There are a ton of good General Managers and heads of [insert sport here] operations littered all across the big four sports leagues. Outside of a handful of select few (for argument's sake, Brad Stevens of the Celtics, Howie Roseman of the Eagles, and Alex Anthopoulos of the Braves), there might not be a guy who I think has run a better ship over the last few years than Nick Caserio has with the Houston Texans. His latest coup, effectively trading down 19 spots to get Stefon Diggs, is the exclamation point of what can only be described as a grand slam 13-month run.
Stacking the Deck
There appeared to be whispers that the Texans would potentially make a move like this for a receiver, but I had assumed they were nothing more than that. Not only did they make this move, but they gave up a pick that wasn't even theirs for 2025, and you now have a receiver room of Diggs, Nico Collins, Tank Dell, Robert Woods, Noah Brown, and John Metchie. As far as the 1-6 goes, there's not a single team in the league with better top-end talent and depth in the receiver room right now.
Why I like this move from a schematic standpoint is that you already have your X receiver situation situated with Collins, who's not too far out from a big payday whole on the subject. Regardless, Diggs still has real inside-outside versatility, and I believe throwing him in the slot with Collins and Dell outside has horrifying potential if Bobby Slowik and C.J. Stroud can get the matchups they're looking for. Obviously, Diggs is still fine on the boundary, but it's something to consider. Either way, this is now comfortably the best pure wide receiver room in the league, bar none.
All-In
For Nick Caserio, he spent over a decade working behind Bill Belichick in New England, who, on more than a few occasions, has missed out on some deals because he wasn't aggressive enough. Ironically enough, take his final year with the Patriots in 2020, for example, where the Patriots were not willing to up their offer for then Vikings receiver Stefon Diggs, allowing the Buffalo Bills to complete a blockbuster trade for Josh Allen, who was entering his third year in the NFL.
Since getting the chance to run his own ship, Caserio has shown no reluctance to make deals. The trade-up to pick No. 3 in the 2023 draft to get Will Anderson was a stroke of genius that some had doubts about in real-time, but it instantly paid off in year one. Then, if you really want to go there, taking C.J. Stroud's consul about Tank Dell was another bold move that paid off in spades right away as well.
This Diggs deal is more of the same for Caserio. In just 13 months, this Texans team has gone from a rebuilding squad years away from contending to a bonafide Super Bowl contender and arguably the best outright roster in the AFC. This isn't just a knee-jerk reaction, either. Look at the talent they have littered all over the defensive side of the ball, the skill position spots, the majority of the offensive line, and, oh yeah, quarterback. I wouldn't exactly place those AFC Championship futures bets down just yet since Patrick Mahomes exists, but this Texans' team is going to give team fits in 2024.
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