Diggs, Texans’ top receiver: Offseason acquisition brings competitive spirit to Houston | Sports

Diggs took flight down the sideline, with Lassiter staying in step as quarterback C.J. Stroud threw the deep pass. Diggs curled the ball over his shoulder as Lassiter’s left hand tried to stop it to cheers from the Texans fans in attendance.

The Pro Bowl receiver, who is entering his first season with Houston, posed in front of the stands in celebration for a second before greeting a few fans.

It’s that competitive spirit from Diggs that Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans of the past two years has seen spill over into his other receivers early in camp.

“I really like the competitive spirit of all these guys, seeing guys push themselves, different guys making plays every day,” Ryans said. “It starts with Stefon and the way he comes to work. I think that rubs off on everybody. He comes with a competitive drive.”

Texans tight end Dalton Schultz, who signed a three-year, $36 million contract in the offseason to remain in Houston, has taken note of Diggs’ voice, the energy he brings and his competitiveness.

“When he goes out there, he wants to win everything,” Schultz said. “He wants to win the race coming off the field. He’s just that kind of guy. When you surround yourself with guys like that, it’s contagious. He’s been really beneficial to the offense as a whole.”

Diggs is aiming for his seventh straight 1,000-yard season and is just five yards shy of 10,000 yards. Last season, he rushed for 1,183 yards and eight touchdowns for the Buffalo Bills.

“No matter how successful you are, always try to bring as many people with you as possible,” Diggs said of his leadership role. “You don’t tarnish yourself at all by shining a light on someone else, especially with these guys. They’re truly special. Being here to fight and compete at a high level is one of my main goals.”

The competitive nature of the receivers room appears to have rubbed off on John Metchie III, who has made a handful of notable plays early in camp.

The third-year receiver overcame an ACL injury in college and then a leukemia diagnosis during his first two years in the NFL and is off to a strong start as he tries to earn one of the receiver jobs.

“With Metchie, I see a guy that’s a lot faster, plays with more confidence,” Ryans said. “You see the guy he was at Alabama. You see that explosiveness. It’s starting to show. He made a lot of plays early in camp, but he continues to make plays.”

Diggs isn’t the only 1,000-yard receiver in the room. Nico Collins just finished his first game and was Stroud’s top option in 2023. Texans general manager Nick Caserio signed Collins to a three-year, $72 million contract extension this offseason after his 1,297-yard, eight-touchdown regular season last year.

With two 1,000-yard receivers, plus Tank Dell — who had 709 receiving yards when he suffered a season-ending leg injury in Week 13 — Noah Brown, Robert Woods, Xavier Hutchinson and offseason addition Ben Skowronek, it’s a competitive group.

“These are guys that are hungry and have played a really good game in their careers and are ready to win and eat,” Stroud said. “It’s very exciting. We’re just trying to develop that chemistry and timing right now, and it’s going pretty well so far.”