Jaylin Noel's breakout second season has officially come to an end.
According to multiple reports, the Houston Texans are placing Noel on the season-ending injured reserve after suffering a turf toe injury in Week 7's loss to the New York Giants. Houston's top big-play threat will not return for the rest of the regular season and perhaps the postseason, though sitting with a mere two wins doesn't seem promising for a playoff bid entering November.
Based on his timeline in Sunday's matchup, Noel suffered the injury with roughly nine minutes left in regulation after returning a kickoff from the Giants. Based on the report, he appeared to have twisted his toe on the turf and was seen leaving the stadium in a boot.
In a corresponding move, the Texans
claimed former Cowboys and Cardinals running back Emari Demercado off waivers after his release on Tuesday. He'll join the active roster once the team returns from the bye week.
Not only is this a big blow for Noel's promising sophomore season, but it's a loss for the passing game in general. The former Iowa State was led the team with 331 receiving yards to go along with catches and two receiving touchdowns.
Noel also served as the team’s primary return man on both kickoffs and punts, averaging over 11.0 yards per punt return.
Noel is the second Texans receiver and the second Iowa State pass-catcher to suffer a season-ending injury this year, joing second-round pick Jayden Higgins, who suffered a torn ACL in August.
Now, Houston has weapons. Earlier this month, the Texans traded for Marvin Harrison Jr. from the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for a second-round pick. Last week against the Giants, Tank Dell return for the first time in nearly two years.
Dell had one catch for 43 yards on just 10 snaps. Harrison caught a touchdown pass on the same drive and only played in 14 snaps.
Both will have a larger role when the team returns from the bye week to take on the Los Angeles Chargers.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans lose WR Jaylin Noel to season-ending toe injury
