‘We have a lot of horses in the stable,’ Texans’ Stefon Diggs a focal point in matchup with Patriots, Christian Gonzalez

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Stefon Diggs has been in this position so many times before, carrying a wealth of experience and knowledge and being trusted to create separation, win on routes and catch football after football after football.

The temporary subtraction of Nico Collins from the Texans’ passing game leaves Diggs as the primary next man up in what figures to be a collective effort in trying to replace the production of the NFL receiving yardage leader due to a hamstring injury that prompted the defending AFC South champions to place him on injured reserve, sidelining him for at least the next four games.

SEE ALSO Source: Texans placing wide receiver Nico Collins on injured reserve, to miss minimum of four games (click2houston.com)

How Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik will tilt his play-calling and how Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud will direct his throws will be informative on how they view their personnel.

It’s clear, though, regardless of how they deploy everyone, whether that’s a high volume of the short to intermediate passes Diggs has been the recipient of through five games for the 4-1 Texans heading into Sunday’s road game against the 1-4 New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium, or if they’ll attempt to stretch the field more with speedy wide receiver Tank Dell, that Diggs will be heavily involved in life without Collins in the lineup.

“Obviously, we have a lot of horses in the stable,” Diggs said. “That’s kind of something we talked about going into the season just depth-wise. It’s super unfortunate, obviously, to lose a guy that’s leading the league, who’s extremely talented, not just size, what he brings to the table. Obviously, as you know we’ve got a lot of guys.

“It’s unfortunate, but everybody’s just got to do their job. You don’t have to do nothing special, especially do what you already was doing and we’ll be fine. But we’ve got a lot of horses in the stable and it will be interesting to give a lot of guys some more opportunities that maybe haven’t haven’t out there and keep this thing rolling and you know getting those ugly wins. Hopefully, we can get a pretty win, but we’ll take those ugly wins otherwise any day of the week.”

SEE ALSO ‘Honestly, it meant a lot to me,’ Texans’ Stefon Diggs acknowledges ‘emotions’ in win over Bills after offseason trade (click2houston.com)

Leaning on Diggs, 30, is a logical pivot for the Texans. He led the Texans’ receivers with six receptions for 82 yards on eight targets against the Buffalo Bills, his former team, picking up the slack when Collins left the game with a hamstring injury suffered on his 67-yard touchdown catch. Diggs provided five of the Texans’ 18 first downs. His longest reception was 18 yards.

Diggs was named to four consecutive Pro Bowls with the Bills and had at least 100 catches every season. He has 31 catches for 315 yards and two touchdown catches through five games for the Texans with one touchdown run. The change of scenery and fresh start has done him a lot of good.

“I mean, honestly, the same stuff he’s been doing,” Slowik said of the plan for Diggs. “He’s one of the best separators we have. He’s really good regardless of leverage he has in man coverage. He’s one of the better people I’ve seen at beating leverage where they don’t want to be beat. And then at the top of routes, he’s extremely explosive.

“He’s good with the ball in his hands. Probably, this year, actually, I think he’s been the most efficient ball-in-the-hands receiver we have as far as yards and the yards that are available and what he’s getting. So, he’s just going to continue to grow in the offense as we keep going through the year and it’ll be a fun ride.”

Diggs is on a season-long pace for 105 catches for 1,071 yards and seven touchdowns.

Voted a team captain in balloting from his teammates, Diggs has provided leadership and skills in every facet of the game. Now, the Texans need even more from the Maryland native. Diggs has become even more vocal and encouraging to teammates, including the offensive line when they cut down their penalties, as well as leading by example in his actions.

“I think he is great,” Stroud said. “I definitely think that he is already a leader, but you can tell in practice today he knows his responsibility now with Nico out. That is really with all of them, everybody has to step up, even myself included to pick up the slack where Nico isn’t playing. We definitely just have to hold each other accountable and just be better at that. He is definitely going to be at the forefront of that.”

‘I’m a man of integrity,’ Texans’ Stefon Diggs says being team captain means ‘everything,’ attacks ‘narrative’

There’s a good matchup looming in Sunday’s game between Diggs and Patriots standout cornerback Christian Gonzalez, an athletic 6-foot-1, 205-pound former Oregon All-Pac-12 selection.

Gonzalez, who has run the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds and was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month last season before suffering a season-ending torn labrum, is healthy again and on top of his game. Gonzalez has one interception this season and opposing quarterbacks are only having a 65.2 passer rating and receivers are averaging just 8.3 yards per catch against him. He has a 69.4 pass coverage grade, according to Pro Football Focus analytics. And Gonzalez traditionally shadows opponents’ top wide receiver.

“He’s very impressive,” Diggs said. “He got hurt last year. I was in Buffalo last year, so I watched him. Great hips, a strong guy, too. Coming out, he was one of the top picks, obviously. He was impressive in college. So, definitely something for us to look forward to. Me, personally, I’ve been in the league a long time. I done seen a lot of corners, so he’s definitely a hell of an athlete.”

Gonzalez has 23 tackles and three passes defensed this season. He has been targeted 34 times and allowed 17 catches, a 50-percent success rate, for 123 yards and one touchdown and just 39 yards after the catch.

SEE ALSO ‘It’s easy to get a bad rap, I’ve got big shoulders,’ Texans’ Stefon Diggs reflects on trade from Bills (click2houston.com)

“Yeah, Christian’s a tall, athletic corner and seeing him, I mean, he has the athletic ability,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “All the traits are off the charts with him, size, length, corner. Just seeing his instincts showing up, his ability to make plays on the football. You can see leading a lot of one-on-one matchups and he’s able to make plays in those situations, so he’s doing a really good job for them.”

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RELATED: Texans placing wide receiver Nico Collins on injured reserve, to miss minimum of four games: Source

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com