Getty Stefon Diggs warms up before a Buffalo Bills game.
After a turbulent end to last season and some social media drama, the Buffalo Bills don’t seem too worried about when star wide receiver Stefon Diggs will show up for offseason training.
Diggs was in the spotlight after an outburst on the sidelines during the team’s playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, which was followed by weeks of cryptic statements on social media hinting at tensions with the team. The rumors grew when Diggs was spotted at the Coachella music festival at the start of the team’s voluntary workouts in April instead of with his teammates.
But quarterback Josh Allen has put off rumors that there is tension with Diggs, and general manager Brandon Beane added this week that he’s not worried about when the All-Pro wide receiver will show up.
Bills General Manager Looking Forward to Stefon Diggs’ Return
In an appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show” on May 1, Beane said he felt confident that Diggs would return to the team when the time came.
“I think we’re in really good shape there and I know he’ll — at the right time — get here and join and be ready to roll for the season,” Beane said.
While teammates like Allen and Von Miller returned to Orchard Park for the start of team workouts in April, Diggs was not alone in staying home. Beane said at the time that the team had high attendance, but some players opted to skip the voluntary exercises.
Diggs had sparked concern among some fans when he shared pictures from the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California on April 17, the day that teammates were working out at the team facility.
At the time, Beane did not have insight as to when Diggs would be arriving but said he had been in contact with the receiver.
“Brandon Beane says he knows Stefon Diggs wasn’t present when voluntary workouts began yesterday,” Bills reporter Jon Scott tweeted on April 18. “Hasn’t seen or heard that Diggs is here today. Beane adds he’s going to keep any conversations between him and Diggs private.”
Bills Aiming to Help Stefon Diggs, Josh Allen
In the days and weeks after his blowup on the sidelines during the loss to the Bengals, Diggs explained that he was simply frustrated with losing and not upset with his teammates. In a series of tweets posted in January, Diggs said he was unhappy about the outcome of the game and said criticism of his reaction was misplaced.
“It’s easy to criticize my reaction more than the result,” he wrote. “Want me to be okay with our level of play when it’s not up to the standard ? Nah”
Diggs added, “Want me to be okay with losing ? Nah”
Stefon Diggs is not happy right now.
The Bills have worked this offseason to bring more help to Diggs and the offense, using their top draft pick on tight end Dalton Kincaid and a fifth-round pick on wide receiver Justin Shorter. Beane specifically said they wanted to take pressure off Diggs and ensure that opponents couldn’t put all their focus into shutting him down.
“We were looking for guys to add to our skill positions that can be matchups and whether it’s receiver, tight end, whatever it is, just a guy, another weapon to say, ‘Hey, you can’t double Stef every play,’ ” Beane said. “If you do, we’re expecting this guy to win his one-on-one matchup or Gabe to win his one-on-one matchup. Khalil Shakir, we’ve got a lot of hope for him. I thought he really played well down the stretch when he had his opportunity.”
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Bills GM Breaks Silence on Stefon Diggs’ Absence at Offseason Workouts