Thankfully for the Cleveland Browns and CB Martin Emerson Jr., pictured above in coverage, WR Stefon Diggs will not be appearing on their 2024 schedule. That was true when Diggs was on the Buffalo Bills and is still true after he was traded to the Houston Texans.

The Diggs trade is not without impact on the Browns, however:

Texans Jump Up
Going into 2024, Houston was seen as a team with a high ceiling and a long runway. After a variety of moves in the offseason and trading for Diggs without giving up a high pick in this year’s draft, the Texans are now seen as a true contender in the rugged AFC.

Cleveland fans remember the beatdown put on their team in Houston in last season’s playoffs and that team is now expected to be significantly better. The Texans gives the Browns another top-tier team to compete within a conference that already had quite a few.

Bills Fall Back
Here is where things get a little interesting as we project moving forward. Houston was expected to be a good to very good team but took a big step forward with the Diggs trade. Buffalo was expected to be a very good team but their status as “elite” has been in question for a couple of seasons.

The Bills offseason was full of departures even before the Diggs trade with stalwarts like Jordan Poyer, Micah Hyde, Tre’Davious White, Mitch Morse and Gabe Davis. While Buffalo was able to bring in a couple of talents like Curtis Samuel, KJ Hamler and Mike Edwards, the talent and leadership drain was big.

Where the Bills sit in the AFC pecking order is up to interpretation but they are clearly less talented, and less of a threat to Cleveland, today than they were before the 2024 offseason began.

WRs in the NFL Draft
This year’s NFL draft class is loaded at wide receiver with a few top-end guys and a lot of depth. That doesn’t mean there are unlimited prospects at the position or that the Browns see the group the same as analysts.

At pick #28, Buffalo is far more likely to select a receiver than they were before the Diggs trade. Not only could that take one player off the board but could create a stronger urgency for teams at the top and middle of the second round to get their guys at the position before the well runs dry.

Cleveland is not set on drafting a receiver but that is one of the valuable positions, along with both sides of the line of scrimmage, that they could focus on. The Bills trading away Diggs could have a trickle-down effect on the Browns NFL draft.

Amari Cooper’s Free Agency
Cleveland got Cooper in a steal of a deal, including compared to the Diggs trade. Since arriving with the Browns, Cooper has over 2,400 yards receiving and 14 touchdowns on a run-first team with up-and-down play at the quarterback position.

2024 is scheduled to be Cooper’s last year on his current contract.

With Diggs’ contract having just this year with guaranteed money, and with Houston likely wanting to keep him happy, an extension or new contract could be in the works with the Texans. Cooper is seven months younger than Diggs and has put up similar career numbers overall.

If Houston works out a new deal for their new receiver, it could set the bar, even more so than the Calvin Ridley deal (who has unique comparisons to Cooper), for the Browns working on a new deal with their top receiver.