Stefon Diggs usually doesn’t set personal goals at the start of each season; he prefers to focus on what the team needs.
However, this season, which is his first with the Houston Texans after being traded from Buffalo, he had one personal goal in mind.
The 10-year veteran really wanted to become a captain on his new team.
“It was a personal goal, but it was so personal that I didn’t really share it with too many people,” he said Thursday. “It was just something that I feel like I had to work for, I had to earn. Something I wanted for myself.”
This week, Diggs got what he wanted when his teammates chose him as one of the seven captains for the season. He shared how much it meant to him for his teammates to vote him into that position.
“Everything, at this point in my career,” he said.
Diggs, who was also a captain in Buffalo, said this was very significant to him because it showed that he had earned the respect of his teammates. Coach DeMeco Ryans mentioned that Diggs received this honor because of his hard work and readiness to take on a leadership role with the Texans.
“That’s a special moment and it shows the type of man that he is, the type of leader that he is and the impact that he’ll have on our team throughout this year,” Ryans said.
Diggs and fellow new addition, running back Joe Mixon, are expected to make Houston’s already strong offense, led by quarterback C.J. Stroud, even better. Fans will get their first chance to see the improved offense on Sunday when the Texans start the season at Indianapolis.
And Diggs is eagerly looking forward to his first game with Houston.
“I’m excited,” he said. “I’ve been waiting … this is exactly what I work for.”
Diggs is a four-time Pro Bowler and was an All-Pro in 2020. He has reached at least 1,000 receiving yards each of the last six years and ended last season with 1,183 yards. At 30 years old, he has had over 100 catches in the last four seasons, with his best year in 2020 when he led the league with 127 receptions and 1,535 yards—both career highs.
