Jaylin Noel is officially back for the Houston Texans.
Noel, who began last week’s training camp on the Non-Football Injury (NFI) list to begin the season with a hand issue, has been cleared to participate in drills. The strength of the drills remains a mystery, but he will be seen at practice starting on Friday and working his way back into a prominent role with the offense.
Before training camp began, Texans general manager Nick Caserio said that injury would sideline him for up to several weeks, but he was trending in the right direction.
“Jaylin Noel, honestly it happened three to four days ago,” Caserio said. “He has got a little bit of an issue with his finger. He was catching passes. Must have caught it the wrong way. His is short-term. I’m not really concerned, it will probably be a few weeks. We’ll see how he progresses.”
Noel, a third-round pick out of Iowa State, was expected to compete for first-team reps in the slot after a promising finish to his rookie campaign. He’ll know be competing with both rookie Lewis Bond and veteran Tank Dell for playing time.
The big takeaway in the moves actually surrounds the one player most Texans fans have been waiting to see. Wide receiver Tank Dell, who missed all of last season with a severe leg injury, will be cleared for all football activities, including contact. Over the last 16 months, Dell has been working his way back to full speed and now has done enough to clear all medical concerns ahead of Wednesday’s first practice.
After missing an entire season due to a dislocated knee and multiple ligament tears, Dell began to make strides during the offseason. In the early stages of OTAs, the former third-round pick caught passes in individual drills and later caught several passes against the team’s secondary.
Entering 2026, the Texans need another weapon. Dell should be the guy, if healthy, to pair alongside Pro Bowler Nico Collins and second-year standouts Jayden Higgins and Noel. Last season, as the No. 4 weapon for Houston’s offense, caught 26 passes for 292 yards and two touchdowns. He mostly found success in the return game, averaging 10.8 yards per punt return with a career-long 53-yard return in a win over the Las Vegas Raiders. He also averaged 27.6 yards per kickoff return.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans activate WR Jaylin Noel off NFI list
Reporting by Cole Thompson, Texans Wire / Texans Wire
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By Cole Thompson, Texans Wire | USA TODAY Network
