Texans’ Stefon Diggs says CJ Stroud ‘is family, not just my QB’

HOUSTON — Star receiver Stefon Diggs said Thursday he considers quarterback C.J. Stroud “family” as the Houston Texans duo prepares for their Week 1 debut together against the Indianapolis Colts.

Diggs said he’s “extremely excited” for the regular season to begin. Since the Texans traded Diggs in April, he and Stroud have spent countless hours in the offseason building their chemistry on and off the field. The former Buffalo Bills wideout said his relationship with Stroud dates back to when they first met at the Pro Bowl in January.

“It’s been a beautiful road,” Diggs said. “I look at him as family, not just my quarterback. I rock with him through thick and thin. I always tell him I’m with you when you’re right, I’m with you when you’re wrong.”

Stroud shares a similar sentiment regarding the connection he and Diggs have created. Throughout the offseason, the 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year has helped the All-Pro receiver learn the Texans’ playbook, even when he was absent at times during OTAs. The pair spent time running routes after practice in training camp to build timing.

“It’s improved dramatically. I think he and I already had a natural connection on the field and we just built it and built it and built it,” Stroud said this week. “I think you saw it on the field, just rep after rep after rep. Just me and him having a conversation, just me and him talking about things we like, things we don’t like and just being transparent. It’s going to continue to grow and it’s going to be a special connection.”

Stroud and Diggs were named two of the Texans’ seven captains for the season this week.

The Texans are the third team Diggs has played for in his 10-year career, following a four-year stint with the Bills (2020-2023) and a five-year stint with the Minnesota Vikings after being drafted in 2015. Stroud becomes the third Pro Bowl-level quarterback he has worked with in his career, and the first two times Diggs has had standout freshmen seasons.

When the Vikings gave quarterback Kirk Cousins ​​a three-year, $84 million contract in 2018, Diggs finished with 102 catches and 1,021 yards for his first 100-catch, 1,000-yard season of his career. When he joined the Bills and quarterback Josh Allen in 2020, he led the league in catches (127) and yards (1,535) and earned his first All-Pro nod.

Since 2020, Diggs ranks first in receptions (445), fourth in touchdowns (37) and fourth in receiving yards (5,372). So the Stroud-Diggs combination is expected to excel after the former No. 2 pick led the league in passing yards per game (274) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (23-5) and became the fifth rookie to throw for 4,000+ yards last season (4,108).

“I’m really excited to add Stefon (Diggs) to our team. I mean, when you talk about his impact, it’s not just his impact on the receivers, it’s just his impact on our entire team,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “His competitive spirit, what he brings every day, the fire in our entire team. So I’m really pleased with what he’s done, the energy that he brings, and I’m excited to see him do it in the regular season.”