Texans' Stefon Diggs says CJ Stroud is “family, not just my quarterback”

HOUSTON – Star receiver Stefon Diggs said Thursday he considers quarterback CJ Stroud a “family member” as the Houston Texans duo prepares to make their debut together in Week 1 against the Indianapolis Colts.

Diggs said he is “extremely excited” for the upcoming regular season. Since the Texans signed Diggs in April, he and Stroud have spent countless hours in the offseason improving their chemistry on and off the field. The former Buffalo Bills wide receiver said his relationship with Stroud has been going since they first met at the Pro Bowl in January.

“It's been a beautiful journey,” Diggs said. “I consider him a family member, not just my quarterback. I stick with him through thick and thin. I always tell him: I'm with you when you're right and I'm with you when you're wrong.”

Stroud shares a similar sentiment regarding the bond he and Diggs have built. Throughout the offseason, the 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year taught the All-Pro receiver the Texans' playbook, even while absent from OTAs at times. The pair spent time running routes after practice in training camp to improve timing.

“It's improved drastically. I think he and I already had a natural connection on the field and we just kept building it,” Stroud said this week. “I think you saw it on the field, just rep after rep after rep. Just him and I conversing, just him and I talking about things we like, things we don't like, and just being open. It's going to continue to grow and it's going to be a special connection.”

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

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 will be the third Pro Bowl-level quarterback he has worked with in his career, and the first two times Diggs had an outstanding first season.

When the Vikings signed quarterback Kirk Cousins ​​​​for three years and $84 million in 2018, Diggs finished the season with 102 catches and 1,021 yards – the first season of his career in which he managed 100 catches and 1,000 yards. When he joined the Bills and quarterback Josh Allen in 2020, he led the league in catches (127) and yards (1,535) and was named to the All-Pro team for the first time.

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 over 4,000 yards (4,108) last season.

“I am very pleased to be working with Stefon [Diggs] to our team. I mean, when you talk about his impact, it's not just about his impact on the receivers, it's about his impact on our entire team,” said Texans coach DeMeco Ryans. “His competitive spirit that he brings every day lights the fire in our entire team. So I'm very happy with what he's done, the energy that he brings, and I'm looking forward to seeing him do it in the regular season.”