Stefon Diggs instills ‘competitive spirit’ among Houston Texans receivers early in training camp

HOUSTON (AP) — As rain poured down Saturday during the eighth day of training camp for the Houston Texans, Stefon Diggs faced off against rookie Kamari Lassiter for a one-on-one drill.

Diggs ran down the sideline with Lassiter standing stride for stride. As C.J. Stroud released the deep pass, they fought for the ball. Diggs made the over-the-shoulder catch with Lassiter’s left hand trying to break it up to cheers from the Texans fans in attendance.

The Pro Bowl receiver briefly posed in the stands to celebrate the success, then high-fived a few fans.

It’s this competitive spirit from Diggs that Texans second-year coach DeMeco Ryans saw trickle down to all the other wideouts early in training camp.

“I really like the competitive spirit of all those guys,” Ryans said. “Seeing guys step up, different guys every day making a play. And it starts with Stefon and the way he comes to work, I think that rubs off on everybody. He comes with a competitive spirit.”

Texans tight end Dalton Schultz, who signed a three-year, $36 million contract in the offseason to remain in Houston, has noted how outspoken Diggs is, how much energy he brings and how competitive he is.

“When he steps on the field, he wants to win everything,” Schultz said. “He wants to win the race by jogging off the field. He’s just that kind of guy. When you surround yourself with guys like that, it’s infectious. He’s really been a great asset to the offense as a whole.”

Diggs is looking for his seventh consecutive 1,000-yard season and is just five yards shy of 10,000 career yards when he arrives in Houston. He had 1,183 yards and eight touchdowns for the Bills last season.

“No matter how successful you are, always try to bring as many people with you as possible,” Diggs said of being a leader. “And you’re not going to dim your light at all, shining a light on someone else, especially with these — they’re really special. So here, just grinding and competing at a high level is one of my main focuses.”

The competitive nature of the receiver room appears to have rubbed off on John Metchie III, who has already put together some standouts early in training camp.

The third-year receiver, who battled an ACL injury in college and a leukemia diagnosis in his first two years in the NFL, has gotten off to a strong start as he moves into the receiver position.

“With Mechie, I see a guy that’s a lot faster and plays with a lot more confidence,” Ryans said. “You see the guy he was at Alabama. You see that explosiveness. It’s starting to show. He made a lot of plays early in camp, but he’s still making plays.”

Diggs isn’t the only receiver on the floor to reach 1,000 yards. Nico Collins has his starting receiver and was Stroud’s top option in 2023. Texans general manager Nick Caserio signed Collins to a three-year, $72 million contract extension in the offseason after a regular season of 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns.

With two 1,000-yard receivers and the addition of Tank Dell — who had 709 yards receiving before suffering a leg injury in Week 13 that sidelined him for the season — Noah Brown, Robert Woods, Xavier Hutchinson and offseason acquisition Ben Skowronek, it’s a competitive group.

“A lot of hungry guys and guys that have played great in their careers and are just ready to win and ready to eat,” Stroud said of the receivers. “So, it’s very exciting. We’re just trying to build that chemistry and timing right now and it’s going pretty well so far.”

Ryans added: “I like the competition. It’s a really good group and I’m looking forward to seeing how the boys perform in the games.”

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