Will newly-acquired Stefon Diggs be difficult for Texans? ESPN insider gives insight on WR's past

Thursday, April 4, 2024

Is Stefon Diggs a locker-room diva? ESPN's Dan Graziano gives insight into the star receiver after the Texans acquired him in a trade with Buffalo.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- On Wednesday, the Texans traded for one of the top receivers in the NFL, but did they also acquire a headache by landing Stefon Diggs?

Occasional stirs and sideline outbursts have caused some to label Diggs' personality as mercurial as he's appeared to wear out his welcome in both Minnesota and Buffalo, the only two teams for which he's played. ABC13 asked ESPN NFL Insider Dan Graziano what type of locker room presence the Texans are getting in the four-time Pro Bowl receiver.

"Early in his career with the Vikings and early in his career with the Bills, there were never any issues," Graziano noted. "He was happy to be there and incredibly productive in both of those situations. Now, it got to a point in Minnesota where he was unhappy about his contract, and he makes these things clear publicly, and, sometimes, every now and then, he'll throw a fit in the building and storm out. That got him traded to Buffalo, where he was a solid citizen and an excellent player for a number of years. Then it got to a point where he was unhappy with his role in the offense, and then he started letting that be known publicly on social media. And it got to a point where he had worn out his welcome in Buffalo."

Diggs is one of only two receivers in the NFL selected to the Pro Bowl, the NFL's annual All-Star event, each of the past four seasons. Superstar Tyreek Hill is the other.

"If the pattern holds, and I have no reason to think it won't, he should be fine in Houston, especially early on. He'll be happy to be getting a fresh start," Graziano stated.

Bills general manager Brandon Beane declined to get in-depth behind the reasons for making the trade, saying the decision to do so was difficult and done after he consulted with team owner Terry Pegula. Beane acknowledged the trade doesn't make the Bills better immediately but does provide future benefits by freeing Diggs' salary from the team's payroll after this season.

"I also think it's important for people to know that in spite of anything he might have said on social media, and any conversations he might have had with the coaches and storming out of minicamp and all that kind of stuff, Diggs was not a disruptive locker room presence," Graziano, who said he was around the Bills much of the latter part of last season, noted. "He would make it clear to the coaching staff that he'd like to do more, but he was not a problem with teammates or anything like that. So I think those concerns, if Texans fans have them, are probably a little overblown."

The Texans acquired Diggs, Buffalo's sixth-round pick in this year's draft, and a Bills fifth-rounder in 2025, in exchange for a Houston second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

For more sports news, follow Adam Winkler on Facebook, X and Instagram.