Before the first home game of the preseason on Saturday, the Texans Honored Recipient Jacoby Joneswho died on July 14. He was a third-round pick of the Texans in 2007.

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans played with Jones for five seasons in Houston. After the game, Ryans explained what it meant to have his former teammate remembered by the team that drafted both of them.

“It’s a tough moment when you see a guy that young, a former teammate,” Ryans told reporters. “When you lose a guy at such a young age, it’s tough to see his picture up there and honor him in that moment. Our hearts and prayers are still with wife Emily and Jacoby Jr., who suffered that loss. It’s tough to deal with. Especially for me, it’s always like that when you lose a teammate, a guy that was so full of life, a guy that always had a smile on his face, always lit up a room, dancing, cracking jokes, whatever. You miss that fun-loving guy. Nobody misses him more than his family, his mother and his son. Our prayers are with them. I’m glad our organization was able to honor him in that way and show that respect and honor to his family today.”

Jones played for the Texans from 2007 to 2011. He played a key role in the Ravens reaching and winning the Super Bowl in 2012, catching the long touchdown pass that forced overtime in the Divisional Round in Denver and scoring a touchdown on a kickoff in Super Bowl XLVII.