Insider reveals how Stefon Diggs is different with Texans

Following a rather tumultuous final year with the Buffalo Bills, star wide receiver Stefon Diggs joined the Houston Texans via a trade this past April.

It's still early into Diggs' latest football-related marriage, but things seem to be going well for everyone involved.

"I’ve covered Diggs going back to his time at the University of Maryland, and I can say that, when we met up on Monday, he was the happiest I’ve ever seen him," NFL insider Dianna Russini of The Athletic said for a piece published Friday. "He realizes that, at age 30, he has to be a leader on this team."

Diggs was the subject of numerous trade rumors from the time he seemed to confront quarterback Josh Allen during Buffalo's home playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in January 2023 through much of last summer. The two seemed to begin the 2023 season on the same page, but Diggs then failed to record a single touchdown after Week 12. His costly fourth-quarter drop in the postseason loss to the Kansas City Chiefs this past January will likely go down as the final memorable moment of his Bills tenure.

Diggs is now part of a Houston team that is a media darling heading into the upcoming campaign. As of Friday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Texans fifth among the betting favorites at +850 odds to represent the AFC in Super Bowl LIX.

"I was told by multiple people that Diggs is also getting along great with the coaching staff," Russini continued. "Receivers coach Ben McDaniels emphasized that he has been a vocal leader in what McDaniels describes as a 'professional' receivers room."

Such comments mean little in August when the games don't matter and when big-name talents such as Diggs care little about the targets they see during summer practices. With that said, Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans insisted he's "not worried about (Diggs) one bit" and has "never had issues with players when it comes to" possibly becoming locker-room problems.

Houston was one of the positive surprises of last season and could win more than just a single playoff game this coming January if Diggs is as good or even better than advertised. Of course, it remains to be seen if individuals such as Ryans, McDaniels and second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud can keep Diggs happy through the types of ups and downs every team experiences during a grueling campaign.