Jaylin Noel has a turf toe injury and was in a walking boot after the game on Sunday, DeMeco Ryans said after the Houston Texans lost 27-21 in overtime to the New York Giants. The receiver and kick returner got hurt on a kickoff return in the fourth quarter and did not come back.
Ryans gave no grade for the sprain and no timeline, saying only that Noel will continue to be evaluated. That matters more than usual with this injury: a mild turf toe can cost a week or two, while a more serious sprain can keep a player out for close to two months.
#Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said that wide receiver-kick returner Jaylin Noel has a turf toe injury. Noel will continue to be evaluated. He is in a walking boot currently. He got injured on kickoff return. Noel entered Sunday on pace for 2,200 all-purpose yards
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) October 25, 2026
What Noel means to Houston
The timing stings for a player who had become one of the Texans’ few reliable sparks. A week earlier at Wembley, Noel caught four passes for 107 yards and a touchdown and piled up 174 all-purpose yards in the 34-31 win over Jacksonville. Aaron Wilson noted that Noel came into Sunday on pace for roughly 2,200 all-purpose yards this season.
Against New York he never found that rhythm. He was targeted twice and caught both, but finished with minus-3 receiving yards before the injury on special teams. If he misses time, Houston will need a new primary returner as well as another option for C.J. Stroud in the slot, where Tank Dell, back on Sunday for his first game since December 2024, and the newly acquired Marvin Harrison Jr. are the most likely to absorb his snaps.
Marks returns after a scare
The Texans avoided a second blow at running back. Woody Marks, starting again with David Montgomery out for a second straight game with a groin injury, went down when his lower leg was caught under linebacker Micah McFadden on a tackle. He walked off on his own, was checked in the medical tent and was back on the field for the next possession. Marks finished with 66 yards on 19 carries.
Houston was already short-handed before kickoff. Montgomery, nickel defender Jalen Pitre (shoulder), safety Reed Blankenship (concussion) and right tackle Blake Fisher (thumb) were all ruled out on Friday after missing every practice of the week.
What comes next
The defeat drops Houston to 2-5 and 0-4 at home, but the schedule offers a reprieve: the Texans have their bye before visiting the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, November 8, at 4:05 p.m. EST. That gives Noel two weeks to heal and Montgomery, Pitre and Blankenship more time to work back. The first practice report of that week will show whether Noel is moving without the boot. The result and scoring are in the Giants-Texans Game Center, and every club’s status is on the injury page.
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