Already down Nico Collins, the Houston Texans suffered another blow to their WR corps in Week 8 when Stefon Diggs went down with a non-contact knee injury. What do we know about Diggs’ injury? And now that there’s an estimate on how long he’ll be out, what does it mean for the rest of the team?
What Is Stefon Diggs’ Injury?
There’s obviously no such thing as a “good” injury in sports. But when injuries happen, the nature of how they occur affects our level of concern.
At the very top of the worst things you can see happen is a non-contact injury. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened to Diggs.
Stefon Diggs –
Hard to truly tell from this angle, but it looks like his Right knee buckles inward as he steps right near the 40.
Primary concern for ACL injury.
Hopefully he got lucky and it’s just meniscus, but by initial video is doesn’t look good. pic.twitter.com/y56c7QCKT5— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) October 27, 2024
There was no official confirmation as to the nature of Diggs’ injury on Sunday or Monday, with the Texans withholding any definitive news initially.
Nevertheless, Tuesday afternoon brought the news that many expected.
When Will Diggs Return From Injury?
ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed on Tuesday that Diggs is indeed done for the season with a torn ACL.
A big loss: Texans WR Stefon Diggs suffered a season-ending knee injury Sunday vs. the Colts. pic.twitter.com/bPfgWUpYcO
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 29, 2024
It’s entirely possible that we’ve seen the last of Diggs in a Texans uniform. The wideout re-negotiated his contract after being traded from the Buffalo Bills in the offseason and was playing 2024 on a one-year deal.
Given the timing of this injury in the middle of the season, combined with Diggs’ age of over 30, he would be fighting an uphill battle to make it back for the start of the 2025 season. That could cool his market and lead to a later agreement in free agency, likely on another one-year “prove it” deal.
As we’re seeing right now with guys like Jonathon Brooks and T.J. Hockenson, the most likely scenario would be an October return for Diggs. But, again, this is still very much in the speculation phase and does not account for how his rehab may proceed.
How Will Diggs’ Absence Impact the Texans?
The Texans have one more game until their WR1 (Collins) is expected to return. For Week 9’s Thursday night game vs. the New York Jets, Houston will have to go at it with Tank Dell as its primary receiver and a rotation of Robert Woods, Xavier Hutchinson, and John Metchie III behind him.
Regardless of their WR situation, the Texans are likely to run their offense the same way they have been for most of the season — through Joe Mixon.
The veteran running back sure doesn’t look 28 years old. Mixon is playing the best football of his career, averaging 4.9 yards per carry and 100 rushing yards per game. He’s scored a touchdown in every game he’s completed this season.
When the Texans do drop back to pass, quarterback C.J. Stroud will primarily look for Dell. It also wouldn’t be a surprise to see tight end Dalton Schultz a little more involved, at least until Collins returns in Week 10.