Here's the inside scoop Houston Texans fans have been waiting for on Stefon Diggs
NEED FOR SPEED
30 May
NEED FOR SPEED
When the Houston Texans traded for All Pro receiver Stefon Diggs this offseason, the fanbase was elated to have a player of his caliber join their up-and-coming team.
There were really only two concerns about the addition of Diggs.
1) Would he be a problem in the locker room?
2) Was his drop in production in the second half of last season due to losing a step?
It's way too early to have an answer to the first question, considering they haven't played any games. We don't know how Diggs will respond when the team faces adversity. But it seems like we have an answer to the second question.
ESPN's DJ Bien-Aime reported his observations of Diggs from Texans OTAs on Thursday.
Doesn’t look like #Texans newly acquired WR Stefon Diggs has lost much.
Still looks very quick in and out of his breaks. Still has the suddenness at the top of routes to create noticeable separation.
— DJ Bien-Aime (@Djbienaime) May 30, 2024
This should be a huge relief for the Texans and their fans. Many believed that the drop in Diggs' production was a by-product of the Bills changing offensive coordinators mid-season. Based on what Bien-Aime is seeing at OTAs, that appears to be the case.
If Bien-Aime is indeed correct, look out for this Houston offense. Good luck finding a team with three better receivers than Diggs, Nico Collins, and Tank Dell.
Here are some clips of Diggs working with his new team.
The beginning of the CJ Stroud ➡️ Stefon Diggs connection. pic.twitter.com/88iGnl2YAl
— DJ Bien-Aime (@Djbienaime) May 30, 2024
Diggs working the sideline courtesy of KPRC 2'S Aaron Wilson.
#Texans Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs @stefondiggs @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/jTWZGdGE7n
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) May 30, 2024
We should see Dell and Diggs celebrating a lot this season.
#Texans wide receiver Stefon Diggs @stefondiggs catch and congrats from Tank Dell afterward @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/qQwvsEAfKi
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) May 30, 2024
After practice, OC Bobby Slowik spoke about how the team may deploy their top 3 receivers this year.
Great to see @Djbienaime ask Houston Texans OC Bobby Slowik about how their use of 11-personnel (60.3%, 23rd in 2023) will change with the arrival of Stefon Diggs.
Nuanced response from Slowik here, sounds like they know they can beat defenses in more ways this year #HTownMade pic.twitter.com/62cFgZCZV2
— John Crumpler (@JohnHCrumpler) May 30, 2024
One thing is for sure, the Texans' balanced attack should give opposing defenses fits in 2024.
C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson found themselves in the same spot when they met in Week 2 last season.
Both quarterbacks were top-five draft picks, lost their season openers and seemed to be facing a steep learning curve.
Richardson won Round 1 in Houston, although he didn't finish the game.
Stroud took Round 2 in Indianapolis with the injured Richardson watching from the sideline as Texans clinched the AFC South title and Stroud locked up his runaway selection as NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
On Sunday, each QB begins his second pro season — with a lot still to prove.
“I’m excited. First official game back with my guys and my teammates,” said Richardson, who had season-ending shoulder surgery last October. "I want to win. So, whatever I’ve got to do to do that, I’m going to do it.”
Winning a season opener certainly would be a welcome change for a franchise that last started 1-0 in 2013. The 10-game winless streak is easily the NFL's longest active streak.
But that's just a start for Richardson.
He needs to improve his accuracy after completing a pedestrian 59.5% of his throws in 2023 and must demonstrate he can finish games. He missed 13 last season and only finished one of his four starts because of an assortment of injuries, including the concussion that knocked him out of that Week 2 matchup at Houston after he ran for two scores.
Stroud, meanwhile, is coming off one of the most successful rookie seasons in NFL history.
He became just the third player in a half-century to lead the league in yards passing per game (273.9) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (4.6 to 1), won a playoff game and made hist first Pro Bowl appearance.
How can he improve on a season like that? By showing last season was a building block — not a fluke. He has a stronger supporting cast, too, with Joe Mixon, a four-time 1,000-yard rusher, and Stefon Diggs, who has four straight 100-catch seasons, now in the mix.
The long journey begins Sunday in Indianapolis.
“I want to just start fast,” Stroud said. “It doesn't have to do with a certain game, just in general this season. Last year, we started off really slow and just kind of had to build our way back. It's not an easy thing to do, so I would say this year we want to start fast.”
Houston receiver Nico Collins had two of his biggest games last season against Indy — catching seven passes for 146 yards and one TD in the Week 2 matchup only to outperform those numbers with a 195-yard day that included a 75-yard TD catch in Week 18.
He could play an even bigger role this time with Indy's young secondary trying to match up not only with Collins but also Diggs, Mixon and tight end Dalton Schultz.
“Nico is a playmaker,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Every time I see him, he’s a true playmaker. So, you just have to get Nico the ball in any way, shape or fashion. Just find a way to get him the ball just to see how explosive and how dynamic he is.”
Injuries and a contract dispute prevented Jonathan Taylor from replicating the form he used to win the 2021 NFL rushing title. Starting against the Texans could be just what he needs.
In six games against Houston, Taylor has rushed for seven TDs and 135.2 yards per game — his highest average against any team he's faced multiple times. And in that rematch with Houston in Week 18, he finished with 30 carries for 188 yards, the NFL's highest single-game total all season.
Houston defensive end Will Anderson, last season’s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, will play Sunday after recovering from an ankle injury that limited his training camp snaps.
The No. 3 overall pick in 2023 had 45 tackles, 10 for loss, and 7 1/2 sacks as a rookie. He expects to be even better this season.
“I’m way more comfortable,” he said. “Just going into Year 2 knowing the scheme better, knowing what to expect a little bit more and knowing what’s going to happen gives you more confidence.”
The Colts lost their 2023 sacks leader, Samson Ebukam, with a torn Achilles tendon during training. But they may have the perfect replacement.
Laiatu Latu was the first defensive player taken in April's draft, at No. 15 overall, and he's shown coaches that the moves he used to record 23 1/2 sacks over his last two college seasons can work in the NFL.
“We know that there’s going to be a learning curve there," defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said. "We know there are going to be plays that we’re going to come in and say there were some good plays, and there were plays he wishes he had back — we understand that. But just his overall mentality and skill set, we’re very excited to see.”