Stefon Diggs may be gone from the Buffalo Bills, but the drama surrounding his offseason plans could be starting anew.
Diggs was shipped to the Houston Texans in a surprise trade, bringing an end to months of drama surrounding his place in Buffalo. Diggs had drawn attention last season after skipping the team’s offseason activities, and now has sparked some new concerns after opting out of the first optional practices with the Texans.
‘Deja Vu All Over Again’ for Stefon Diggs
As Kyle Silagyi of SI.com noted, Diggs sparked some major concerns in Buffalo last offseason when he skipped optional OTAs. The drama surrounding Diggs had been building since the conclusion of the previous season, when he was seen growing animated with quarterback Josh Allen on the sidelines during a playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Diggs went on to skip all optional practices and was sent home on the first day of mandatory minicamp by head coach Sean McDermott, but returned the following day and had no further public issues through the season. He did see a dip in production on the field down the final stretch of the season, going the team’s last seven games without a touchdown catch.
As Silagyi noted, Diggs was under no obligation to attend the first practices with the Texans, though his absence revived some familiar feelings for Bills fans.
“That said, it’s simply a bit nostalgic—and hilarious—to read that he’s already missed an OTA practice. It’s deja vu all over again,” Silagyi wrote.
Others have put off concerns about Diggs missing practice. ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime said it’s not uncommon for veteran players to miss optional practices, noting that left tackle Laremy Tunsil also skipped out on OTAs for the Texans.
Bills Look Forward to New Offense
The Bills’ offense underwent an overhaul this offseason, with No. 2 receiver Gabe Davis also leaving in free agency and rookie receiver Keon Coleman joining as the No. 33 overall pick. Quarterback Josh Allen shared some praise for his new teammate, saying Coleman brings exactly what the Bills need for their passing attack.
“I think his play style (is) what we needed in our offense,” Allen said in an appearance on the NFL Network. “Talking with our offensive coordinator (Joe Brady), our quarterbacks coach (Ronald Curry), (general manager) Brandon Beane and, obviously, coach (Sean) McDermott, a guy that’s a big-bodied guy and can go win one a back-shoulder fade and not afraid to be a physical wide receiver.”
Allen added that the team’s other offseason additions will help round out the wide receiver room, saying the team has assembled a “solid” group despite the departures of Diggs and Davis.
“I think you pair him with some of the guys we have in our room right now, I think Mack Hollins has been such a great addition so far to that room with his mentality, his mindset is infectious to others,” Allen said. “Curtis Samuel, he’s been showing up every single day ready to work. … You start pairing those guys up with Dawson (Knox) and Coleman in this mix now, we’re gonna have a pretty solid group that works together.”
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