- 1 day ago
In The Loop's John P. Lopez, Reginald Adetula and Figgy Fig continue to react to the news of Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins suffering a torn ACL.
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00:00Remember yesterday during the joint practice, how Jaden Higgins had to walk off the field and go in and get
00:04evaluated?
00:05Result of that evaluation has come in.
00:08ACL tear is what we're hearing.
00:10And so your number two wide receiver is not going to be available for you.
00:13Point blank period.
00:14Right.
00:15There's a lot of things to consider in this.
00:16You know, we gave stream of consciousness, but that's I mean, that is indeed what's popping.
00:20One of the things that you started to mention before we went to break there was this impacts way more
00:25than just like the passing game, which I think it does.
00:28Because we're back in a place in my mind where you're passing offenses.
00:32All right.
00:32Nico Collins, the only dude that I absolutely have to take take issue with.
00:36There's other guys that can get things done.
00:37Don't get me wrong.
00:38But it felt like Jaden Higgins was starting to get to that point where he would force defenses to consider,
00:44hey, what is that guy doing over there?
00:45And to that point, there was a text line, a text that came in and they were trying to say
00:49that, hey, guys, Higgins was supposed to take a step, but it was still an unknown value.
00:54The sky is not falling.
00:54The reason why it may sound like I'm in sky is falling mode is this wasn't all hypothetical.
01:00This wasn't, hey, we're in the summer and we have not seen him.
01:03We have been very fortunate to be out there at the Houston Methodist Training Center.
01:06We've seen him demonstrating the things that show you that, oh, no, this is a wide receiver that is worth
01:11considering.
01:13Right.
01:13It's kind of it's kind of incredible how in football you can watch a receiver and you can see the
01:18difference between, OK, he's a receiver nominally.
01:21Oh, he's pretty good.
01:22And oh, that's a dude.
01:23Yeah.
01:24Jane Higgins was starting to take a step towards dude.
01:27Yeah.
01:27You start looking at this wide receiving core.
01:29Let's let's mention the ones that that that we've we talked about as some, you know, some possibilities here.
01:35Tank Dell, fingers crossed.
01:38Jalen Knoll, fingers crossed that, you know, that he develops into something.
01:41Jared Wayne, fingers crossed that what we're seeing is not, you know, flukish in terms of what he's been, you
01:47know, previously in his career.
01:48Even Xavier Hutchinson, as we've talked about, you know, fingers crossed that that he develops into more of a bigger,
01:54you know, presence and threat on the offense.
01:57Jaden Higgins was not cross your fingers and hope for the best.
02:00We were seeing it.
02:01We saw it on the field.
02:03You know, it was tangible.
02:05It was real.
02:06It was effective.
02:07They were putting up against Sting in one on one.
02:10Exactly.
02:10So all these other guys, you know, here we are crossing our fingers.
02:13Let's see what happens.
02:14No, Jaden Higgins was doing it on the field and I get still training camp, et cetera.
02:19But it was very, very obvious and very, very real.
02:22And so that's why it's such a big hit.
02:24And the thing that's upsetting as well is that I think that if you're all if you're passing game does
02:29not demonstrate like that level of, I guess, invoke that level of fear.
02:33And I don't know, maybe there's still an opportunity for that.
02:35But right this moment, it feels like there's clear step down in the amount of fear that you're passing offense
02:39can invoke.
02:40How much more do we get back to the concept of your running game has a lot of opportunity to
02:45be strained and now teams can maybe load up a little bit more on it again?
02:48They will.
02:49You know, all things being equal until these others that we're crossing our fingers on can start to show show
02:55something.
02:56You know, we're going to see opposing defenses stack the box a little more, you know, because they feel like
03:03they can cover, you know, whatever you throw at them.
03:06I'm guessing, you know, a little easier.
03:08So, yeah, it affects your run game.
03:10And then there's and then there's the C.J. Stroud thing.
03:13I mean, just flat out, you know, the confidence level, the the the option that he would have there with
03:21Jaden Higgins.
03:21When I say we you know, it's tangible.
03:23We've been seeing Jaden Higgins, you know, making plays.
03:26C.J. Stroud's been throwing it by and large.
03:29So, yeah, no, it affects all those things.
03:32Yeah.
03:33So we talked about I've just kind of, you know, kind of casually walked us through what are kind of
03:39the options that you have?
03:40And obviously, there's more consideration that will be given in the coming days as well.
03:44But we talked about what are your internal options.
03:46And it feels like we talk about Xavier Hutchinson.
03:48And obviously, he's a guy that they trust a lot, so much so that he was running with the ones
03:52as Jalen Knoll is still trying to get healthy with that finger injury that he had to have him on
03:56the NFI to start training camp.
03:58Tank Dell is a hypothetical just because it just feels like we've not gotten him on the field enough.
04:03But I imagine if they feel good about his possibility of return, it would be great to see it because
04:08he's going to be necessary.
04:10And what will be the return?
04:11But if it's not one of those guys, why receiver-wise specifically, it's the likes of Justin Watson probably stepping
04:16up.
04:17Maybe Lewis Bond having more of a role.
04:19Again, a rookie.
04:20But, you know, a rookie in this space, that's a little bit much to ask.
04:23But, I mean, you had rookies on the field last year.
04:26So, all right.
04:27So that's that.
04:27That's internal.
04:28We talked about external as far as free agents.
04:30I think the two that come to mind the most are Hopkins and Cooks because they've worked this system.
04:35I think there are other names out there free agency-wise.
04:38I know someone brought up Stefan Diggs.
04:39He signed in Washington.
04:40It almost feels like, and I hate to say it, it almost feels like it would have been awesome if
04:44this happened two days earlier,
04:46if that was going to happen, so that you could possibly try and go and steal the Keenan Allen signing.
04:50Yeah.
04:50Like, that's something that, but Tyreek Hill is still out there.
04:53Any interest because of the speed element that he gives?
04:5532 years of age?
04:57Man, I don't think so.
04:58What about you guys?
04:59Agreed.
05:00I'm not very interested in the aging speedster that also has lower body injuries.
05:05Curtis Samuel, who last was with Buffalo, a Buffalo team that just didn't feel like they had enough wide receiver
05:12help.
05:12I mean, at this point, marginally, I would guess.
05:17So, clearly, I think we start with DeAndre Hopkins and Brandon Cooks.
05:20Would you agree with that?
05:21I think that those are the two that I probably look at most of any of the free agent wide
05:25receivers.
05:26It's not all that appealing to me.
05:28Of all these other wide receivers, I keep going back to two names.
05:32And again, it's all going to be just like, all right, they're on the street for a reason.
05:39And where are they in their careers?
05:41But I keep going back to two names.
05:43How do these names grab you?
05:46Just in terms of, you know, why not?
05:48Josh Reynolds.
05:51Josh Reynolds is on the street.
05:53He's been injured the last couple of years.
05:55But in 23, he had 40 catches.
05:5922, he had 38 catches.
06:01Was effective with the Lions when he was there.
06:04But again, this is all...
06:05I'd much rather see more Justin Watson and maybe even Jim Wayne.
06:11I'm going to be honest.
06:11Do you feel comfortable with him being possibly a number two?
06:15No, I don't even think that that would be the case.
06:16I don't feel comfortable with any of these guys.
06:18I think the only guys that come in and maybe slot in as number two types are DeAndre Hopkins for
06:23me.
06:23If you're bringing in a Tyreek Hill, if you're interested in that.
06:27Or maybe Brandon Cooks.
06:29I'm not even sure with that at this point.
06:31The other thing that...
06:32Well, the other name real quick is Hunter Renfro.
06:35He's on the street.
06:37Dude had 36 catches in 22, 25 catches in 23.
06:45But then he's been injured the last two years.
06:47Yeah.
06:47Yes, I'm talking about four years ago.
06:48Because he's been injured the last two years.
06:50And this is where we are.
06:50And that's why he's on the street.
06:51Yeah, this is where we at.
06:52But Hunter Renfro has been an effective receiver.
06:56He has.
06:57Look, don't pick on me.
06:59I know.
07:00Reggie over there being picky.
07:02I didn't say anything.
07:03All right, let's go get Tyreek Hill.
07:04He's attacking the messenger here, man.
07:06I didn't say anything.
07:07All right, sign Tyreek Hill.
07:09How'd this become...
07:10I didn't even say anything.
07:11All right, this is the one where maybe there's a possibility to get somebody that actually feels like it's on
07:16the level.
07:16But the cost goes up.
07:18Trade.
07:19We haven't talked about the possibility of a trade.
07:21How viable does that seem?
07:22Because there's already names that people are throwing out there like, oh, man, I'd actually be interested in Brandon Ayuk.
07:26And boy, you're different than me.
07:28And Brandon Ayuk, fantastic player.
07:31The problem is he has been a headache.
07:33We've been over here laughing at the headache that he's caused.
07:35Both the Niners and the Commanders, he don't even play for the Commanders right now, right?
07:39He barely plays for the Niners, right?
07:41But you look at the way that this team in particular runs, the way that this organization in particular runs.
07:45And I know that we do the thing where we say, what's the benefit of having this whole system,
07:50this locker room full of guys that have the maturity if you can't afford to take on a little bit
07:56of the quote-unquote riffraff,
07:58for lack of a better way of saying it, this is something else entirely.
08:01I don't know that I would get involved in that.
08:03But I guess, how dire are you in this moment?
08:05And also, how many guys are actually out there that you think a team would be willing to trade with
08:10you right this moment?
08:11I think the teams that—this is the time of year where teams are most tied.
08:14That's your questions.
08:16Exactly.
08:16Yeah.
08:17I think team—this is the time of year where teams are most tied to the roster that they have
08:20because you did all of the offseason to cultivate it to look like this.
08:24If you have—I mean, I can't imagine a team feeling like we have an extra wide receiver that we're willing
08:28to give up there.
08:29And what would the cost be?
08:30Is that something that you'd be willing to pay?
08:32Yeah, it might be smart for somebody like Nick Casario to kind of maybe sign somebody to bring them in.
08:39Not nobody crazy, but just kind of wait around to cut day.
08:43You know, because some teams might, you know, make some surprise cuts where he could maybe jump in
08:48and trade a seven-round pick or something like that.
08:50That's exactly what I was going to say.
08:51This becomes all of a sudden one of those where you're like, all right, who has the deep rooms?
08:55You know, which teams in the NFL have the deepest wide receiver rooms?
08:59And I can't even, you know, quote a lot of them to you right now, but that's where you're looking
09:04as well.
09:05So, I mean, at that point, what you're doing, in my mind, is you are then adding to the level
09:12of player that is in that
09:14maybe Xavier Hutchison, Justin Watson, Jared Wayne level of players and going,
09:20we just have another one of those and hopefully enough of them will stick with enough production
09:25to make up for whatever we're missing.
09:27And even still, like, there's none, nothing's going to be a sexy answer.
09:30I recognize that, but I just want to acknowledge that is not sexy.
09:34No.
09:34I just want to acknowledge that.
09:35But that's where you are.
09:36You have to start looking at some of these deeper rooms and see what you can come up with.
09:40Do you call the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
09:43Mm-hmm.
09:44And, like, they do have a wide receiver room where they have some guys there.
09:49I'm looking at it right now, in fact.
09:53I mean.
09:53They have Jalen McMillan and Mecca Ibuka.
09:55Chris Godwin is a name that seems like, hey, could you maybe pry that off of a Tampa Bay Buccaneers
10:00team?
10:02Yeah, I do not envy Nick Casario having to make it.
10:06Yeah.
10:06They have something to say about it.
10:07And then Kayshawn Buttee also has been asking for a trade as a fair thing to note.
10:11Mm-hmm.
10:12Kayshawn Buttee I might be interested in.
10:13Well, not might be.
10:14I'd be interested in.
10:15Sure.
10:16Or do you go to the bad teams, you know, that have the wide receivers that might be interested?
10:22You know, the Arizona Cardinals, you know, one of those teams, you know, and try to get crazy a little
10:28bit.
10:28I mean, you are a Super Bowl.
10:29You talk about Marvin Harrison Jr.
10:30I mean.
10:31I mean.
10:32But this is the thing.
10:33Is that stupid at this point?
10:35I don't.
10:35I wouldn't call it stupid.
10:36No.
10:37But I think the thing that I, the question that arises for me is the way that I would say
10:40this.
10:40That's a nice way to do this.
10:41The question that arises for me is, that is a dude who, in his rookie year in Arizona, admittedly not
10:46great quarterback play and all the things.
10:48There was a lot of tumult there, but he had a, he felt like he had trouble establishing footing.
10:55I think you're looking for talent, but you're looking for talent that's established enough to be able to be impactful
11:00for you.
11:00And it feels like you'd have to be doing a lot of, hey, let's try and get you up to
11:04speed and get you to a place where you can take that talent and put it to use for us.
11:07And this is a team that's trying to contend for a Super Bowl right now.
11:09Right.
11:10You know what I mean?
11:10Right.
11:10And so, so the question becomes, does it, can, can you, can you pry him and make him fit with
11:16your culture?
11:19Something like that.
11:20Yeah, I don't know.
11:21Like this, this, this is a really, really tough space for the Texans to be in.
11:24Really one of the, one of the more terrible things that could happen for you going into the season.
11:30Really unfortunate thing.
11:31And if you're just turning in, the unfortunate thing is that Jaden Higgins, the number two wide receiver,
11:34that felt like he was taking a very clear step on the practice field and, you know, out there at
11:40training camp, injured himself.
11:42And it is indeed an ACL tear for him.
11:44So the dude that felt like he was taking a step up that was going to be impactful for your
11:48passing game,
11:49not going to be with you this season due to an ACL injury.
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