In the NFL offseason, workouts are a must. For C.J. Stroud, just give him a football and he’ll find the field to deliver passes.
Stroud, fresh off of winning the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year honor for his work with the Houston Texans, was seen throwing passes to new receiver Stefon Diggs during their visit to Paris for fashion week.
Much like in front of the Effiel Tower, Houston hopes that connection will find its way to NRG Stadium in front of fans this fall en route to another division title.
Diggs, whom the Texans acquired in exchange for a 2025 second-round pick, has been one of the league’s top targets since 2019. He’s totaled six consecutive 1,000-yard seasons during tenures with Minnesota and Buffalo.
Diggs also had led the league in receptions (445) since 2020.
CJ Stroud and Stefon Diggs running routes in Paris
#Texans
(via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/WJN1cFZGZG
— NFL Lifestyle (@LifestyleNFL) June 25, 2024
Last season, Diggs was on a tear to begin his fourth season with the Buffalo Bills, posting four 100-yard outings in five games. However, his performance declined after the Bills fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and promoted Joe Brady to the role.
Even after a lackluster finish, Diggs still managed to finish with 107 receptions for 1,183 yards and eight touchdowns. In Houston, he would have led the AFC South champions in receptions while finishing second in receiving yards behind Nico Collins.
The expectation is for Houston to have one of the league’s top passing attacks. Collins, who recently signed a three-year extension, is coming off his first 1,200-yard campaign since being drafted out of Michigan in 2021.
Rookie Tank Dell was on pace for a 1,000-yard season before a broken fibula in Week 13’s win over Denver sidelined him for the remainder of the season. He still finished with over 700 receiving yards while breaking the rookie receiving touchdown record with seven scores.
The draft discussion around Cade Stover is probably significantly different if he has a second season with C.J. Stroud instead of working with Kyle McCord in 2023.
Not sure he would have been a Day 3 prospect if his quarterback could find him #HTownMade pic.twitter.com/12utHkT4q3
— John Crumpler, MD (@JohnHCrumpler) June 25, 2024
Houston also brought back tight end Dalton Schultz on a three-year extension and traded for Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon. Add it all up, and the Texans might have the best five-man passing attack in the league for Stroud to reach new heights in his second season.
Sure, any extra practice with Dell, Collins and the rest of the crew would be great, but any one-on-one time with Diggs could be a blessing in disguise.
The Texans return to NRG Stadium for the start of training camp on July 18.