Stefon Diggs’ Buffalo drama provided plenty of entertainment and intrigue for about 24 hours last week, before Bills coach Sean McDermott went into full mode with nothing to see here.
Of course, there is a lot to see. We saw him play on Tuesday. A truce was somehow brokered between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, a surely tentative middle ground that McDermott dared not disrupt by inadvertently leaking the truth.
For most of the past week, there have been no reports regarding the source of Diggs’ obvious displeasure. On Sunday, Ben Volin from boston globe filled in the blank with this nugget regarding the situation: “Diggs’ frustration has to do with his role on offense and his voice on the call for play, according to a league source close to the Bills locker room.”
The situation had been hiding in plain sight since the 17-point playoff loss to the Bengals. He gesticulates in frustration on the field at the end of the match. He stood in front of quarterback Josh Allen, arms outstretched and the profanities probably flying. Diggs left the post-match locker room before meeting with reporters.
He skipped the entire voluntary portion of the offseason schedule, a fact that didn’t bother Bills fans as much as it should have. Boiling point was quickly reached last week after Diggs showed up for the mandatory minicamp, attended meetings with McDermott and GM Brandon Beane on Monday and Tuesday – then left before the start of the first mandatory practice of the minicamp Tuesday.
It’s still unclear if Diggs stormed out or was asked/told to leave. Diggs complained on social media about someone lying; it’s possible he left only after someone suggested he do so.
Whatever the explanation of the mechanism of the departure, something went haywire to cause it to leave. A disagreement. A fight. A confrontation. High voices. Something.
Volin’s report leads him back to the offense, which makes sense. Diggs got a new contract last year; his concerns are unlikely to be financial.
During Super Bowl week, Diggs explained during an appearance with Dan Patrick that the frustrations that became evident in the playoff loss had been building for weeks.
The challenge now is to fix whatever upsets Diggs, while doing so in a way that doesn’t disrupt the larger goals of the team. Fortunately for the Bills, expectations are lower than they were a year ago, when they were preseason favorites to win the Super Bowl, a franchise carrying the crippling burden of exorbitant hopes without even make it to the AFC Championship the previous year.
Diggs’ dilemma increases the pressure. While this basic reality of life in the NFL makes some people in the organization a little nervous, it’s a basic fact that the chronic failure to get the most out of one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL will eventually take on the question of whether others should be responsible for getting the most out of said quarterback, before his career is over.
Chris Simms and I have discussed this point from time to time on Live PFT. Something is missing. It’s either the talent or its use. So the blame for the failure to get close to the top of the mountain lies with the front office or the coaching staff. If Diggs’ situation isn’t resolved and the Bills don’t make it to the divisional round (or possibly the AFC Championship), the only way to keep Diggs happy for 2024 might be to bring some major changes around Allen and his No. 1. 1 receiver.
Report: Stefon Diggs not happy with his role in attack, voice in call for play originally appeared on Pro Football Talk