Initial thoughts on the Buffalo Bills trading Stefon Diggs to the Texans

It’s complicated, as things often prove to be with Stefon Diggs

When news broke early on Wednesday that the Buffalo Bills had a trade in place to send mercurial wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans, the predominant reaction was one of shock. After all, there was no way general manager Brandon Beane was going to deal Diggs away when it wasn’t economically beneficial this season. Right? Well…

Wrong. In reality, is it all that shocking learning that One Bills Drive was ready to move on? There are many reasons to consider the benefit of transitioning away from a Diggs-heavy offense, and at least one massive fact to cringe at upon learning the news. The elephant in the room everyone sees is the dead-cap hit.

But this situation is obviously about far more than just financial fallout for the Buffalo Bills. Teams don’t often move on from players of Stefon Diggs’ caliber, and seldom does the subtraction make a team better. Will this time be different?

To imply that Diggs was anything other than fantastic on the field for the Bills is misguided. The addition of Diggs proved to be the needed catalyst to aid Josh Allen’s ascendance toward becoming one of the NFL’s best signal callers.

Allen & Diggs. Lawns signs were made, with a near-universal trust in the pair to bring what generations of Bills Mafia have sought out: a Super Bowl victory. Pairing Allen and Diggs was a fantastic decision, and their on-field connection was immediately lethal — among the best in the league. Each made the other better. Great. But as with many things in life, shines fade.

And suddenly Khalil Shakir is left standing as the wide receiver with the most chemistry catching passes from Allen. Said differently, Shakir is the only wide receiver returning from last season’s team. Joining Shakir in the room so far are veterans in Curtis Samuel and Mack Hollins.

Yes, there is of course tight ends Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox, even Quintin Morris. There will be plenty of opportunities for running back James Cook to expand his resume as a receiver.

But the Bills now have a Diggs problem: How to replace his production and chemistry with Allen. At least what was the pinnacle of their production together.

During four regular seasons with the Bills, Stefon Diggs caught 445-of-644 passes for 5,372 yards and 37 touchdowns. That averages out to 115 catches (on 166 targets) for 1,384 yards and 10 touchdowns in a 17-game season. Diggs didn’t miss a game with the Bills, and now they have to find someone else to garner 166 targets and 115 catches a season. Should they accomplish that need, then the yards and touchdowns likely follow suit. Prior to Diggs and those who complemented him — no one seemed capable of his level of production. It’s going to take strong work and scouting, plus expert coaching and dynamic chemistry to build again what Allen had with Diggs.

People can say this move was largely due to Diggs’ social media antics, and his more recent media sessions, but the bottom line perhaps has more to do with production than anything else. Diggs’ last two seasons with the Bills saw his production take a precipitous drop during the second half of each campaign. Additionally, he often found himself taken out of the biggest games, by teams’ best defensive backs. It’s fair to wonder if at this point, Diggs was no longer the right fit as a WR1 with Buffalo.

Time and again, we’d see plays go his way via bubble screens for zero yards. They kept his hands warm and his mind in the game, but Diggs wasn’t winning the down-field matchups most had come to expect from past seasons. That’s not a… well, not a dig at Diggs. It’s just quite possible that like so many before him, Stefon Diggs has simply lost a bit of a step as a down-field WR1, and that his ability to function in that role will only continue to dim.

Would Diggs have been happy playing second fiddle to a young receiver, or perhaps find himself even further down the playbook pecking order as a between-the-sticks slot dynamo? We can of course only speculate. It’s also important to point out that so long as Diggs wore a Bills helmet, he was Allen’s guy. But too often last season when Allen looked for his guy, it didn’t work out as planned — often ending very less than well.

There were moments during Diggs’ tenure where it was reasonable to pinch oneself, wondering if a star of this magnitude and sports celebrity was really playing for the small-market Bills. While nothing happens in a vacuum, and no NFL team is built by one decision alone — Diggs most certainly did help change the fortunes of this era’s Buffalo Bills. He should be remembered first, and always as the fantastically talented true alpha dog WR1 he was during so many big moments.

It’s okay to be disappointed. In the team for this decision, and in Diggs for what feels like an inescapable path to blaming at least some of his outward-facing behavior on social media and at certain microphone moments. It was never easy with Diggs. Whether that called for defenders stopping him, or those in the media and elsewhere trying to meaningfully understand his often cryptic discourse. The truth is that very often, far too many really didn’t understand what Diggs was trying to say. That led to far too many opinions and second-guessers. And now those same people will turn and say “I told you so.” Yet, no one really knows, other than Diggs and whomever he confides in off the record.

It’s difficult to feel like this was anything other than a messy situation long-brewing behind the scenes. With certainty, you’ll recall his very well-covered absence from mandatory mini-camp, and the press conferences that followed — namely one very memorable turn at the mic by Josh Allen.

Time and again, Diggs was asked about his commitment to the team, the organization, and if he really wanted to be a Bill. Over and over, he replied yes, until those moments when it came down to where his feet were landing. That idea began to boil over during the week of this past season’s Super Bowl, when he made a similar statement to Kay Adams on the “Up & Adams” show. What followed in the weeks and months were more cryptic tweets, and wild speculation from the likes of Antonio Brown and others about Diggs’ future in Buffalo.

All fans can do for now is let out an exasperated sigh while turning the page on one of the Bills’ greatest receivers. Oh what could have been if only things worked out differently.