The Houston Texans will play another opponent for the first time on Thursday, but fans will likely have to wait before seeing newcomer Stefon Diggs in action.
Diggs, acquired in a trade with the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a 2025 second-round pick, headlined Houston’s bountiful offseason. The move unionized one of the league’s top receivers with a trio of proven talent for quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, who pulled himself out of head coaching opportunities to return to Houston, is tasked with bringing all the pieces together on the offensive side of the ball.
Slowik will have many mouths to feed in year two, with none more extensive than Diggs.
The four-time Pro Bowler made it four straight 100-reception seasons and six consecutive 1,000-yard campaigns last year with the Bills.
CJ Stroud
Stefon Diggs
Stefon Diggs:
6⃣Points. pic.twitter.com/B2kJgkG9JD
— Will Kunkel (@WillKunkelFOX) July 23, 2024
In a recent interview on Chris Long’s “Green Light Podcast,” Slowik broke out multiple topics, including his thoughts on Diggs’ potential fit in the Texans offense.
“One thing I think people underrate with Diggs is how good of a ball-in-hands player he is,” Slowik said. “He’s a very good runner when he has the rock.”
Houston’s offense recorded 1,976 yards after the catch, the 12th-most among teams in 2023. Nico Collins accounted for nearly 30% of the Texans’ YAC. Meanwhile, Diggs finished with 404 of his 1,183 yards coming after the catch, gaining 3.8 yards after the catch per attempt, according to Pro Football Focus.
“He had a lot of underneath catches that most receivers were getting 10 yards on, and Stef was taking them to the house,” Slowik said. “It was a throw he caught at four yards that most guys get six, and he got 12.
“The difference between second and four and second and one or the difference between second and seven and first and 10—for us, that’s everything. The more we can stay on track, the more we really believe in what we can do as far as being efficient until we can get explosive.”
UK fans have voted Stefon Diggs’ unbelievable touchdown against the Miami Dolphins as the 2023 NFL UK Play of the Year!
Video via. @NFLonCBS#MIAvsBUF #BillsMafia #NFLUK #StefonDiggs pic.twitter.com/N1ygMSZ9uk
— Fred Kilmartin (@FredKilmartin80) December 28, 2023
While Houston averaged the 13th-most points per game at 22.2, the offense mainly relied on explosive plays to lift it at times. Sharp Football Analysis found that the Texans scored on 37.8 percent of their drives per game, 15th in the league, and ended with a touchdown at 19.7 percent.
The latter was a bottom-12 mark in the league.
Collins and Tank Dell, Houston’s top returning targets from an AFC South division-winning season, are better suited for downfield roles. Both finished with an average depth of targets above 11.5 yards. Dell’s 14.4 ADOT ranked top-20 in the league.
Houston’s quarterback targeted the short area of the field—less than 10 yards—on 40.5 percent of his attempts, third-lowest among qualified passers. Diggs’ presence underneath may alleviate pressure on Stroud to constantly connect downfield like he did a year ago.
When Minnesota dealt Diggs to Buffalo in 2020, he arrived as an ideal downfield threat for Josh Allen. Now entering his age-30 season, he may be a model security blanket.