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 has been out for the past three weeks (including tonight) with a strained hamstring.
Most recently, Houston lost Stefon Diggs to a non-contact knee injury. What is the nature of Diggs’ injury, and how long will he be out?
What Is Stefon Diggs’ Injury?
Whenever we see a player go down with a non-contact injury, we fear the worst. Every so often, our worst fears are not realized. Unfortunately, this is not 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 good doctors of Twitter were not wrong on this one. Although it took a couple of days for the Texans to confirm it, Diggs did tear his ACL, ending his season, and putting his status for Week 1 of the 2025 season in serious doubt.
Prior to getting hurt, Diggs was averaging 5.8 receptions and 62 yards per game. He had three receiving touchdowns and one rushing TD on the season.
When Will Diggs Return From Injury?
Given how far into the season Diggs’ injury occurred, it will be a challenge for him to recover in time to make it back for opening day in 2025. The general timeline for return to play is 9-12 months. As we well know with ACL tears, players aren’t truly back to their pre-injury selves until the following year.
We’ve seen players have success returning quickly from ACL tears. However, those players are almost exclusively on the younger side.
Diggs will turn 31 in November and will be closer to his 32nd birthday by the time he is able to play again. Sadly, there’s no guarantee we ever see an effective Diggs again.
Prior to this season, Diggs spent four years with the Buffalo Bills. He made 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. He made first-team all-pro for what will undoubtedly be the only time in his career.
The Bills traded Diggs to the Texans earlier this year. He previously signed a four-year contract with the Buffalo Bills, a contract that expires at the end of this season. Thus, when the new NFL season begins in March, Diggs will be an unrestricted free agent.
How Will Diggs’ Absence Impact the Texans?
The Texans’ passing game hasn’t been nearly as prolific as it was last year. When healthy, Joe Mixon has been the centerpiece of this offense. The team has become even more reliant on Mixon with Collins out.
Even though Diggs clearly wasn’t the same player he was during his prime in Buffalo, he was still very effective on short and intermediate throws. Losing him presents a serious problem, especially with Collins still a week away from returning.
Dell will take over as the WR1, but he hasn’t played anywhere near the level he did as a rookie. His 1.1 yards per route run is a far cry from the impressive 2.36 he averaged as a rookie.
Last year, Dell suffered a broken fibula in Week 13. It’s the same injury that befell Tony Pollard the year prior, and the former Dallas Cowboys and current Tennessee Titans RB really struggled in his first year back.
Hopefully, Dell will be able to get back to his rookie-year form soon because the Texans need him. Aside from Dell, expect QB C.J. Stroud to rely a little more on TE Dalton Schultz, who is the team’s second-most reliable pass catcher at the moment. Robert Woods, Xavier Hutchinson, and John Metchie III round out the WRs behind Dell.