NEWSLETTER
It seemed inevitable that Stefon Diggs would be heading out of Buffalo at some point this offseason; it was just a matter of when. Well, that time has arrived. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported this morning that the Bills and Texans came to an agreement to send Diggs to Houston.
Stefon Diggs Is Huge For Houston
On the surface, this is a great deal for Houston. While Diggs is technically coming off his least productive season in Buffalo, he still put up good numbers, recording his sixth-consecutive 1,000-yard season and finding the endzone another eight times. The problem, if you’re inclined to find out, is that Diggs dropped off significantly after Week 10, recording 35 or fewer yards in six of the Bills’ last 10 games (including the playoffs). During that stretch, Diggs put up 75+ yards only once.
That said, Diggs did go over 1,100 yards receiving and caught eight or more touchdowns in all four of his seasons with the Bills.
Diggs still carries a high ceiling and can be the elder statesman in a talented, but young receiver room with Nico Collins and Tank Dell. Collins was C.J. Stroud’s go-to target last season finishing the year with 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns. Dell, a third-round pick in the 2023 draft, put up 709 yards and seven TDs through 11 games before suffering a season-ending injury.
This offseason, the Texans front office has done a great job bringing in support for last season’s Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud. Stroud showed flashes of being elite, taking a lacking Texans roster to the postseason where they even won a game over Cleveland. Houston has now added a legit number-one receiver and a top back in Joe Mixon. Last season they brought in a very good tight end in Dalton Schultz, as well. On the defensive side of the ball, the Texans added one of the top edge rushers on the market in veteran Danielle Hunter.
Houston hit a home run with the Stroud pick, and now they’re doing everything they can to support him and his growth.
The Bills Move On From Stefon Diggs
Dealing Diggs is just the latest move for the Bills as they have to re-tool their roster. From last year’s group, they’ve already made quite a few tough decisions. They released defensive backs Tre’Davious White and Jordan Poyer as well as starting center Mitch Morse. They’ve also let receiver Gabe Davis and edge rusher Leonard Floyd walk in free agency.
The relationship between Diggs and Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen seemed to be getting rocky, as Buffalo continued to come up short in the playoffs. When former offensive coordinator Brian Daboll left for the Giants’ head coaching job, Buffalo’s offense became more inconsistent and the friction seemed to grow. Diggs did sign a four-year, $140 million extension with the Bills in April of 2022. Now with the trade, Buffalo will carry a dead cap hit of just north of $31 million next season.
The offseason isn’t over yet, but Buffalo is going to have to hit a few home runs in the NFL Draft it seems. Their hands will be tied by the salary cap a bit, and with teams like Houston on the rise, the Bengals getting healthier, and the Jets getting Aaron Rodgers back it may be a little bit of a re-tooling year in Buffalo before they can fully reload and rejoin the list of top contenders in the AFC.
