The ripple effects of the Stefon Diggs trade could be massive in Houston.
Not only will the Texans bring on one of the most productive receivers in the past six seasons, but Diggs will be added to an already-ascendant offense with offensive coordinator Bobbly Slowik leading the charge for quarterback C.J. Stroud. Diggs should immediately fill in as Houston's top pass-catcher in the middle of the field, while Nico Collins and Tank Dell will serve as outside threats with tight end Dalton Schultz as a safety net.
While there are a lot of winners of the trade on the Texans' side, there are those on the team who won't benefit from the addition of Diggs. Here are the top winners and losers for Houston following the Diggs from Buffalo.
Winner: QB C.J. Stroud
It's not every day that your employer makes your job easier, but that's exactly what general manager Nick Caserio did when he delivered Diggs to his second-year quarterback. Stroud proved in his rookie year that he can perform without star power on offense after he won Offensive Rookie of the Year, but now he gets an upgrade at wideout.
Diggs is a productive veteran who is durable and consistent on the field. While his numbers dipped a bit in 2023, he still finished with more than 1,000 receiving yards and 100 receptions for a fourth consecutive season. As Diggs' younger brother, Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs, put it, the Texans have three No. 1 targets on the offense for Stroud.
Loser: WR John Metchie III
The player most negatively affected by the Diggs trade is third-year wide receiver John Metchie III. He missed his entire rookie season while he battled leukemia and made an incredible return to the field in 2023. While Metchie played in 16 games, he only saw 30 targets and caught 16 for 158 yards and no touchdowns with three drops.
Diggs will become at worst the third-most targeted player on the Chiefs, which pushes the rest of the depth chart down. Metchie already had to contend with Robert Woods, Noah Brown and Xavier Hutchinson for targets behind Collins, Dell and Schultz. The addition of Diggs makes Metchie expendable considering his age and experience.
That isn't to say the Texans will release him, but he could be a trade chip for another club looking for a young and fast wideout.
Winner: WR Stefon Diggs
This is another fresh start for Diggs after his five years with the Vikings and four years with the Bills. And it was necessary. Diggs finished with his standard 100 receptions for 1,000 yards but averaged just five receptions for 51 yards per game in the final 13 games of the 2023 season.
Part of that was because he was the only reliable pass-catcher in Buffalo and the offense as a whole took a step back. Now, Diggs joins an offense that put up phenomenal numbers with a first-year coordinator in Slowik, a first-year quarterback in Stroud and two young receivers in Collins and Dell.
Diggs will be the top target, but he won't command the type of defensive coverages he saw when he was on the Bills.
Loser: WR Nico Collins
All this talk about Collins being one of three No. 1 receiving options for Stroud is all well and good, but there's also a chance Diggs hurts Collins' production in 2024.
Collins broke out with his first 1,000-yard receiving season after two injury-plagued years of fewer than 40 receptions for 500 yards. That's great and a sign of Collins' development and ability as a No. 1 target. However, Diggs could steal and even command a lot of targets that would normally have gone Collins' way.
The other concern here is Collins' impending contract extension and future with the team. Houston may not be able to pay Collins what he wants and could instead look to move him elsewhere sooner rather than later. Collins is in a great situation with Stroud under center in the Texans offense, but he might not be in the team's plans for much longer with Diggs in tow.
Winner: RB Joe Mixon
Mixon has seen this script before. The Bengals had two No. 1-caliber players on offense in Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins with a quality receiver in Tyler Boyd as well. That meant defenses were forced to spread themselves out to cover the pass and leave fewer linebackers in the middle of the field where Mixon could enjoy easier matchups.
The running back saw stacked boxes (at least eight defenders immediately behind the defensive line) on just 13.6% and 14.8% of his snaps over the past two seasons, according to FTN Data. That was among the lowest in the league. And while that would normally be the good news for a running back, the bad news was that Mixon didn't capitalize on these situations. He averaged just 4.0 yards per carry since 2022, which ranked ninth out of 13th running backs with at least 400 carries over the past two seasons.
The hope for Mixon is that will change in 2024 in Houston with a good offensive line, Stroud under center, three great receivers and Slowik at the controls.
Winner: OC Bobby Slowik
Slowik was a head coaching candidate after his first season as offensive coordinator and very well could be again after 2024. He now has a better offense than he did in 2023 with Diggs as his star receiver for Stroud and a quality veteran running back as well.
The Texans' offense looked good this past season but had obvious deficiencies. Wide depth was perhaps the biggest issue considering the injuries that befell the team. Slowik proved effective despite those flaws to power Stroud and the team to the postseason, and now he won't need to do much more than let his stars play in 2024.
