Stefon Diggs may have left the Buffalo Bills, but the drama surrounding his summer intentions could begin again.
Diggs was traded to the Houston Texans in a stunning move, putting an end to months of speculation about his status in Buffalo. Diggs drew attention last season for skipping the team’s summer activities, and now he’s raising new worries after missing the Texans’ first optional practices.
‘Deja Vu All Over Again’ for Stefon Diggs.
As Kyle Silagyi of SI.com pointed out, Diggs raised some serious concerns in Buffalo last offseason when he skipped optional OTAs. The tension around Diggs had been building since the end of the previous season, when he was spotted becoming agitated on the sidelines with quarterback Josh Allen after a playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Diggs went on to miss all voluntary practices and was sent home by head coach Sean McDermott on the first day of mandatory minicamp, but he returned the next day and had no further public difficulties during the season. He did have a drop in output on the field toward the end of the season, going the last seven games without a touchdown reception.
As Silagyi pointed out, Diggs was under no duty to attend the Texans’ initial sessions, but his absence triggered some familiar feelings among Bills fans.
“That being said, it’s both nostalgic and hilarious to read that he’s already missed an OTA practice.” Silagyi wrote, “It’s deja vu all over again.”
Others have downplayed Diggs’ absence from practice. ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime stated that it is not uncommon for seasoned players to miss optional workouts, pointing that the Texans’ left tackle, Laremy Tunsil, also missed OTAs.
Bills Look Forward to New Offense.
The Bills’ offense was overhauled this offseason, with No. 2 receiver Gabe Davis leaving in free agency and rookie out Keon Coleman entering as the No. 33 overall choice. Quarterback Josh Allen praised his new colleague, saying Coleman is precisely what the Bills need in their passing attack.
Does it worry you that Stefon Diggs didn’t show up to workouts this week?@Djbienaime: “No need to stress about it at all.”
👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/xC9K6bBYDm
— Will Kunkel (@WillKunkelFOX) May 24, 2024
“I think his play style (is) what we needed in our offense,” Allen stated during an appearance on 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 noted that the team’s other offseason signings will help round out the wide receiver room, calling the group “solid” despite Diggs and Davis’ exits.
“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 stated. “Curtis Samuel has consistently demonstrated his readiness to work. When you combine those guys with Dawson (Knox) and Coleman in this mix, we’ll have a fairly solid group that works well together.”