The economics of the present NFL have supplied groups with one pathway in the direction of prompt success:
Draft a rookie quarterback, hope he has success, and use the rookie-contract window to construct round them.
The mannequin was supplied by the Seattle Seahawks as they constructed round Russell Wilson in his early years, assembling a staff that included the “Legion of Increase” on protection en path to a Tremendous Bowl title. In recent times various groups have superior to the Tremendous Bowl with quarterbacks on rookie offers, together with the Philadelphia Eagles with Jalen Hurts, the Cincinnati Bengals with Joe Burrow, and the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs with Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes, Hurts, and Burrow have since signed long-term offers, however the level stays.
The newest staff to observe this pattern? The Houston Texans, who on Wednesday made a surprising transfer in buying and selling for Stefon Diggs, a transfer that not solely offers second-year passer C.J. Stroud one other goal within the passing recreation, however cements the Texans because the winners of the offseason.
Think about what the Texans have completed to this point this spring.
The primary massive transfer was signing cross rusher Danielle Hunter to a two-year deal value as much as $49 million. That could be a hefty price ticket for a veteran cross rusher, however think about the truth that Hunter can be paired with one other second-year participant, Will Anderson Jr., for these two seasons. These bookend cross rushers will give DeMeco Ryans lots of choices to assault the opposing passer these subsequent two years.
Plus, the 2 12 months deal ends proper across the time Houston must think about a long-term extension for Stroud.
However Hunter was not the one massive addition for the Texans, and never the one addition on the sting. Houston additionally added Denico Autry in free company on one other two-year deal, giving the protection one other presence off the sting. Between Autry and Hunter, the Texans added 30 sacks from a season in the past.
Past the duo of cross rushers, Houston additionally added defensive tackles Foley Fatukasi and Tim Settle, linebackers Azeez Al-Shaair — who performed for Ryans in San Francisco — and Del’Shawn Phillips, cornerbacks Jeff Okudah (a former first-round choice himself) and Mike Ford, and security Lonnie Johnson Jr.
On the offensive facet of the soccer, the most important transfer was including Joe Mixon through a commerce. Houston acquired the 27-year-old working again for a seventh-round choose.
Final season Mixon was eighth within the NFL with 1,034 dashing yards, and tied for ninth within the league with 9 dashing touchdowns.
Additionally, think about who the Texans had been in a position to re-sign over the previous month. Numerous their key contributors had been set to hit free company, reminiscent of tight finish Dalton Schultz, defensive deal with Khalil Davis, and vast receiver Noah Brown, however all three gamers are headed again to Houston.
Schultz’s return specifically is vital, as he developed an early chemistry with the rookie passer a season in the past. Schultz caught 59 passes for 635 yards and 5 touchdowns a season in the past, and was second on the staff with 88 targets, behind solely Nico Collins.
All of those strikes led many to view the Texans because the winners of the offseason, and all of these strikes occurred earlier than at present.
Now we get to Diggs.
Within the coming days a lot can be written and mentioned in regards to the finish of his time in Buffalo with the Payments. Leaving that to the facet for the second, Diggs now will get paired with Stroud, and the Texans will hope he may have the identical impression on the younger quarterback as Diggs did in Buffalo, when he helped Josh Allen’s improvement into the quarterback he’s at present. In his first 12 months in Buffalo, the 2020 marketing campaign, Diggs caught 127 passes for 1,535 yards and eight touchdowns, with the receptions and yardage numbers nonetheless representing profession highs. Buffalo received the AFC East, that season, and superior to the AFC Championship Sport earlier than falling to the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs.
For his half Allen additionally loved a bounce in manufacturing, throwing for over 4,000 yards for the primary time in his profession. Allen completed the season having accomplished 69.2% of his passes (which remains to be a career-best mark) for 4,544 yards and 37 touchdowns.
Each of these additionally stay career-high numbers.
Allen additionally completed second in MVP voting — his greatest end ever — and was a second-team All-Professional choice.
As for a way Diggs will match into the Houston offense, with the expertise round him, defenses will face some tough choices. He’ll slide into a large receiver room that already incorporates Collins, Brown, Robert Woods, John Metchie III, and one other second-year participant in Tank Dell who had his personal chemistry with Stroud. The truth is, Stroud himself lobbied for the staff to draft Dell to start with, a request that paid off to the tune of 47 receptions for 709 yards and 7 touchdowns, earlier than Dell suffered a season-ending harm.
Whereas it’s true that Diggs noticed his numbers decline after a robust begin to 2023 — after eclipsing 100 receiving yards in 5 of Buffalo’s first six video games final 12 months he didn’t hit that mark once more — with that type of expertise round him, Diggs may see lots of one-on-one alternatives. That would open the door to a different massive season for him, on par with how his 2023 started.
Even earlier than this commerce, the Texans had been seen because the winners of the offseason.
However with this addition — and the hopes that Stroud may see an analogous bounce in manufacturing as Allen did when Diggs arrived in Buffalo — the Texans solidified that victory.
Ought to this transfer pan out over the autumn? The Texans may win one thing larger than an offseason title.
They could win a title that actually issues.
