ toughness; he was taking a subtle shot at Dell’s injury history. In the NFL, availability matters. And Dell doesn’t have it. And the door is officially wide open for Higgins.

Offensive coordinator Jerrod Johnson suddenly has every reason to get creative, whether that means lining Higgins up as the X in red zone looks or flexing him into a big-slot role. At 6’4”, 215, Jayden Higgins brings a level of physicality and catch-radius that Dell (listed at 5’10”) just can’t match. He has to make this opportunity count.