The Stefon Diggs trade stands to push someone off Houston’s WR depth chart, and there’s a possibly reunion opportunity there for the Lions.
The Detroit Lions were convenient to mention as a team who could trade for wide receiver Stefon Diggs over the last 10 months of so, as his relationship with the Buffalo Bills deteriorated. But it never made any sense, and the Bills finally moved him to the Houston Texans this week.
The Texans are loading up to make a run at the Kansas City Chiefs while quarterback C.J. Stroud is on his rookie contract. But adding Diggs also means they’ve added a big piece to their wide receiver depth chart. ESPN’s Matt Miller openly wondered who might be the odd-man out now?, and thus who could be of interest to other teams looking for wide receiver depth?
Who's the odd-man out in Houston's wide receiver room?
Stefon Diggs
Nico Collins
Tank Dell
Robert Woods
John Metchie III
Noah BrownA team needing a WR3 might want to call about Metchie or Brown unless Woods is on the way out (would save $4.75M as a post-June 1 cut)
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) April 3, 2024
Before the draft, and with the departure of Josh Reynolds, the Lions have some level of need at wide receiver. Any veteran addition at this point won’t be a star who will usurp much of anyone on the depth chart, but another experienced receiver might be nice to have.
Maybe even one the Lions, or at least a couple key people, have some familiarity with.
Stefon Diggs trade opens door for Lions to reunite with WR familiar to key people
On that familiarity front for the Lions in the reshaped Texans’ wide receiver room, there’s Robert Woods. His best days are clearly behind him, approaching his 32nd birthday (April 10) and coming off a 40-catch season for Houston.
After four seasons with the Buffalo Bills, Woods signed with the Los Angeles Rams as a free agent in 2017. He had at least 86 receptions in three straight seasons (2018-2020), with 1,219 yards in 2018 and 1,134 yards in 2019. He had that production with Lions’ quarterback Jared Goff throwing him the ball.
Lions general manager Brad Holmes was the Rams’ director of college scouting over Woods’ time there, but it’s not as if he’s completely unfamiliar with Woods himself.
As Miller mentioned, if the Texans want to part with Woods they may just cut him. But a trade would be more advantageous for them from a cap savings standpoint, even if they only got a conditional draft pick for him.
On the idea of adding a veteran to serve as depth at wide receiver, Woods has now surfaced as a potential option for the Lions. And he may make more sense than just about anyone else.
