Paragraph 1 of Chapter 1 of the proven guide to developing a young quarterback states that any professional football team with a valuable prospect must quickly surround that passer with a strong supporting cast.
NFL teams often mind-bogglingly question this ever-important principle, grabbing quarterbacks loaded with potential and expecting them to magically transform their teams into juggernauts. When development proves slow, or when a poor supporting cast results in a career-derailing regression, these franchises find themselves baffled and/or filled with regret when the investment fails to produce the desired results .
The list of transgressors is long and seems to grow every two years as organizations fail to learn from the mistakes of others.
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But count the Houston Texans front office and coaching staff among those who paid attention in history class. Rather than relying on the impressive work produced last season by then-rookie CJ Stroud, the Texans approached this offseason with the goal of strengthening the roster around last season’s No. 2 pick on both sides of the ball. .
The latest bold move came Wednesday when the Texans acquired wide receiver Stefon Diggs from the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a 2025 second-round pick (Houston will also receive a 2024 sixth-round pick and a fifth-round pick in 2025). Diggs comes to Houston with a resume that includes six straight 1,000-yard seasons, four straight 100-catch campaigns, four straight Pro Bowl selections and a 2020 first-team All-Pro selection.
The Houston Texans have a star quarterback on his rookie contract and so they are wasting no time surrounding him with elite talent. General manager Nick Caserio has been fishing big all offseason — and he landed one of the biggest offensive fish in the league.
–Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) April 3, 2024
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Diggs’ versatility and football IQ make him valuable to any quarterback. Paired with second-year Tank Dell (who had an impressive rookie campaign before breaking his leg), fourth-year veteran Nico Collins (who recorded 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns last season), crafty veteran Robert Woods, tight end Dalton Schultz and running backs Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce, Diggs will ensure Stroud has no shortage of weapons at his disposal as he aims to build on last season’s record-breaking campaign , helping the Texans repeat as AFC South champions and make a deep playoff run.
The sudden abundance of wealth – with Diggs as the centerpiece – seems almost too good to be true, doesn’t it? Teams on the cusp of championship contention like Buffalo don’t just give perennial players to the Pro Bowl. It’s rare that salary cap-strapped teams like the Bills (whose $4.2 million cap hit is the fourth lowest in the NFL, according to Spotrac), are willing to absorb a $31 million cap hit ( $3.1 million). more that Diggs’ cap hit for 2024) as they send Diggs packing.
Diggs seemed to fall out of favor in Buffalo, however, as his chemistry with Buffalo’s franchise quarterback Josh Allen waned last season. Over the past two seasons, the receiver seemed to oscillate between disgruntled and dedicated. From time to time last season, his brother and Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs lobbied on social media for his brother to get a fresh start and join a team that featured him better in the offense and gave him the ball more consistently. Stefon Diggs has at times tried to distance himself from these comments, but has never been able to quell speculation that he was unhappy in Buffalo, and he found it impossible to mask his annoyance with another early playoff elimination of the Bills.
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Now, however, Diggs gets a fresh start and a chance to help strengthen another team with lofty aspirations.
He proved he could produce regardless of his environment. The former fifth-round pick out of Maryland posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons at Minnesota (2018 and 2019) before requesting the trade to Buffalo, where he posted four more 1,000-yard campaigns.
Diggs seemed to regress somewhat last season. His production increased from 1,429 yards (13.2 yards per catch and 89.3 yards per game) and 11 touchdowns in 2022 to 1,183 yards (11.1 yards per catch, 69.6 yards per game) and eight touchdowns in 2023. However, rival scouts and coaches agree. that Diggs remains a very influential player and will make his presence felt in Houston and the AFC South.
He will be somewhat familiar with Houston’s offense, led by Bobby Slowik, a former disciple of Kyle Shanahan. Diggs’ offensive coordinator at Minnesota, Kevin Stefanski, ran a Shanahan-inspired offense, along with Gary Kubiak – the Mike Shanahan disciple who helped mold Kyle Shanahan as an NFL signal-caller during their days together in Houston in 2008 and 2009 – on his team in Diggs’ final season with the Vikings.
Diggs’ versatility will serve Stroud well as he moves forward in his progression. The wideout will also attract the attention of opposing defenses, resulting in opportunities for other pass receivers while making it more difficult for enemies to charge the box in an attempt to stop the rushing attack – an important element of Houston’s offense.
Diggs’ main challenge will involve patience. As a member of a crowded Texas offense, he can’t expect to be featured as exclusively as the Bills did upon his arrival in Buffalo. A fierce competitor, Diggs has always wanted to be heavily involved in offensive projects. Going back to his days at Maryland and then with the Vikings, he became frustrated when he felt overlooked.
At times in Minnesota, Stefanski’s game, which relied heavily on the run and called for Kirk Cousins to judiciously pass the ball to Diggs and Adam Thielen, proved too conservative for Diggs’ liking. This is believed to have factored into Diggs’ decision to demand a trade from Minnesota.
His arrival in Buffalo did wonders for Allen. The seventh overall pick in the 2018 draft, Allen battled inconsistency in his first two seasons. But by teaming up with Diggs, Allen recorded his first 4,000-yard passing season (and his first Pro Bowl selection) and hasn’t passed for fewer than 4,200 yards in a season since.
Because of the pressure he puts on defenses, Diggs could have a similar impact on Stroud. Is Diggs, who turns 31 in November, still as explosive as before? Opposing talent evaluators say no. But they still view him as one of the 10-15 best receivers in the game and declare him capable of winning most one-on-one matchups.
Diggs’ demands for heavy involvement could put some pressure on Stroud and second-year offensive coordinator Slowik. But this is where head coach DeMeco Ryans comes in. Coaches and players who have worked with the second-year head coach and former Pro Bowl linebacker praise his leadership skills and ability to connect with and manage players. Helping Diggs harness his competitive fire while understanding his fit as part of Houston’s offense will be among Ryans’ top priorities. If he succeeds, Stroud and the Texans should be able to capitalize on the gifts offered by Diggs.
The union, along with previous free agent acquisitions expected to bolster Houston’s defense, should help the revamped Texans avoid a second-year slump after last season’s surprising and promising success.
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(Photo: Timothy T. Ludwig/Getty Images)