Getty Bills star Stefon Diggs warms up at Soldier Field on December 24, 2022.
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs had a strong start to the 2023 season before hitting a wall around the midway point of the season.
Though Diggs saw a sharp drop in production down the final stretch of the season and had no meaningful contributions in the playoffs, general manager Brandon Beane made it clear that the team still sees him as the No. 1 receiver heading into 2024.
Speaking to reporters after the team’s divisional-round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on January 21, Beane stressed that he still believes Diggs will have a lot to contribute to the team in 2024.
Brandon Beane: ‘Not Wavering Off of That’
After an offseason filled with off-the-field drama, Diggs looked his old self to start the 2023 season. Through the first nine games of the season, the All-Pro receiver was on pace to reach 1,575 yards and 13 touchdowns, then saw a sharp dropoff the remainder of the season.
Over the last seven games of the season including the team’s two playoff games, Diggs averaged just 41 receiving yards per game and had no touchdowns — the longest stretch of his career without finding the endzone. His struggles culminated with a key drop in the fourth quarter of the team’s playoff exit, when he saw a 64-yard heave from quarterabck Josh Allen slip through his hands.
Despite the drop in performance, Beane said the team had no doubts that Diggs would return as their No. 1 receiver next season.
“Stef’s, he’s a No. 1 receiver. I firmly believe that, not wavering off of that,” Beane said, via ESPN. “… Listen, we have to continue to put weapons out there to keep teams from bracketing him or, you know, locking him down in different ways to take him away. They know you are going to want him. Stef can still play, I’m sure he would love to have that deep ball again, he’d be the first to tell you. He’s super competitive, he’s going to work his tail off this offseason. I know there’s various reasons or questions on this or his production, all that, but I still see Stef as a No. 1 receiver.”
Question Marks Beyond Stefon Diggs
While the Bills will go into the 2024 season with their top receiver in place, there will likely be uncertainty beneath Diggs on the roster. Gabe Davis, who has served as the No. 2 alongside Diggs for the past two seasons, is at the end of his rookie contract and said he plans to explore free agency.
The Bills have two promising pass-catchers in receiver Khalil Shakir and tight end Dalton Kincaid, but The Athletic’s Matthew Fairburn predicted that the team would need to add more talent for 2024.
“Regardless of his future, though, the Bills need to figure out how to give Allen a more functional wide receiver corps in 2024,” Fairburn wrote. “Allen’s best plays were in the running game on Sunday. He had 72 yards and two touchdowns on the ground but threw for 186 yards on 39 attempts and had just one touchdown. Of those 39 attempts, 16 came at or behind the line of scrimmage. He was 10 for 21 on passes beyond the line of scrimmage. Allen didn’t have a passing play longer than 15 yards. “