Texans don't sound like a team ready to replace Stefon Diggs for rest of season

When the Houston Texans acquired wide receiver Stefon Diggs in an offseason trade with the Buffalo Bills, they hoped he would help elevate the play of quarterback C.J. Stroud much like he did for Bills quarterback Josh Allen.

Despite not following up his stellar rookie season with an equally impressive sophomore campaign, Stroud was efficient when targeting his new veteran wideout. Through the first half of the season, Stroud completed 73 percent of his passes for a 104 passer rating when targeting Diggs.

Houston entered the 2024 season with an impressive collection of skill position players, but injuries have depleted the talented offense. Diggs suffered a season-ending torn ACL on a non-contact play during Houston's 23-20 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. Diggs grabbed his knee immediately after cutting inside on a route in the third quarter. He sat on the turf before walking off the field. Despite his early exit, Diggs led the team with five catches for 81 yards.

Texans are unlikely to trade for a wide receiver despite mounting injuries

Houston has already been without wide receiver Nico Collins, who was placed on injured reserve in Week 5 due to a hamstring injury. Without Diggs, the Texans wide receiver corps is down to its backups.

Still, Houston remains unlikely to acquire another wide receiver before the trade deadline on November 5, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.

"Diggs is an outstanding player and a loss for Houston," Breer wrote on Wednesday. "But Nico Collins is eligible to return off injured reserve next week, Tank Dell is a really good No. 2, and they have both an experienced hand (Robert Woods) and a young guy with upside (John Metchie III). I’m not really sure that an Adam Thielen or a Treylon Burks would be an upgrade, or even earn snaps over Woods and Metchie."

Collins racked up 567 receiving yards through the first six weeks and appeared to be on pace to lead the league in most major receiving categories this season. After his injury, Diggs stepped up as the No. 1 wideout in Houston's offense. His 47 catches were seventh-most in the NFL and his 496 receiving yards were second-most on the team.

While the Texans will have to work with a makeshift group for now, they should still have plenty of weapons once Collins is able to return. Second-year wide receiver Tank Dell appeared to have a great connection with Stroud before his season-ending injury in 2023. Third-year wide receiver John Metchie III is still a promising prospect, and veteran wide receiver Robert Woods provides the group with plenty of experience and leadership.

While trading for a wide receiver may be the exciting move, it may be wiser for the Texans to stick with the group of players who have developing a familiarity with Stroud and the offense this season. Houston heads into Week 9 with a 6-2 record, and their win over the Colts placed them three games ahead in the AFC South division.