Texans excited about WR trio with addition of Stefon Diggs

HOUSTON – In late March, DeMeco Ryans was asked about the Houston Texans’ attempt to trade for six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen during league meetings.

The Texans coach’s reasoning was that he wanted to “improve the entire roster.”

Houston’s receiver room already had Nico Collins, who finished the 2023 season with 1,297 receiving yards, and Tank Dell, who was on track for 1,205 yards before fracturing his leg against the Denver Broncos early December. A few weeks prior, the team bolstered its cap space by trading for 2021 Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon and re-signing tight end Dalton Schultz.

Even though Allen landed with the Chicago Bears, the Texans remained aggressive.

In early April, Houston sent a second-round pick to the Buffalo Bills for wide receiver Stefon Diggs and two draft picks. Ryans said the trio of Diggs, Dell and Collins for quarterback CJ Stroud, who led the league in yards per game (273.9) for qualified passers as a rookie, “opens the playbook for us and puts a lot of stress on the defense.”

“We want to put defenses in tough situations, and I think with these three guys it allows us to do that because they’re so different and they can all do different things,” Ryans said. “But at the end of the day, they’re all explosive finishers with the football, and that’s what makes these guys great players. They can win on third down, and they can finish and get in the end zone , and that’s what we’re looking for at all offensive skill positions.

On Day 2 of OTAs, the Texans offense showed a glimpse of what its passing attack could look like. Diggs wasn’t there, but Dell, who was shot in the leg last month in Sanford, Fla., participated without any limitations.

Dell, who had 709 receiving yards as a rookie, showed the same speed that made him a dynamic option. Stroud showed the precision that made him the Offensive Rookie of the Year with pinpoint passes to Collins, Schultz and Mixon.

Although Diggs was not present at the Texans’ second OTA, he was present at other offseason activities.

“It’s been really fun working with Diggs,” Ryans said. “You’re talking about a guy who listens, a guy who loves football. It’s been fun working with him. It’s been fun just to see the chemistry that’s starting to build in our locker room with him , our quarterback, the other receivers, offensive players, defensive players, he’s going to fit really well with what we’re doing here.”

After the trade, Ryans dismissed the idea that Diggs was in regression at this point in his career, even though he went his last 13 games — including the playoffs — without eclipsing 100 receiving yards in a game .

From Weeks 1-9, Diggs had 834 receiving yards (third in the NFL), 70 receptions (first), and 7 touchdowns (second). But from Weeks 10-18, he had 37 receptions (tied for 30th), 349 yards (59th) and 1 touchdown (tied for 94th).

“We always go back to the tape and look at a player in totality,” Ryans said. “We don’t look at that number of weeks, or those weeks, we look at the entire season. We look at the guy’s entire career, what he’s done, how productive he’s been. (dig) was an All-Pro player, he was a Pro Bowl player, passing for over 1,000 yards for several seasons. »

As the Texans enter the second year of their coach-quarterback combination, Ryans hopes the playmakers surrounding Stroud can elevate an offense ranked 13th in scoring (22.7).

Stroud and Diggs found time in the offseason to develop chemistry. Shortly after Houston traded for Diggs, Stroud led a workout with Diggs — along with players such as John Metchie III, Dell and others — in Los Angeles.

“(dig) adds a ton of value to that room,” Stroud said. “He has a lot of wisdom and I think he’ll pass that on to the other guys. He really reached out to everyone and I think this whole room in general is going to be great. I think we will all feed off each other. It’s going to be a lot of fun and a lot of excitement to work with everyone in this room, and I’m very excited for it. »