The Houston Texans rostered Stefon Diggs for one season, and it ended prematurely due to an injury. Now a member of the New England Patriots, Diggs is set for his first game against one of his former teams in the AFC Divisional Playoffs.
The four-time Pro Bowler and 2020 First Team All-Pro made it clear how he felt about his time with the Texans and his ties to the team.
Meanwhile, the Texans have spoken candidly about Diggs, as well.
Stefon Diggs Keeps It Real About Texans
GettyStefon Diggs #8 of the New England Patriots reacts against the New York Giants.
Diggs entered the league as a fifth-round draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 2015 and has also spent time with the Buffalo Bills in addition to the Texans and Patriots.
However, Diggs made it very clear that he has very few ties to the Texans now.
“No,” Diggs told reporters on January 14 when asked if he has remained in contact with any of his former Texans teammates, pausing before answering again, this time clarifying that he still talks to wide receiver Tank Dell and quarterback C.J. Stroud, who are “my dawgs.”
Fittingly, Stroud praised Diggs, while also noting that the two have remained in contact, even speaking sparingly during the season.
“Steph being there, it’s a brother of mine,” Stroud told reporters on January 14. “I haven’t talked to him in a minute. But every time I did talk to him this offseason, or a little bit this season, he raves about their organization and how they professional, make sure they’re doing things the right way. So, it’s a great organization. Also, a great coach, and what they got going on.”
C.J. Stroud Raves About Stefon Diggs
GettyC.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans on the field after defeating the Tennessee Titans.
Stroud lauded Diggs for his presence as a teammate on and off the field during his tenure with the Texans.
“Steph is one of the best teammates I ever had in my career, in my life. He’s been amazing to my life. Not just on the field, but off as well. I think he’s super teammate-oriented. He wants to be around the guys. He wants to do stuff for the guys, he wants to be one of the captains in the room. And I think–I don’t know if he’s a captain or not. I’m sure he is. But he’s one of the best teammates I’ve ever had,” Stroud said.
“He’s brought that swag there, and he got the guys rolling around him. But he’ll always be a brother of mine, always be a friend, and I’m just excited to see his career go where it’s gone. And for him to get paid like he did is dope to see. So, I think he has a lot of great ball ahead of him. But yeah, so, he’ll always be a brother of mine.”
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans also praised Diggs.
“Steph has done a great job there in New England, making some plays for them. Being very quarterback-friendly, which Steph has done his entire career. Running a lot of option-choice routes,” Ryans said on Wednesday.
“He’s very explosive after he catches the football. So, another guy we got to make sure we have eyes on, and make sure we’re doing a great job of tackling and covering him really well.”
Stefon Diggs Praises Texans’ Defense
GettyDerek Stingley Jr. #24 of the Houston Texans runs onto the field before a game against the between Jacksonville Jaguars.
Diggs, who had a bounce-back regular season with over 1,000 receiving yards, knows he and the Patriots’ passing attack face a stiff task against the Texans’ defense.
“That’s going to be the best defense we’ve seen,” Diggs said. “All around, just a good ass football team. It’s going to be, definitely, a task for us. A challenge that I know we all look forward to.
“They got a knack for the ball from the top to bottom, from the corners to the safeties. I spent some time there myself. So, I’m a little bit familiar with those guys. I wouldn’t say I know them like the back of my hand. But they just aggressive. They play the ball when they see it, and they just good DBs.”
The Texans boasted the No. 1 overall defense in the NFL during the regular season.
They are facing a similarly ranked offense in the Patriots, and Diggs’ knowledge could prove impactful on more than one occasion if the Texans cannot get to quarterback Drake Maye.
Sibling Rivalry
GettyNew England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels reacts after a game against the Atlanta Falcons.
Diggs also gave some insight into playing for Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Texans wide receivers coach and offensive passing game coordinator Ben McDaniels.
“They’re a lot similar, in regards to how you work and the time that you put in, and how serious they take it. They love football. I can tell it’s a little brother rivalry there. We’ll see how Sunday goes, if they throw the gloves off or something– don’t talk to each other,” Diggs said.
“They definitely have a lot of similarities on how they approach the game and how serious they are, and I appreciated my time in Houston. He’s somebody that I actually got a lot of respect for. Spent a lot of time with him. Learned a lot, how they do things, and this kind of thing. So, it was–I had a good time there. But they still–I think they got the older, little brother thing. So, we’ll see how it goes.”
Per Vegas Insider on January 15, Diggs and the Patriots are 3-point favorites over the Texans.
