Jaguars poach Alijah Huzzie off Texans practice squad
TLDR: Jacksonville signed cornerback Alijah Huzzie straight onto its 53-man roster from Houston's practice squad, taking a body from a division rival because its own corner room is banged up.
Ian Rapoport had it first, and it's a little AFC South poke on a Tuesday in Week 5.
The #Jaguars are signing CB Alijah Huzzie to the 53-man roster off the #Texans practice squad.
The why is simple: Jacksonville's corners are hurt. Christian Braswell has a knee injury and Montaric Brown is dealing with a hamstring, and the depth chart got thin fast. It's bad enough that Travis Hunter played all 76 defensive snaps in Week 4. Your 2-way unicorn shouldn't be the whole secondary on his own.
Huzzie isn't a household name, but he can find the football. He played at East Tennessee State and North Carolina and was a ballhawk in college, finishing with 16 career interceptions, 48 pass breakups and 2 punt returns for touchdowns. Houston signed him as an undrafted free agent after the 2025 draft, and he spent most of his rookie year on the practice squad with only a few emergency appearances.
That's where the rival part comes in. Any team can sign a guy off another team's practice squad as long as he goes on its 53, and the original team can't match it. Houston had him developing in its building and Jacksonville just walked in and took him. Within the division, that's a move the Texans will notice, even if it's about depth and not a grudge.
ProFootballTalk confirmed the move a few minutes later, so the deal's done.
Jaguars sign CB Alijah Huzzie off Texans practice squad. t.co/9KFsXZ0Bwh
Now it's about what happens right away. The Jaguars play the Eagles in London in Week 5, and if Braswell or Brown can't go, the undrafted guy who was on Houston's practice squad last week could be playing real snaps against Philadelphia. That's a big jump. It's also exactly the kind of chance a college ballhawk wants.
Houston didn't wait around either. The Texans have already started working out replacements for the practice squad spot. Keep an eye on Week 5 inactives: if Huzzie is up and suited in London, Jacksonville's injuries are worse than it's letting on.
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