Assembling a high-end receiving corps this offseason, the Texans have received bad news on their highest-profile target. Stefon Diggs‘ test results revealed a season-ending injury.
Diggs’ non-contact malady is a torn ACL, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports. This is a crushing blow to a Texans team currently playing without Nico Collins. While Collins is expected back, Houston has a major question to answer after seeing its high-end trade pickup go down.
Despite Collins breaking out last year and earning an extension this offseason, the Texans acquired Diggs to give C.J. Stroud one of this era’s best wide receivers to target. GM Nick Caserio acquired Diggs’ Bills-constructed contract, pairing it with his quarterback’s rookie deal in his busiest offseason in charge.
While Stroud has certainly missed Collins since the fourth-year standout sustained a hamstring injury to lead him to IR, Diggs had loomed as vital insurance. The plan will change again for the AFC South leaders, who now may be interested in adding a piece before next week’s trade deadline.
The Texans acquired Diggs in a trade that sent a 2025 second-round pick to the Bills. Diggs had thrived in Buffalo, being a central figure in Josh Allen‘s ascent to superstardom. The Bills, however, had tired of the wideout’s antics. They were prepared to keep their longtime WR1 for at least one more season, holding onto him into April, but had discussed Diggs with the Texans at the Combine. The teams circled back to talks before the early-April trade, one that left the Bills with the most dead money in WR history and gave the Texans a perennial Pro Bowler. The Bills have since addressed the void Diggs created, trading for Amari Cooper; will the Texans consider a move before the Nov. 5 trade endpoint?
Houston still has Tank Dell, Robert Woods and 2022 second-round pick John Metchie. Xavier Hutchinson, a 2023 sixth-rounder, joins Dalton Schultz as parts of this Houston cadre. But Dell going from WR3 to Stroud’s top target would wound the Texans, despite the 2023 third-rounder’s early-career connection with Stroud. Collins cannot be activated until Week 10, and it is uncertain if the team’s receiving leader will be ready to return when first eligible.
For Diggs, this is obviously a significant setback. The former Vikings fifth-round pick had avoided major injuries throughout his career, playing in all but one Bills game during his four-year run with the team. Diggs ripped off four straight 1,100-yard seasons in Buffalo. He made a comment this offseason that suggested he sought a way out of Buffalo, reminding of his Minnesota exit, but the trade involved the strange step of the Texans removing the final three years of Diggs’ contract. This appeared to be at the request of Diggs’ camp to finalize a trade. As it stands, Diggs is soon to turn 31 and now headed toward free agency after this season-ending knee malady.
Diggs was on pace for a seventh 1,000-yard season, accumulating 496 (along with three TD catches) through eight games. Collins posted 567 yards despite finishing only four games. Dell sits third on the team with 229 yards. The diminutive talent will shift back into Stroud’s top option, while Diggs faces an uncertain future — one that will probably involve a significant value loss — following this development.
The presences of Woods, Metchie and Hutchinson may dissuade the Texans from giving up notable assets for help. But the team is 6-2 and competing for a Super Bowl berth with the 7-0 Chiefs, 6-2 Bills and others in a strong AFC. Suddenly, the team may benefit from the NFL moving the trade deadline back a week. It offers the Texans an emergency window to bolster their team.
While Cooper Kupp is not expected to be moved, Houston could have the likes of Diontae Johnson, Mike Williams and Darius Slayton to target if inclined. The team also may aim to lean on its Joe Mixon-fronted run game more going forward.
Tough year for WR’s, injury after injury this season.
Damn that’s tough. Make some calls for Slayton diontae or Dotson?
Woof
I never understood cutting Noah Brown loose while keeping Woods and Metchie, and that seems even worse now. I wonder if they’ll make a move. Even not looking great, they’ve still got a two game lead in the division.
Couple reasons
1. Rookie contracts of Hutchinson and Metchie vs paying Brown 5 mill.
2. Woods would have resulted in a bigger dead cap hit than Brown.
3. Brown is getting playing time in Washington as their #2 He wouldn’t be seeing the usage he’s getting in Houston with Collins Diggs Dell Schultz, he’d be at best #5. Which is why guys already on the roster aren’t getting looks. Now with Collins down and Diggs Metchie Hutchinson Woods will get an uptick in playing time and uptick in production.
I think Brown was a great re-signing as a fourth receiver with upside if he had to step in. I don’t see that with the others. It’s not like he was a huge cap hit they couldn’t afford.
Keeping brown would have meant they’d have about 2-3 mill in cap space. They’re currently sitting at 6.6 mill.
Just not a lot of room to work with this year.
Is that taking into account the money they would have saved by cutting Woods?
If they cut woods they’d have dealt with about 5 mill in dead money. Think they took a 2-3 mill dead money on Brown.
But they also would have saved almost five million. Dead cap in and of itself isn’t a big deal.
It is when you’re close to the cap as the Texans are. Had they kept brown instead of woods they’d be 3- 4 mill away instead of 6.6 mill
The injury probably just means more targets for Dalton Schultz who showed himself on Sunday to be a pretty good option when the top receiving weapons are not available.
Tough weekend for the Diggs brothers, who are at a crossroads. The one with the Cowboys better start showing more willingness to tackle or will be replaced by the rookie Carson, next year, though he is having health issues of his own.