The Houston Texans have a need at wide receiver and have reportedly made calls to find one.
According to Aaron Wilson of Sports Talk 790, the Texans have made “exploratory trade calls” for a wide receiver.
Wilson adds that the Baltimore Ravens‘ Rashod Bateman and New England Patriots‘ Kayshon Boutte could be among Houston’s targets.
“The Texans have made exploratory trade calls, per league sources,” Wilson wrote.
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“Among the potential targets: New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte and Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman,” Wilson added.
The Texans’ need at wide receiver comes in the wake of the season-ending injury to second-year wideout Jayden Higgins, who suffered a torn ACL.
The Texans are looking for a wide receiver who matches Higgins’ profile of a big outside receiver, Wilson said.
While a reunion with former Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins would make sense, Wilson notes that isn’t likely to happen.
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Hopkins remains a free agent and has not retired, but he recently took a coaching job with Georgia Tech.
Are Boutte, Bateman available?New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte (9) runs with the ball during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect (Reuters)Kayshon Boutte has been the subject of trade rumors for much of the offseason.
The rumors hit a fever pitch after the Patriots traded for A.J. Brown. New England also added Romeo Doubs in free agency.
That said, trading Boutte would leave the Patriots in a less than ideal spot, as they don’t have an obvious replacement for the No. 3 wide receiver role he’s set to take on.
In Baltimore, the Ravens can ill-afford to give up Bateman.
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They have Zay Flowers as their clear No. 1, and they brought in two receivers in Ja’Kobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt in the 2026 NFL Draft.
But trading Bateman would thrust both rookies into roles they may not be ready for, and if neither one pans out, the Ravens will be in serious trouble at wide receiver.
If we had to choose between Boutte and Bateman, we would say the former is more likely to be moved.
Houston Texans’ WR depth chartAug 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (12) catches a pass before playing against the Las Vegas Raiders at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)Nico Collins is the Texans’ clear-cut No. 1 wide receiver. However, there are a lot of question marks behind him.
Tank Dell is expected to be the No. 2, but he hasn’t played since 2024 because of a major knee injury, so there’s no telling how good he’ll be in 2026.
Jaylin Noel and Xavier Hutchinson round out the top four, but neither one is proven enough to rely on for a significant role.
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All of this is especially bad news when you consider C.J. Stroud desperately needs a bounce-back year.
He’ll be hard-pressed to accomplish that if his receivers aren’t up to snuff, so Houston would be wise to make an addition.
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