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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Paul Bretl

Colts now have to contend with WR Stefon Diggs in division

There’s never a dull moment in the NFL, and the Colts will feel the ramifications of the latest blockbuster move.

According to Adam Schefter, the Buffalo Bills have traded wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans. In return, the Texans will send their 2025 second-round pick to Buffalo.

Diggs has been one of the most productive receivers in the NFL for a number of years now, and was a key member of the Bills’ offense for the last four seasons. During that four-season span, Diggs averaged 176 targets per year and 1,493 yards each season, including 1,846 in 2020, while totaling 39 touchdowns. He has eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark every year since 2017.

Last season, the Texans offense ranked 13th in points per game with 22.7, including five games where they surpassed 30 points, along with CJ Stroud ranking fourth in yards per pass attempt at 7.8.

Diggs is joining a pass-catching unit made up of Nico Collins, who totaled 1,461 yards in 2023. Tight end Dalton Schultz would rank 11th among tight ends in receiving yards, along with Houston also having Tank Dell, Noah Brown, and Robert Woods at receiver.

The Colts just re-signed Julian Blackmon to help bolster their safety position, but the secondary remains a bit of an unknown for this defense.

Kenny Moore will again handle the nickel duties, but on the boundary are three young cornerbacks in Dallis Flowers, Jaylon Jones, and JuJu Brents. The safety position was at times vulnerable last season with either Nick Cross or Rodney Thomas often manning the free safety role.

As ESPN’s Stephen Holder noted in a recent article, with the playoffs on the line for the Colts over that final month of the season, the secondary allowed a completion rate of 68 percent, which ranked 30th, while explosive pass plays were an issue for much of the year, especially in the season finale against Houston.

Some good news for the Colts is that this is a very deep cornerback class, which should provide them with the opportunity to hopefully find some immediate help.

They’ve also built a robust interior defensive line that is going to have to play a key role in getting after Stroud and other opposing quarterbacks.

But nonetheless, an already difficult divisional opponent in the Texans just got a lot better.

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