When the Houston Texans traded for superstar wide receiver Stefon Diggs, we immediately assumed that he would join the team’s depth chart at the very top. Some NFL analysts believed that Nico Collins would still be the preferred choice for rising franchise quarterback C.J. Stroud after getting over 100 targets last year.
This battle has yet to be decided in any official capacity. However, so far at training camp (eight practices are in the books) Diggs has been the team’s top receiver. This is according to ESPN’s Texans beat reporter DJ Bien-Aime. He says Diggs leads the team in targets and catches, followed by Collins and then Tank Dell.
Through 8 practices of #Texans training camp, it appears Stefon Diggs is the No. 1 right now.
In terms of targets and catches throughout camp Diggs leads in all of it.
Second in targets is Nico Collins then Tank Dell.
We’ll see if anything changes.
— DJ Bien-Aime (@Djbienaime) July 27, 2024
As impressive as Collins was in his breakout 2023 season, this is the right way to go. Diggs is simply too skilled to play second-fiddle to all but a handful of receivers around the league and none of them are on this team.
That threesome at the top of Diggs, Collins and Dell have gotten the most attention, but this receiver corps is strong on the bottom end, too. John Metchie III, Noah Brown and Ben Skowronek have all impressed observers over the last few days by making some spectacular catches. The Seattle Seahawks may have something to say about it, but according to ESPN this is the best wide receiver room in the NFL this year.
Those aren’t the only weapons Stroud will have at his disposal, either. He also has a high-quality pass catching tight end in Dalton Schultz, who posted over 600 yards and five touchdowns last season. The Texans have also added Joe Mixon, who’s an accomplished pass-catching running back. He totaled 376 yards and three scores as a receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals last season.
Mixon, Schultz and the top three wide receiver trio consist of a five-headed monster, as Stroud put it last week. If you add up all their production from the 2023 campaign on their respective teams they totaled 4,200 yards and 31 touchdowns.
