Jaylin Smith Injury News & Updates
Keep up with the latest injuries from the Texans vs Chiefs game on Sunday with our National Football League injury report.Nov 5, 2025
Heads to IR
Smith (undisclosed) was placed on the injured reserve list Wednesday.
ANALYSIS
The 2025 third-round pick from USC played 33 total snaps (25 on special teams, eight on defense) and recorded two total tackles in the Texans' Week 9 loss to the Broncos, but he appears to have sustained an injury in the process. Smith will now be forced to miss the team's next four games on IR. Expect Tremon Smith to operate as Houston's top reserve boundary corner while the rookie is sidelined.
Oct 26, 2025
Ready to return for Week 8
Smith (hamstring) is active for Sunday's game against the 49ers.
ANALYSIS
The Texans activated Smith from injured reserve Saturday after the rookie third-rounder ended the week with back-to-back full practices. He was still listed as questionable for Week 8, but he's been officially cleared to make his return after going through pregame warmups. Prior to his injury, Smith saw most of his work on special teams while also contributing to the secondary in a rotational role and logged four tackles (two solo) across two regular-season games.
Oct 25, 2025
Removed from injured reserve
The Texans activated Smith (hamstring) from injured reserve Saturday.
ANALYSIS
Smith was designated to return to practice Wednesday, and he earned the questionable tag for Sunday's game against the 49ers after putting together an LP-FP-FP practice log. His activation off IR indicates that he's on track to play Week 8, but his official status may not be known until the Texans announce their list of inactive players approximately 90 minutes before the 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff. The rookie third-rounder posted four tackles (two solo) through the first two games of the regular season prior to his placement on IR due to a hamstring injury.
Oct 22, 2025
Set to return to practice
Smith (hamstring) was designated to return from injured reserve Wednesday, per the NFL transaction log.
ANALYSIS
Smith has been sidelined since Week 3 with the hamstring injury but was able to log a limited practice Wednesday. It's unclear if he'll be able to return for a Week 8 matchup against the 49ers, and he'll likely occupy primarily a special-teams role when healthy.
Oct 8, 2025
Could practice soon
Houston executive vice president and general manager Nick Caserio said Tuesday that Smith (hamstring) could begin practicing "after another week or two," Sam Warren of the Houston Chronicle reports.
ANALYSIS
Smith was injured in Week 2 and placed on injured reserve. The rookie served as the third cornerback behind Derek Stingley and Kamari Lassiter, getting on the field for 21 defensive snaps. Smith also was a core member on special teams. The earliest he can return is Oct. 26.
Sep 20, 2025
Lands on IR
The Texans placed Smith (hamstring) on injured reserve Saturday.
ANALYSIS
Smith will now be forced to miss a minimum of four games after having presumably suffered a hamstring injury during the team's Week 2 loss to Tampa Bay. The rookie third-round pick has racked up four tackles (two solo) across the first two games of the season, and both Tremon Smith and D'Angelo Ross should see an uptick in playing time.
Sep 20, 2025
Sidelined by hamstring injury
Smith (hamstring) has been ruled out ahead of Sunday's game against the Jaguars.
ANALYSIS
Smith has played primarily on special teams through the first two games of his pro career. He presumably suffered the injury in Week 2 against Tampa Bay, and a potential timeline for a return is unclear as he has been unable to practice in any capacity throughout the week.
Apr 25, 2025
Houston picks corner in Round 3
The Texans selected Smith in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, 97th overall.
ANALYSIS
Smith (5-foot-11, 187 pounds) played a lot of snaps in his four years at USC, but he mostly played safety and slot corner. That USC used Smith in that capacity probably doesn't bode well for his coverage abilities, and meanwhile Smith probably lacks the frame to continue playing as a slot defender/safety tweener. The Texans might see him as a slot corner, perhaps to free up Jalen Pitre to log more snaps at safety and fewer from the slot.
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