The Houston Texans can’t seem to avoid wide receiver injuries. Last year, Tank Dell went down in Week 13 with a broken leg. This year, Nico Collins missed five games due to a hamstring injury.
And then there’s Stefon Diggs, who suffered a non-contact injury during Houston’s Week 8 win over the Indianapolis Colts. What is the nature of Diggs’ injury, and how long will he be out?
What Is Stefon Diggs’ Injury?
A non-contact injury is one of the scarier sights to witness in terms of football injuries, as it often means a severe problem. Every now and then it turns out to not be a big deal. Unfortunately, this wasn’t one of those times.
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
The Texans were suspiciously quiet about Diggs’ injury for a couple of days, leading to hope that this could be a less serious outcome upon further testing. However, the Tuesday after the Indianapolis Colts game in which he suffered his injury, reports confirmed that Diggs tore his ACL. That ends his first and perhaps only season in Houston and puts his status for Week 1 of the 2025 season in doubt.
Before getting hurt, Diggs averaged 5.8 receptions and 62 yards per game. He posted three receiving touchdowns and one rushing TD while totaling 47 catches for 496 yards.
When Will Diggs Return From Injury?
Given how far into the season Diggs’ injury occurred, it will be challenging for him to recover in time to make it back for the 2025 season opener. The general timeline for return to play is 9-12 months. With ACL tears, players aren’t truly back to their pre-injury selves until the following season.
For a point of comparison, 28-year-old Kendrick Bourne tore his ACL in Week 8 of the 2023 season for the New England Patriots. Bourne remained on the PUP list to begin the 2024 season and did not debut until Week 5.
Every player is different, so that doesn’t mean Diggs is guaranteed to be out until October. But while we’ve seen players thrive after returning quickly from ACL tear, they are almost exclusively on the younger side.
SEE MORE: NFL Injury Report
Diggs will turn 31 in November and will be closer to his 32nd birthday by the time he can play again. Sadly, there’s no guarantee we ever see an effective Diggs again.
Before this season, Diggs spent four years with the Buffalo Bills, reaching the Pro Bowl all four seasons. In 2020, his first year with the team, Diggs led the NFL with 127 receptions and 1,535 yards while earning the only First-Team All-Pro selection of his career.
The Bills traded Diggs to the Texans last offseason. He restructured his deal after the trade, eliminating the final three years of his extension from Buffalo and agreeing to play on a one-year deal with Houston. Thus, when the new NFL league year begins in March 2025, Diggs will be an unrestricted free agent.
How Has Diggs’ Absence Impacted the Texans?
Due to the Diggs and Collins injuries, Houston’s passing game didn’t meet expectations in the first half of the season. That should change going forward with Collins’ return to the field in Week 11, but the Texans will struggle to replace Diggs, one of the NFL’s best and most versatile route runners.
The Texans went 0-2 during their stretch without both Collins and Diggs, suffering losses to the New York Jets and Detroit Lions in Weeks 9 and 10, respectively. Stroud threw for just 191 yards and zero TDs against the Jets and committed two interceptions against the Lions. Dell broke out for 126 yards against New York but was held in check by Detroit.
Ultimately, fans should withhold judgment until seeing what this offense looks like when Collins is back to full strength. He’s one of the best receivers in the game and is the top downfield threat in Houston’s offense. He was also Stroud’s security blanket under pressure, an area that has dogged the Texans quarterback over the past month.
Aside from Collins and Dell, expect QB C.J. Stroud to rely a little more on TE Dalton Schultz, who has seen his two highest receiving yardage totals this season come since Week 8. Robert Woods, Xavier Hutchinson, and John Metchie III round out the WRs behind Dell.