Early in August, the Jacksonville Jaguars hosted wide receiver Zay Jones for a visit. The tryout didn't result in a contract, and head coach Liam Coen simply stated that the team wanted to kick the tires on him. That prompted Jones to keep looking for a new home in 2026. He just found it with the Houston Texans.
The Texans announced that they signed Jones and Sterling Shepard of the preseason finale, raising questions about the state of the wide receiver corps.
Tank Dell returned to the team after suffering an injury in 2024. The fact that Houston brought in Jones and Shepard could be a sign he may not be ready to rejoin the Texans.
The Jaguars shouldn't be worried about Zay Jones joining the Texans
While Nico Collins is firmly entrenched as WR1 in H-Town, Houston has questionable depth behind him. Xavier Hutchinson is trending toward having a big role next season, but Jaylin Noel and Tank Dell could also push for a starting role.
And that's the thing, if Houston were confident about Noel and Dell, the Texans wouldn't have brought in Shepard and Jones. It's also worth noting that both of them are better suited for backup roles at this stage of their respective careers.
A second-round pick in 2016, ShShepard spent eight years with the New York Giants before playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for two seasons. He became a free agent in March and had been waiting for a chance to latch onto a team. The same is true about Jones, who was with the Jaguars from 2022 to 2024.
Jones posted a career-best 82 receptions for 823 yards with five touchdowns in his first season with the Jags. However, injuries held him back the following year, and he was ultimately given the boot in 2024. The former East Carolina Pirate then spent two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, but he failed to do much of note, hauling in a measly 20 receptions for 267 yards with 12 touchdowns in 19 games with two starts.
The Texans don't have great WR depth but remain a threat to the Jaguars
Even though the Texans have concerns at receiver, they could still dethrone Jacksonville. Quarterback C.J. Stroud is coming off a pair of unremarkable seasons but is expected to bounce back. But even if he doesn't, the Texans defense could give the Jaguars trouble.
The Texans have built one of the top defenses in the NFL. Heck, they have All-Pro talent at all three levels. With Jadeveon Clowney, Will Anderson Jr., and Danielle Hunter on the defensive line, the Jags will have their hands full when they face their dreaded divisional foe. Similarly, Safety Jalen Pitre and cornerbacks Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter could make things tough for Trevor Lawrence and the offense.
On the other hand, the Jaguars are also stacked on both sides of the ball, so even though it won't be easy to sweep the Texans, they have more than enough talent to repel when they face off against each other next season.
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