Getty Stefon Diggs warms up before a Buffalo Bills game.
Buffalo Bills players returned to the team facility this week for the first time since last season’s crushing playoff loss, but there was one notable absence as members of the team arrived in Orchard Park.
The team opened its voluntary offseason workouts on April 17, with many players including quarterback Josh Allen and Von Miller returning to start their work toward next season. Bills general manager Brandon Beane said wide receiver Stefon Diggs was not among the group of returning players, sparking some criticism from fans and prompting what was seen as shade from Miller.
Stefon Diggs in the Spotlight as Bills Teammates Return to Buffalo
As reporter Matt Parrino of Syracuse.com noted, Diggs was still in the spotlight in Buffalo despite his absence. Allen was asked on Tuesday about the star receiver’s blowup on the sidelines during the team’s playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals and the weeks of cryptic social media comments that followed. Allen stressed that there is no tension between himself and Diggs, saying he loves the receiver’s “fiery” and competitive nature.
While the workouts are optional for players and other members of the team opted not to show, Parrino noted that Miller made it a point to stress how veteran players should be setting an example for their younger teammates — which was seen as a potential message to Diggs.
“The thing with football teams is you have to be present,” Miller said, via Syracuse.com. “And you got to go out there and work and really gain the trust from your teammates. You got to be present. You got to show them, like, I’m here.”
Miller added that being present at offseason workouts is not as much about the work itself as simply being present with teammates.
“The great teams I’ve been on you got your vets there, you got the big dogs there, it’s not really about the workouts,” he said, via News 4 Buffalo reporter Heather Prusak on Twitter. “It’s building the relationships and this is the time we have to do it.”
Von Miller Returns While Continuing Rehab
While Miller was seen going through exercises with his teammates at the Bills’ team facility in Orchard Park, he is still in the rehab process after suffering a season-ending ACL tear in the team’s Thanksgiving win over the Detroit Lions.
As Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith noted, Miller was not wearing a brace while working out with teammates though “wasn’t doing anything particularly strenuous.” The 34-year-old edge rusher said the rehab has been on track and said he expects to play “early in the season,” but didn’t offer a specific timeline for when he could return.
Von Miller talked about his recovery from a torn ACL and said he’s been able to golf for a month: “It feels like it’s downhill for me, being able to walk around normally, go up & down stairs, walk around the golf course.”
“I’m positive I’ll be ready to go early in the season.”
Bills head coach Sean McDermott offered a similar update in recent weeks, saying in March that Miller’s rehab was going according to schedule though not offering a specific timeline for when he might be back on the field again.
Von Miller at Bills workouts. No knee brace seen here. Footage via @BuffaloBills
Miller did say he had been able to play golf in recent weeks, which he saw as a good sign for his recovery.
“Everything is downhill from here,” Miller said.