Getty Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs at Arrowhead Stadium on December 10, 2023.
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs has seen a steady drop in both production and playing time over the final stretch of the season, and one veteran player may have shared a key insight into why that is taking place.
Diggs played in 80% or more of the team’s snaps for the first 12 weeks of the season, but has not hit that mark since then and was on the field for less than 50% of the snaps in a Week 15 win over the Dallas Cowboys. His production has dropped as well, with Diggs making just one touchdown catch in the last seven games and being held to fewer than 30 yards in the last four games.
Veteran Bills cornerback Josh Norman explained this week that Diggs himself could be a big reason for the dip in playing time.
Josh Norman: ‘He Chooses to Do That’
Norman told John Wawrow of The Associated Press this week that Diggs is making the call on playing time and often choosing to take himself out of the game.
“He is getting playing time,” Norman said. “He’s just taking himself out. So it’s not that he’s not getting playing time. He chooses to do that.”
It was not clear why Diggs would choose to take himself out of games in some situations, but the team has insisted that he is not suffering any kind of injury. Diggs has not been listed on the injury report other than absences for veteran rest days, and head coach Sean McDermott said Diggs has just not been targeted as much by quarterback Josh Allen.
“Medically, there’s nothing big that’s been, to my knowledge, ailing him and the communication I’m getting from Nate (Breske), our trainer on that,” said head coach Sean McDermott, via the team’s official website. “And it’s just Josh going through his reads and going through his progressions and making sure that we’re making sure we’re going through the progressions properly.”
Josh Allen Takes Some Blame
Allen agreed with McDermott, saying he has not been doing a good enough job of getting Diggs involved in the offense.
“Obviously, there’s times where he wants the ball and deservedly so. He’s one of the best, if not the best, receivers in the game,” Allen said. “He gets a lot of attention from defenses, so sometimes it’s just how it plays out. But I’ve got to be better in that aspect, too.”
McDermott also downplayed the concerns over Diggs, saying the media is making it into a bigger issue.
“I understand [media members] want to make it about this thing over here, and that is important because it does help us win,” McDermott said “At the same time, it’s about making sure we’re going with the ball where we need to go with the ball, and we’re moving the chains and scoring points. So that’s the goal.”
Diggs has been the center of speculation dating back to last season, when he was seen growing animated with Allen on the sidelines during a playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. He continued to fuel rumors when he was sent home on the first day of mandatory minicamp, but Diggs has not caused any more concerns since then and insisted there are no lingering issues between him and the team.