The Houston Texans have an issue. The offense was already on shaky ground entering the season, and now, the No. 2 wide receiver on the team, Jayden Higgins, is set to miss the entire 2026 season with a torn ACL. That puts the team in a rough spot, and with the free agency market in rough shape at the moment, the team likely needs to turn to the trade market if it's going to find a replacement for Higgins other than someone currently on the roster.
Could that player be someone from another AFC playoff team? Perhaps a player whose team just added two new wide receivers above him on the depth chart?
Proposed Texans-Patriots trade for Kayshon Boutte
The New England Patriots added A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs this offseason, something that has landed Kayshon Boutte in a number of trade discussions. While the Patriots haven't pulled the trigger on a move yet, one has to think that it's something that will be coming down the line, considering how many teams could use a receiver like Boutte. Is he a star? No, but he can be a valuable piece of a team's wide receiver rotation, especially a team with the issues Houston currently has.
The Texans have a great No. 1 option in Nico Collins, but things fall off quickly after that. 2025 third-round pick Jaylin Noel is set to man the slot, but with Higgins gone, the job of the other outside receiver falls to either Xavier Hutchinson — a 2023 sixth-round pick who has shown he can be a solid depth piece but has rarely shown he could be more — or Tank Dell. Dell was electric as a rookie in 2023, but injuries have hampered his career and he didn't play at all last season. Relying on Dell might be great if he can stay healthy, but Houston needs a contingency plan.
That's where Boutte comes in. He has a pair of 500-yard seasons to his name and averaged 16.7 yards per catch in 2025. He would give Houston another threat down the field, and with Collins pulling in the opposing team's top corner, Boutte should see plenty of opportunities to make an impact.
The former sixth-round pick is currently set to fight for the No. 4 receiver role in New England behind the two aforementioned additions and DeMario Douglas, and the Patriots also still have Mack Hollins and Kyle Williams as well. If you can move on from Boutte while also moving up two rounds in the 2027 NFL Draft, you have to seriously consider it. It's not like the Patriots are high on Boutte going forward. If they were, they probably wouldn't have been so aggressive this offseason as far as adding receivers goes.
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