The Houston Texans bring in a big name with Stefon Diggs. But both athletically and as a team player, Diggs will have to reinvent himself to help the team – a commentary.

The Houston Texans continue to upgrade. After numerous defensive additions and running back Joe Mixon, Stefon Diggs, one of the NFL’s most established wide receivers, is coming to Houston.

After their surprisingly good playoff run last year, at first glance there is a lot to suggest that the Texans will be among the absolute best in the AFC next season with Diggs. But at second glance, the Diggs trade has a dangerously high potential to backfire.

Yes, Diggs has been one of the league’s most productive receivers in recent years. And that’s despite opposing defenses repeatedly double-covering him. What’s more, the second-round pick the Texans gave up for Diggs was a comparatively favorable return, limiting the risk.

However, his form has been on the decline of late: Diggs played his weakest season to date with the Buffalo Bills in 2023. That was still enough for a decent 1,183 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. But the star receiver repeatedly and publicly struggled with his shrinking role in the Bills’ offensive plan. Josh Allen threw to him less and less often. At times, Diggs wasn’t even on the field for every other offensive play.

Stefon Diggs: Consequential playoff drop as a low point

The last time Diggs broke the 100 receiving yards mark in a game was in October 2023. He went without a touchdown in his last seven games for Buffalo. Curiously, Diggs’ least productive stretch in the final five games of the regular season was also the best stretch of the season for the Bills, who reeled off five straight wins.

The negative highlight for the receiver: when he was finally called upon again as a pass receiver in the playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs, he dropped a pass with touchdown potential at 24:27 and thus sealed the game’s end. The mistake vindicated his critics: as impressive as his numbers in the regular season have been over the years, Diggs has repeatedly put in disappointing performances in the playoffs.

But what should give the Texans even more to think about than Diggs’ athletic decline is his behavior. Time and again, the receiver gave free rein to his anger: in press conferences, he said that he was “very frustrated”, but that his low productivity was not down to him and that he was shouting “the F-word” on the bench in view of his declining influence.

He also got into a battle of words with his quarterback Josh Allen on the sideline. Whether Diggs and Allen still had a good relationship became an ongoing topic in the Bills media rounds.

Stefon Diggs and C.J. Stroud: A question of chemistry

Three days before his trade, Diggs gave Allen another one on X: Responding to a user post that Diggs wasn’t essential to Allen’s success, he suggestively replied with, “Are you sure?”

So the diva Diggs is bringing a lot of potential for conflict with him to Houston. C.J. Stroud is a young quarterback under contract there who is coming off a dazzling rookie season, but is still a long way from Allen’s established NFL status. If things don’t go according to plan for the new star receiver, he could poison the mood in his own offense, as he did in Buffalo – and previously with the Minnesota Vikings.

Especially since Diggs’ competition is quite impressive: Nico Collins (25 years old, 8 touchdowns in 2023) and Tank Dell (24 years old, 7 touchdowns in 2023) are in their prime football years and can legitimately hope for many snaps in the coming season. New signing Diggs, meanwhile, will be 31 years old next season.

Diggs has to improve: athletically and, with Stroud as his new quarterback, also as a team player. Only then can he become a stroke of luck for the Texans.