The Houston Texans had Super Bowl aspirations at the start of this season. That was driven not only by their surprising AFC South title in 2023, but by their blockbuster acquisition of wide receiver Stefon Diggs from the Buffalo Bills.
But now Diggs is out for the season following a torn ACL in Week 8, taking that chip off the table. With Houston’s offense sputtering in recent weeks, who are some wide receivers the Texans could target to help C.J. Stroud before the Nov. 5 trade deadline?
Mike Williams
The New York Jets wideout is perhaps the most obvious trade target at the position. Mike Williams never fit well with Aaron Rodgers, and with Davante Adams’ arrival, Williams has largely been marginalized. He has 11 receptions for 160 yards on the season and is still seeking his first touchdown.
Williams would occupy a true X-receiver role in Houston’s offense. It wouldn’t be the cleanest fit, given that both Nico Collins and Tank Dell have played the majority of their snaps on the perimeter, but it could be a cheap alternative to build some depth.
Joshua Palmer
Joshua Palmer looked like an ascending star in 2022 when he had 72 receptions for 769 yards as a second-year pro. But his production hasn’t climbed since, and despite a young Los Angeles Chargers receiving corps this season, Palmer has just 15 catches for 243 yards (40.5 receiving yards per game).
One area Palmer does bring is explosiveness, as he’s averaging 16.2 yards per reception. Only Collins (17.7) has a higher yards-per-catch average on the Texans roster. C.J. Stroud ranks 23rd in percentage of completions that have gained 20+ yards (11.9%), so he could use another big-play threat to open up the offense.
Jerry Jeudy
The Cleveland Browns already traded one starting wide receiver, shipping Amari Cooper to Buffalo. Jerry Jeudy could follow him next, with Cleveland still playing for draft position at 2-6 despite winning Jameis Winston’s first start.
Cooper fetched a third-round pick and a seventh-rounder from Buffalo, with a sixth-rounder going back. While Jeudy is not the same caliber of receiver, he is under team control after signing a three-year, $52 million deal with the Browns in the offseason. That could lead to a similar return as Cooper, who will be a free agent after 2024.
Jeudy would also be a cleaner fit in Houston. Only 32% of his routes have come from the slot this season, but that figure was at 48.5% during his four seasons with the Denver Broncos.
Diggs has been Houston’s primary slot receiver this year, running a team-high 46% of his routes from the slot.
Kendrick Bourne
New England Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne has been quiet in four games since making his season debut after a 2023 torn ACL. Bourne has just four catches for 29 yards in 2024 and has played 27.4% of the offensive snaps for a rebuilding club choosing to lean on some of its younger pass catchers.
Kendrick Bourne was glad to get a win, but clearly wasn’t happy with his performance today.
“I hated that game. I just played so bad.” https://t.co/6o1O1zVFx5 pic.twitter.com/fuQKtz9ZiM
— Nicole Menner (@NicoleMenner) October 27, 2024
Bourne does have a reputation as one of the more efficient route runners in recent years, though. During his first three seasons with the Patriots (2021-23), he averaged 1.76 yards per route run, which ranks in the top quartile of receivers in that span.
For context, the receivers directly in front of Bourne are Terry McLaurin (1.80) and Chris Godwin (1.85). If Bourne looks healthier in his last game before the trade deadline vs. the Tennessee Titans, he might be worth a late-round flier for Houston.
Darius Slayton
Darius Slayton seemingly gets penciled into the New York Giants training camp roster bubble discussion every summer, only to emerge as an important part of the offense.
Slayton has actually taken a step forward production-wise, despite the emergence of rookie sensation Malik Nabers. Last season, Slayton led the Giants with 770 receiving yards. This season, he has 29 receptions for 440 yards, a career-high average of 52.5 receiving yards per game.
Slayton is in the final year of his rookie deal, which should make for a cheap trade cost. With Diggs also set to hit free agency after this year, the Texans could use the second half of the season as an audition for Slayton to potentially earn a role in the offense beyond this season.