Should the Texans try to reunite with former Patriots star WR Stefon Diggs?

Could the Houston Texans bring back All-Pro wideout Stefon Diggs one year after leaving in free agency?

Diggs, who took over as the new No. 1 threat for Drake Maye as the AFC champions, was recently cleared by the NFL league’s personal conduct policy violation. He’s now cleared to sign with any roster after being found not guilty in May of assaulting his private chef in a pay dispute.

New England made sure to find a replacement option for the former Vikings, Bills and Texans star, signing former Packers starter Romeo Doubs and trading for Eagles All-Pro wideout A.J. Brown. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel recently said that the team is happy with their current wide receiver corps.

Diggs, who led the Patriots in receiving last season with 85 receptions for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns, might not be the No. 1 threat for teams entering his age-32 season, but he still can be a quality No. 2 receiver for competitive teams looking to have stability in the receiving room. That would include Houston, which does have a top 10 pass-catcher in Nico Collins, but is filled with a mystery outside of him.

Houston would love nothing more than to see the rookie version of Tank Dell return in 2026. He tied Andre Johnson‘s rookie touchdown record and finished with over 700 receiving yards before suffering a season-ending leg injury, and later suffered another leg injury that resulted in him missing all of last season.

A year after being drafted on Day 2, the Texans have high hopes for the former Iowa State duo. Jaylin Noel mostly found success in the return game, but did score a pair of touchdowns. Jayden Higgins tied Collins with six receiving touchdowns and finished with 525 receiving yards, so the plan is for him to enter the year as the No. 2 threat

And then Houston has names like Xavier Hutchinson and rookie Lewis Bond looking to carve out roles in some capacity on offense.

With the current status of the Texans’ offensive personnel, Diggs would likely enter the year as the No. 3, but it comes with the notion that Dell is the expected third target when healthy. And the latter’s health probably would lead to all deals getting done.

Do the Texans see Dell being at 100 percent for the start of training camp?

Is the former third-round pick still a part of the team’s present plan?

From a scheme standpoint, Diggs would be a welcome addition in the slot, adding more consistency thanks to his route-running and fluid ability to win consistently across the middle. The only question now would come down to his asking price. After being one of 19 receivers to finish with over 1,000 yards last year, he’s not going to come cheap, but the Texans do have over $27 million available in space, so a deal could be met.

Houston should be in win-now mode with a No. 1 defense and a quarterback entering the final stages of his rookie contract. While a deal should be considered, the Texans likely have closed the Diggs’ door behind them when he left following his torn ACL in 2024.

Then again, anything can happen, right?