CJ Stroud on Stefon Diggs: I just feel really sorry for him

The Texans were dealt a major blow following their Week 8 win over the Colts. Tests confirmed that receiver Stefon Diggs suffered a torn ACL and will be out for the remainder of the 2024 season.

With Nico Collins currently playing on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury, Diggs had moved to lead the team with 47 receptions. He is second with 496 yards.

In his press conference on Tuesday, quarterback CJ Stroud noted how difficult it was to lose Diggs not only because of his performance on the field, but also because of his experienced leadership.

“It’s annoying. It’s not easy,” Stroud said. “It’s not something I just have a whole bunch of words for. I’m just hoping and trying to wrap my head around what happened, but it’s hard. You can’t really – you try to think positively about it, but they’re not positive thoughts, and I just feel really sorry for him. He worked extremely hard. I think he had one of the best times he’s ever had Team had, at least that’s what he told us.

“So, I just feel for him and pray for him and just hope that he keeps his head up and comes back even stronger. So, it just sucks.”

Stroud added that Diggs’ influence as a veteran leader has been “tremendous.”

“Stef was someone you could count on as a friend, as a teammate, as a brother, as someone to give you life advice and as someone who was just an OG, just a veteran who played a lot of ball and lived a lot,” said Stroud. “So I feel like if he’s still around, he’s still going to be able to do those things and it’s just not lucky for him that he had to go through that.”

Diggs was acquired from the Texans in the offseason and is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2024 season.