The Houston Texans' win over the rival Indianapolis Colts on Sunday came at a significant cost.
Veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs will miss the rest of the 2024 season after suffering a torn ACL, head coach DeMeco Ryans announced on Tuesday. Houston later placed Diggs on injured reserve.
Diggs went down with a non-contact knee injury late in the third quarter on Sunday and did not return. At the time of his injury, Diggs led the Texans with nine targets, five receptions and 81 receiving yards.
The Texans swung a blockbuster deal in April to add Diggs to an up-and-coming offense led by second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud, sending a 2025 second-round draft pick to the Buffalo Bills in return.
Houston reworked Diggs' contract following the trade, clearing his path to free agency in March 2025 in a move to potentially capitalize on a motivated Diggs in a contract year. Diggs rewarded that investment through the first eight weeks of the season, catching at least five passes in all but one game while also shouldering the load as the team's No. 1 option following Nico Collins' hamstring injury.
Diggs' season-ending injury dashes any hope the Texans had of pairing the four-time Pro Bowl WR with a potentially healthy Collins (who is eligible to come off injured reserve next week) for the season's stretch run.
"It sucks," Stroud said on Tuesday following the news of Diggs' injury. "It’s not easy, it’s not something that I just have a bunch of words for. … I just really feel bad for him. He’s worked extremely hard. I think he was having one of the best times he’s ever had on a team, at least that’s what he’s told us. I just feel for him and praying for him. Hoping he keeps his head up high and know he’ll bounce back even stronger."
The 6-2 Texans will now rely more on second-year wide receiver Tank Dell, tight end Dalton Schultz and running back Joe Mixon as they look to keep pace in a competitive AFC.