For a decade, the Buffalo Bills yearned for a true bonafide no. 1 wide receiver.
The Bills tried Sammy Watkins – that soured fast. They tried Zay Jones – yikes. They even tried former Carolina Panthers first round pick Kelvin Benjamin– lackadasical.
They scoured the free agency pool and the NFL draft in hopes of finding a pass catcher, that could separate from defensive backs in all aspects of the game, release from the line of scrimmage against press coverage effortlessly and leave defensive backs in the dust like a distant memory.
Well, Bills fans look no further, you can heave a giant sigh of relief; Stefon Diggs is a true No. 1 receiver- period.
Diggs, who was acquired along with a 2020 seventh-round pick this offseason by the Bills, for a first-round pick, fifth-round pick, sixth-round pick and 2021 fourth-round pick, has rejuvenated a Bills passing attack that has averaged 330.3 yards per game and currently ranks second in the league in passing behind the Dallas Cowboys.
In three games this season, the polished and elusive Diggs has developed a solid rapport with quarterback Josh Allen. Currently, he ranks fourth in the league among receivers with 20 receptions, 288 yards and two touchdowns.
In week two, in a 31-28 win over the Miami Dolphins, Diggs hauled in eight passes for 153 yards and one touchdown.
“I’m always chasing greatness, so I feel like we’re nowhere close to where we can be,” Diggs said. “We’re steady working through it one day at a time, not just games. Every day in practice, continuing to learn [from] one another and kind of playing off each other. He plays with a lot of energy coming from the quarterback position and I’m a ball full of energy so we’re always working in tandem … It’s a day in and day out grind, but I’m excited, I’m happy. In games, you can see it. I like playing with seventeen.”
Diggs was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth-round of the 2015 NFL draft. He enjoyed a five-year stint that included back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons in 2018 and 2019, and had at least 10 receptions of 20 yards or more each year.
But after his relationship with the Vikings soured, the Bills pulled the trigger and brought one of the best route runners to One Bills Drive.
According to Yahoo Sports, Diggs had a success rate of 76.5 percent vs. man coverage, 84.3 percent vs zone coverage, and 79.1 percent vs press coverage which placed him above the 93rd percentile against man coverage for three- straight seasons.
“Obviously, time will tell if this move for Stefon was right,” Buffalo Bills’ General Manager Brandon Beane said on April 2nd. “Sometimes the best laid plans don’t always translate, but we’re confident and that’s why we swung with a first-round pick. You know I love draft picks and that was not easy for me to part with a first-round pick, but at the same time I view (Stefon) as our first-round pick and I thought it was good for the value of getting a guy like Stefon.”
Diggs and the Bills will look to continue their dominance as they take on the Las Vegas Raiders (2-1) on the road at Allegiant Stadium.
Kickoff is set for 4:25PM.
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