Jaylen

Reed

They needed the roster spot ahead of tonight’s Wild Card playoff game against the Steelers, as they’re activating S Jaylen Reed from injured reserve. Taylor played just 35 snaps for the Texans in 2025 and has been a moderate disappointment. If the Texans survive the night, it’s possible he’s brought back on the practice squad.

Per NBC Sports Houston’s Aaron Wilson, Reed “practiced for the first time since aggravating a forearm injury against the Indianapolis Colts and undergoing surgery.” Reed was placed on injured reserve, post-op, and he notably began the year on the reserve/physically unable to perform list due to a knee injury.

Definitely feels like a broken forearm for Reed, who had been starting at safety of late. He’ll probably be sent to injured reserve if that is indeed what happened here. He was hurt tackling Jonathan Taylor in the second quarter. Myles Bryant took over at safety.

Reed (6’/211) possesses the requisite frame and speed to be an NFL enforcer on the back end, but his aggressive playing style also leads to volatile results. Last year, Reed banked top-12 positional Power Five sums across the full college season in solo tackles (74), stops (27), TFLs (five), interceptions (three) and, unfortunately, missed tackles (16). If Reed can cut down on the negatives, he has a chance to win a rotational role. For now, he is likely to begin his career on special teams if he makes the Texans’ 53-man roster.

Reed (6'0/213) was a four-star recruit out of Detroit, Michigan and was regarded as the 10th best safety and the eighth overall 2021 prospect from Michigan. He has appeared in four games for the Nittany Lions this after suiting up for last week’s matchup against Maryland. A fifth game played this season would disqualify Reed from receiving a redshirt this season, and head coach James Franklin has shared that the team does not intend to use a redshirt on Reed at this point. Franklin said on Monday that the team plans to use Reed and that he is ready to play.

Reed (6'0/190) hails from Detroit, MI ranking as the 10th best safety and 8th overall 2021 prospect from the state of Michigan. Reed has been hotly pursued across the mid-west, receiving offers from Cincinnati, Central Michigan, Indiana, Iowa State, Kansas and Michigan State. He ended up receiving 32 scholarship in total but ultimately felt Happy Valley was where he belongs. Reed is Penn State’s second four-star signee and fourth 2021 signee overall for the Nittany Lions.

Reed (6'0/190) had originally announced that he’d make his choice on May 10, but he’s moving the decision up a month. He’s believed to be deciding between Georgia, Penn State, Michigan State, and USC; but the Nittany Lions are considered a prohibitive favorite to land Reed’s services.

Reed (6'0/190) was looking to take some official visits before making his pledge, but with the coronavirus pandemic putting a hold on face-to-face recruiting at this juncture, the four-star safety had to adjust his plans. He did manage to take relatively recent pair of unofficial visits before everything shut down, with both Michigan State and Penn State drawing trips this calendar year. Georgia, USC, Minnesota and Oregon are among the other programs who have offered to the Detroit native. On the 247Sports composite board, Reed lands as the No. 237 overall prospect in the 2021 class.