Noel (hamstring/finger) returned to practice this week, and the plan is to get him ramped back up to full speed over the next couple weeks, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Noel missed a couple weeks of action with a pulled hamstring and pinkie finger issue, but he's now suddenly in the spotlight in a big way in Houston after it was reported that Jayden Higgins suffered a season-ending torn ACL this week. A third-round pick out of Iowa State in the 2025 Draft, Noel appeared in all 17 regular-season games as a rookie but was on the field for just 26 percent of the offensive snaps behind Nico Collins, Higgins, Xavier Hutchinson and Christian Kirk. With Higgins now out and Kirk in San Francisco, there's a big opportunity for Noel to carve out a role in two- or three-wide sets. When on the field in 2025, Noel was productive, turning 35 regular-season targets into 26 catches for 292 yards (11.2 yards per catch) and a pair of touchdowns.