Houston Texans promote Canadian receiver Jared Wayne for playoff game against Chiefs

The Houston Texans have promoted Canadian receiver Jared Wayne to the active roster for their upcoming playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The 24-year-old native of Peterborough, Ont. has been with the team for two seasons, spending most of that time on the practice roster. He has played three career regular-season games with the Texans and taken snaps on offence and special teams, though he’s yet to record his first career statistic.

The six-foot-three, 210-pound target will be one of two Canadians in Houston’s receiving corps when the team visits the Kansas City Chiefs for an AFC Divisional Playoff matchup on Saturday, Jan. 18. The other is John Metchie III, a former second-round pick out of the University of Alabama, who made 24 catches for 254 and one touchdown this season, dressing for 13 games with three starts.

The Texans advanced to play Kansas City after defeating the Los Angeles Chargers by a score of 32-12 this past weekend. Metchie made four catches for 28 yards in the win.

Wayne had a highly productive collegiate career at the University of Pittsburgh, making 146 catches for 2,308 yards and 13 touchdowns. He was named second-team All-ACC with the Panthers in his final year of eligibility before signing with the Texans as an undrafted NFL free agent.

North of the border, Wayne’s rights belong to the Toronto Argonauts, who selected him in the second round of the 2023 CFL Draft.