One day after the Houston Texans celebrated their first win of the season last Sunday, they officially welcomed receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. from the Arizona Cardinals in the season’s first blockbuster trade.
Harrison, just two years removed from being the fourth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, will make his Texans debut when Houston faces the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Sunday in a key AFC South matchup.
In Houston, Harrison will reunite with C.J. Stroud, who was his quarterback for two of his three seasons at Ohio State. The son of NFL pass-catching royalty amassed 2,613 yards and 31 touchdowns.
“I’ve always thought he was special. His work ethic, it’s the same thing now,” Stroud said of Harrison on Wednesday. “Runs great routes, very quarterback-friendly receiver. I’m a pocket quarterback who likes to throw it to him on time. That’s when he’s at his best.”
Houston’s pass offense hasn’t lacked before Harrison’s addition. The Texans (1-4) are averaging 261.8 passing yards per game, sixth in the NFL. However, their six passing touchdowns are tied for 22nd, and the Texans rank 19th in scoring at 22.0 points per game. The hope is that Harrison’s red-zone production can return after his TDs were cut in half from his rookie season (eight) to 2025 (four).
That upside outweighed the risk when Houston acquired Harrison and a 2027 sixth-round pick from Arizona for second- and seventh-round selections in the same draft, in an attempt to build off a 26-3 win over the Tennessee Titans.
“We’re excited to get a really good player to our team,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “You want good players, it has to cost whatever it is. The guy is a really good player, so we’re excited to get him here.”
While Houston has to travel across the pond for this game, the Jaguars already made the trip last week for their dramatic 19-17 win over the Eagles. Cam Little’s 57-yard field goal as time expired, after Philadelphia took the lead on its own field goal with only eight seconds remaining, gave Jacksonville its second 4-1 start in as many seasons under Liam Coen.
Veteran running back Ameer Abdullah, who signed as a free agent with the Jaguars this offseason but has just 10 carries for 45 yards through five games, set up the game-winning score with his 53-yard kick return.
“He’s been great. I think he’s been really good for the running back room, just as an older vet that’s been through a lot, has a ton of experience, really smart guy, understands football,” Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence said of Abdullah. “I think (for) those guys, he’s been a good steady voice for them in that room.”
With a win Sunday, Jacksonville would be off to its first 5-1 start since 1999.
However, it will have to do that without left tackle Anton Harrison, who Coen confirmed is set for knee surgery to determine the severity of his injury when the team returns to Jacksonville after the Houston game. Jacksonville placed Harrison on injured reserve Tuesday.
Coen praised Walker Little for how he stepped into the role against Philadelphia, but the task will be harder against a Houston defense which ranks second in the league in sacks (18) and third in rushing defense (78.4 ypg).
Defensive ends Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter have picked up right where they left off last season, when they combined for 27 sacks. The duo has amassed 10.5 sacks in five games this season, anchored by Anderson’s league-leading 7.5.
“Their whole deal is built on the front, the rush, the way that they fly around and play and their run defense is really good this year right now. They’ve got a group of guys that have some confidence,” Coen said. “This is going to be a test of physical strain, fight.”
Jacksonville was without cornerback Montaric Brown (hamstring) and long snapper Ross Matiscik (shoulder) at practice Wednesday.
For the Texans, running back David Montgomery (groin), offensive tackle Trent Brown (knee), linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (groin) and safety Jalen Pitre (shoulder) were sidelined Wednesday. Ryans described Montgomery and Pitre as week-to-week after they sustained injuries in the win over Tennessee.