Stefon Diggs Rumors: Texans Aren't Concerned WR May Have Lost Speed Since Bills Stint

The Houston Texans aren't overly worried if wide receiver Stefon Diggs is beginning to lose a step compared to his prime years with the Buffalo Bills, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

"Talking to people around the league, they believe they're going to have one of the best three-receiver sets in the NFL, along with Tank Dell and Nico Collins," Fowler reported Sunday on SportsCenter.

"The feeling is that Diggs' vertical speed might have fallen off a little bit when he was in Buffalo but that's okay because Houston needs him as that savvy route-runner that's going to win in the intermediate range of the field. They have the younger guys that can go deep."

Diggs' 11.1 yards per reception in 2023 were his lowest since 2018 and more than a full yard below his career average (12.3).

NFL's Next Gen Stats tell a similar story. Average target air yards measure how far a wideout is down the field when the ball arrives. Diggs had 10.1 average targeted air yards last season, below the standard he set in 2021 and 2022 (11.6).

As Fowler said, however, the Texans will have the luxury of not necessarily needing Diggs to occupy the kind of role he did with the Bills and Minnesota Vikings before that.

Collins and Noah Brown both finished among the top seven players in yards per catch, and Dell was just as effective on deeper throws. His 15.1 yards per reception matched that of Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill.

As a result, Diggs will probably be working over the middle more than he ever has.

That's less than ideal for the 30-year-old when he's due to be a free agent in 2025, but any team success Houston enjoys may help to make up for any dip in his individual production.