CJ Stroud has a new weapon in the arsenal with the Houston Texans completing a trade to acquire Stefon Diggs.

The final details of the trade involve Houston sending a 2025 2nd-round pick to the Buffalo Bills. In return, Houston receives the 2-time All-Pro receiver, a 2024 6th-round pick and a 2025 5th-round pick.

Diggs is far from the only player Houston has added in a busy offseason for the Texans. The team also added Joe Mixon to improve the running game and added some impressive pieces on defense.

With Stroud under center, it’s clear the Texans are staking their claim as a team going for it in hopes of seriously contending in a talent-rich AFC currently dominated by Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Fans can check out the latest Super Bowl odds via DraftKings.

Reaction to the move

Coming off an electric rookie season, Stroud has given the Texans plenty of reasons to be aggressive in their roster construction. Too often, the quarterback position weighs on teams and organizations, but Stroud is the rare top performer right out of the gate.

Sure, Stroud had some learning moments and poor performances as a rookie, but he did not experience the type of steep growing pains many other players wrestle with. He shattered records and was an efficient distributor of the ball, rightly giving Houston the impression that the franchise has their cornerstone QB for the foreseeable future.

Now, the addition of Diggs makes the Texans “one of the teams you’re going to have to reckon with” says ESPN’s Damien Woody.

“CJ Stroud comes in and arguably has the best rookie season at the QB position in NFL history,” said Woody. “When you hit on that, it’s literally time to say ‘Okay, it’s time to push all our chips in right.’ … You can make an argument Stroud is a top-5 QB in the NFL right now.”

Meanwhile, Pat McAfee admitted he was ticked off by the Texans acquiring Diggs, but not for the reasons you might expect. A former player for the Indianapolis Colts (one of McAfee’s former teams and an AFC South rival of the Texans), McAfee is upset that Houston appears to be a team on the rise and getting better with Diggs.

“They’ve got weapons, they’ve got culture, they’ve got a team. And now they’ve got another No. 1 wide receiver,” said McAfee.

As for the impact of Diggs on Stroud, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith sees it as a major one for the young QB. Already a dynamic passer and leader in the NFL, Smith believes Diggs will only elevate Stroud even further with the Texans.

“CJ Stroud is an absolute stud,” said Smith. “This brother can ball, he’s something special… This offense is going to be more prolific as a result (of Diggs)… He is a difference-maker and a game-changer, and now he’s going to Houston. Wherever he goes, QBs look better, and CJ Stroud was looking big-time without him.”

In 4 years with the Buffalo Bills, Diggs was a 2-time All-Pro (including a 1st-team nod in 2020) and recorded over 5,300 receiving yards with 37 touchdowns. Now, he joins a Houston offense that also includes Nico Collins and Tank Dell with Stroud to direct it all.