HOUSTON – Injuries continue to take a heavy toll on the Texans.
They placed third corner Jaylin Smith on injured reserve for the second time this season, ending this season. He previously had a hamstring issue. They also placed backup defensive end Darrell Taylor on injured reserve with an ankle injury.
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Rookie cornerback Alijah Huzzie was activated to the 53-man roster from the non-football injury list. He has made a sound recovery from a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered at the East-West Shrine Bowl all-star game before going undrafted out of North Carolina.
Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn is dealing with a lower body injury and his status for Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars is still being determined, per a league source.
The Texans hosted veteran kicker Matthew Wright for a visit Tuesday and he was officially signed to the practice squad as a precautionary measure in case Fairbairn is sidelined this week, per a league source
Fairbairn kicked five field goals, accounting for all of the Texans’ points during an 18-15 defeat last Sunday against the Denver Broncos.
Fairbairn didn’t conduct interviews Sunday or Monday while undergoing treatment from team medical staff at NRG Stadium.
Fairbairn, 31, a former Lou Groza award winner at UCLA, has made 22 of 25 field goals this season for an 88 percent success rate. He missed a 51-yard attempt wide right Sunday. He has made 12 of 12 extra points. His longest field goal this season is from 57 yards. .
Wright has kicked for multiple NFL teams and was last with the Washington Commanders. He has made 56 of 65 career kicks and 43 of 45 extra points. He has also kicked for the Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, Carolina Panthers, Pittsburgh Steelers and the Jaguars.
The Texans released fullback-tight end Dalton Keene from the practice squad.
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com