Stephen A. Smith Takes Swipe at Cowboys Amid Texans’ Stefon Diggs Trade

While the discussion was about the Houston Texans trading for Stefon Diggs, sports media personality Stephen A. Smith found an opportunity for a sideswipe on the Dallas Cowboys.

The “Straight Shooter” author jested “America’s Team” during the April 3 episode of ESPN’s “First Take.” While Louis Reddick was talking, Smith said, “You know you’re missing the big headline?”

Reddick asked, “What’s that?”

“The big headline is, they’re (Texans) probably the best team in Texas,” Smith said with a grin, as shared by Awful Announcing on X (formerly Twitter).

The Texans only gave up a 2025 second-round pick for a wide receiver coming off six consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and four straight 100-reception campaigns.

In addition to getting a two-time All-Pro wide receiver, the Texans regained some draft capital by getting a sixth-round pick in 2024 and a fifth-round pick in 2025.

The revamped Texans roster has Smith fired up for a showdown between the two teams based on the Lone Star State.

“I don’t know if it’s on the schedule, but I’m hoping it’s Houston against Dallas. Down in Dallas, Texas, so what’s going to happen with those Dallas Cowboys is they’re going to sit up there, and they’re going to monitor this situation,” Smith delivered in his best impression of the Southern accent.

While the game schedule remains unknown, the Texans will face the Cowboys this season. In addition to their AFC South division rivals, Houston will face AFC East and NFC North teams. Therefore, it would be high drama when Diggs faces his former team, the Buffalo Bills.

Last season’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, C.J. Stroud, will face reigning Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens) and two-time defending Super Bowl champion quarterback Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs).

“But it’s another thing entirely when you ain’t even the best team in Texas. They’ve got a younger quarterback; they have the better coach. And, excuse me, and these brothers ain’t going to cost $60 million against your cap right now,” Smith added.

After trading for Stefon Diggs, who carries a $19.5 million cap hit, the Texans still have $10.8 million in cap space. It’s enough to sign their nine selections in the 2024 draft, barring any additional trades.

Houston struck gold with Stroud, who will count for only $8.2 million against the cap. Meanwhile, Nico Collins and Tank Dell have a combined 2024 cap hit of $4.6 million.

In contrast, Dak Prescott will count for $55.4 million against the Cowboys salary cap, while CeeDee Lamb is in his fifth-year option worth $17.9 million.

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Smith Sees C.J. Stroud Benefitting From a ‘Game Changer’ Like Stefon Diggs

Reverting to the headline about Diggs going to Houston, Smith pointed out his impact in every stop of his NFL career.

“He was in Minnesota; he was clearly the best receiver. … Like you (Riddick) pointed out, Josh Allen elevated when Stefon Diggs arrived. The brother is a difference-maker and a game changer,” Smith said during the same “First Take” episode.

Diggs finished the 2023 season with 107 receptions, 1,183 yards, and 8 touchdowns. Pro Football Focus gave him an 81.1 grade in receiving, and he surpassed that mark in four games.

However, there’s a caveat to his performance: he never had a 100-yard game again after Week 6 against the New York Giants. He struggled against teams with elite defensive secondaries, as proven by his 27 receiving yards in Week 11 versus the New York Jets and 24 in Week 14 against the Chiefs.

Besides occasional dips in his performance, Diggs has been among the league’s best receivers. Smith sees this as a positive for a budding star like Stroud.

“Wherever he goes, quarterbacks looked better. And C.J. Stroud was looking big time without him. So, imagine what C.J. Stroud is gonna look like now. Look out for the Houston Texans.”

During his rookie season, Stroud led the league in passing yards per game (273.9). He completed 63.9 percent of his throws (319 out of 499 attempts) for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. The former Ohio State standout added 3 rushing touchdowns out of 167 yards.

As impressive as he was last year, Stroud’s game has much room for improvement after PFF graded him 47.4 for fumbles. He had five games with fumble marks below 38.1 and finished the regular season, losing four of his eight fumbles.

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Damien Woody Declares Texans a ‘Top 3 Team’ in the AFC

Woody, an offensive guard who played 12 NFL seasons, holds the Texans in high regard after they traded for Stefon Diggs.

“So now add him (Diggs) into the mix; he doesn’t have to be the number one guy. Nico Collins is that dude down there. Now you got two guys on the perimeter and add in Tank Dell coming off the injury. This is a top-three team in the AFC, in my opinion. … They’re one of the top teams in the AFC. They’re knocking on the door in 2024,” Woody said during the April 4 episode of “First Take.”

Woody’s bold declaration makes sense on paper because the Texans have done a masterful job of adding valuable pieces on both sides of the ball.

In addition to Diggs, Houston acquired Joe Mixon for a 2024 seventh-round pick and signed All-Pro punter Tommy Townsend to a two-year, $6 million deal.

But they made the most additions on defense, the most notable of which is acquiring four-time Pro Bowl defensive end Danielle Hunter on a two-year, $49 million contract. After agreeing to a two-year, $20 million contract, Denico Autry will line up with Hunter and 2023 Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson Jr.

The Texans paid attention to all three phases of their defense by bringing in free agents like linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (three years, $34 million) and cornerback Jeff Okudah (one year, $6 million).

Ryans will turn their holdovers and these new additions into a cohesive unit once training camp starts in July.

To spice up their preparation for the 2024 season, Click2Houston’s Aaron Wilson wrote on March 27, “The Texans plan to host the Los Angeles Rams for joint practice sessions during training camp in Houston, per a league source. The Texans will also face the Rams during the preseason.”

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