Diggs traded to Texans for picks

[CincyBillsFan]

1 hour ago, Beck Water said:

 

I am not happy this happened.  I think the Bills got objectively worse - I think Beane knows it.

 

I believe (maybe hope is a better word) that this is a classic case of taking one step back to more easily take two steps forward.  If ever there was a WR draft that made this decision easier this year is it.

 

 

[MasterStrategist]

2 minutes ago, Beck Water said:

 

I hope Beane learned something the year he "double dipped" at DE after announcing post 2020 season that "we couldn't affect the QB".  So he took Greg Rousseau, who was a high-ceiling, low floor guy due to limited playing experience in college, and Boogie Basham, who was supposed to be a solid floor but higher ceiling guy - but who played at a lower level of competition at Wake Forest.   In hindsight, I think Beane was reaching, 

 

In the end, we may get more value (and certainly more ROI) out of 2022 UDFA Kingsley Jonathan, and we missed on some players who could have helped us.  

I don't think Beane has a problem putting more young WR in the room.  Khalil is a 3rd year guy now; he's got vet Curtis Samuel and vet Mack Hollins who both know how to get through a season.

But I hope he's more likely to do what he did with Elam and Benford - draft a guy they like early, and double-dip by taking a shot at potential late in the draft.

I hear ya, and good points.

 

I'm just afraid a late round WR, won't feel the need at boundary/downfield guy.  If we draft a WR in the 1st (presumably who can do it all), we still have a hole at the other WR spot.  

 

I don't trust Samuel or Shakir outside, whatsoever.  Samuel for some snaps but he's better utilized in the slot/shorter quick routes and YAC.  

 

If our plan is to bring in a MVS or Thomas, post June 1st, then fine go WR late.  But I'd rather go WR in 1 and 2, where I'm almost certain the value will meet our picks.  Go for a S, 3 tech DT, CB, and a RB round 4+.  Then post June 1st, focus on DE and RB2 (if we don't draft someone).

 

My biggest concerns are WR and DE.  We have nobody is taking the top off defenses right now, and hope Beane is focused on acquiring speed/explosiveness early.  At DE, not sure a RD2 guy is going to move the needle.  I'd rather we go 1yr rental, like we did with Floyd. 

 

Ultimately, I trust Beane but he HAS to hit on immediate starter/impact guys in Rd 1 and 2 this year.

[papazoid]

no denying diggs was an elite pro bowl level WR for all 4 years in buffalo

 

it's crazy that in spite of that, he was so unhappy and the bills so tired of his distractions

[hondo in seattle]

Was Joe Brady the end of Diggs?

 

Even before Brady took over as OC, Diggs had issues.  But once Brady became OC, Diggs's production fell off considerably.  Was this the final straw for Diggs?  Did Diggs then ask to be traded?  

 

I think it's obvious that some people within the Bills organization weren't happy with Diggs.  But maybe their discontent wasn't enough to trade him - at least not yet, not this year.  But then Diggs demanded a trade because he didn't like his role in Brady's offense.  

 

 

[Sweats]

I remember when old Buddy Ryan said that, "all he does is catch TD's" about Chris Carter.  Now Buddy, an old D guy, hated when the O scored too fast and didn't give his D enough time to recuperate on the sidelines.

 

Now equate it to what our roster is today......

We are setting up the old "death by a thousand cuts" approach style O. We've got the roster to slice and dice the middle of the field, where we can control the clock, manage the TOP and carve up D's a little at a time, instead of in bunches.

Yes, we will find our WR1 to alleviate and open up the entire field for the playbook, but as it sits now and contrary to what the media thinks, our roster is exactly what we need it to be in order to control the middle of the field.....which is the direction opposing D's are starting to make more of a focal point.

 

I have spoken.

[GaryPinC]

10 hours ago, Beck Water said:

 

 

So Tim Graham and Friends podcast

 

Graham tells a story about the aftermath of the Jets game last season.  Says how forlorn Josh Allen was after that game, taking the loss really hard.  Says when the media was allowed in, Josh was sitting there in his uniform still after the game, Kyle Allen trying to console him, and a steady stream of players coming up to him, patting him on the back, dapping him up, "we'll get them next time", Dion Dawkins "Seventeen for life, I Mean That".  Says they were all trying to pick the guy up, he had a towel draped over his head, just sitting there forlorn.  One thing Graham didn't include in his story because he didn't know what Stefon Diggs said to Allen, but Stefon Diggs came up and said something, and Josh Allen snapped at him "It's One *****in' Game!" and motioned like "I'm not talking to you here" and Diggs walked away and Josh sat there.  Says "maybe Stefon Diggs was saying something nice to him" but, he didn't snap at anybody else and there was a stream of players coming over to him.  Whatever Stefon Diggs said to him, Graham said Josh Allen wasn't having it.  

Also says Devin McCourty told him, having studied film for his NBC analyst gig heading into the season finale against the Dolphins, said "looks to me as though the Bills are trying to prove that they don't need him".  Graham says, "By definition, finishing the season 7 and 1, They Didn't."

 

Now, that was arguably Diggs best game of the 2nd half of the season, 7 receptions for 87 yds.  But, Shakir had 6 receptions for 107 yds, Kincaid had 7 for 84 yds.

 

I enjoyed Diggs' time here but am glad he's gone.  It's been a while in coming.  Thanks for posting, this story doesn't surprise me.

 

I think Diggs wants to win and probably realizes his career is getting closer to winding down.  I think he took it on himself to challenge Josh on his bad habits and probably got tired of it against Cinci and perhaps also sick of McD.  Last season everyone, especially Josh,  got sick of Diggs' approach.  I definitely felt Josh was ignoring Diggs on the field when his stats were tanking. 

 

I love Josh but let's be real, he's very stubborn as a QB.  Doesn't always go through all his reads preferring to force the ball and God help him he throws the wide open check-down.  Obviously he's proven capable in certain games during Dorsey's time when they tried to force him to be more of a pocket QB.  But he chooses not to see the entire field regularly.

 

What worries me the most from this story and situation is maybe no one's holding Josh accountable anymore, not even Josh himself.  That may be the biggest window closure to the Super Bowl.

 

[SoonerBillsFan]

Bottom line the a-hole is gone and thank God.  Beane doesn't take a dump without a plan, and we should see it happen here soon. 

Edited April 5 by SoonerBillsFan

[The Jokeman]

2 hours ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

 

The $ was already paid.  The move cost an additional 3.2 mil this year against the cap  and freed up around 60 million in future years cap space.  27 next year.

but you put a big hole at your WR1 position and a using $32 million against the cap this year for a 2nd round pick in next year's draft. 

[finn]

25 minutes ago, CincyBillsFan said:

Don't forget that Cook is likely to play a larger role in the passing game.

 

 

Or, in his case, the dropping game. 

[jkeerie]

6 minutes ago, Sweats said:

I remember when old Buddy Ryan said that, "all he does is catch TD's" about Chris Carter.  Now Buddy, an old D guy, hated when the O scored too fast and didn't give his D enough time to recuperate on the sidelines.

 

Now equate it to what our roster is today......

We are setting up the old "death by a thousand cuts" approach style O. We've got the roster to slice and dice the middle of the field, where we can control the clock, manage the TOP and carve up D's a little at a time, instead of in bunches.

Yes, we will find our WR1 to alleviate and open up the entire field for the playbook, but as it sits now and contrary to what the media thinks, our roster is exactly what we need it to be in order to control the middle of the field.....which is the direction opposing D's are starting to make more of a focal point.

 

I have spoken.

Knowledgeable members of the media see it and get it.  I'm amazed at the "expert" opinions that say absolutely nothing because they aren't paying attention.

[TheBeaneBandit]

20 minutes ago, MasterStrategist said:

I hear ya, and good points.

 

I'm just afraid a late round WR, won't feel the need at boundary/downfield guy.  If we draft a WR in the 1st (presumably who can do it all), we still have a hole at the other WR spot.  

 

I don't trust Samuel or Shakir outside, whatsoever.  Samuel for some snaps but he's better utilized in the slot/shorter quick routes and YAC.  

 

If our plan is to bring in a MVS or Thomas, post June 1st, then fine go WR late.  But I'd rather go WR in 1 and 2, where I'm almost certain the value will meet our picks.  Go for a S, 3 tech DT, CB, and a RB round 4+.  Then post June 1st, focus on DE and RB2 (if we don't draft someone).

 

My biggest concerns are WR and DE.  We have nobody is taking the top off defenses right now, and hope Beane is focused on acquiring speed/explosiveness early.  At DE, not sure a RD2 guy is going to move the needle.  I'd rather we go 1yr rental, like we did with Floyd. 

 

Ultimately, I trust Beane but he HAS to hit on immediate starter/impact guys in Rd 1 and 2 this year.

I'm afraid as far as pass rushers are concerned we're probably going to have to roll with what we got this year unless we get lucky with someone post June 1st. But the good news from the Diggs trade is that the money that's freed up from his contract next year we could go after one of the top free agent pass rushers with it.

[papazoid]

1 minute ago, The Jokeman said:

but you put a big hole at your WR1 position and a using $32 million against the cap this year for a 2nd round pick in next year's draft. 

 

theres no sugar coating the negative short term 2024 hit that $32 in dead cap hurts.

 

but there's a big long term cap savings for 2025, 2026 & 2027  ...AND a bonus early 2nd round draft pick that can be used to replace him.

 

diggs didn't want to be here, the bills didn't want him....it had to be done. beane did well out of a bad situation

[mannc]

19 minutes ago, papazoid said:

no denying diggs was an elite pro bowl level WR for all 4 years in buffalo

 

it's crazy that in spite of that, he was so unhappy and the bills so tired of his distractions

And each of those seasons exceeded anything Diggs did in Minnesota, a fact that the morons who say Diggs made Josh who he is conveniently forget. It was the opposite.

[Bruffalo]

11 minutes ago, GaryPinC said:

I enjoyed Diggs' time here but am glad he's gone.  It's been a while in coming.  Thanks for posting, this story doesn't surprise me.

 

I think Diggs wants to win and probably realizes his career is getting closer to winding down.  I think he took it on himself to challenge Josh on his bad habits and probably got tired of it against Cinci and perhaps also sick of McD.  Last season everyone, especially Josh,  got sick of Diggs' approach.  I definitely felt Josh was ignoring Diggs on the field when his stats were tanking. 

 

I love Josh but let's be real, he's very stubborn as a QB.  Doesn't always go through all his reads preferring to force the ball and God help him he throws the wide open check-down.  Obviously he's proven capable in certain games during Dorsey's time when they tried to force him to be more of a pocket QB.  But he chooses not to see the entire field regularly.

 

What worries me the most from this story and situation is maybe no one's holding Josh accountable anymore, not even Josh himself.  That may be the biggest window closure to the Super Bowl.

 

This is a ridiculously melodramatic take with almost nothing backing it up. 

[papazoid]

1 minute ago, mannc said:

And each of those seasons exceeded anything Diggs did in Minnesota, a fact that the morons who say Diggs made Josh who he is conveniently forget. It was the opposite.

 

 Josh is the best individual player in the league....i truly believe that.

 

unfortunately this is a TEAM game and josh doesn't have the best team or the best coaching supporting him.

 

as long as Josh is healthy, the Bills will be a Top team. we will have another WR1 soon enough

[The Jokeman]

5 minutes ago, papazoid said:

 

theres no sugar coating the negative short term 2024 hit that $32 in dead cap hurts.

 

but there's a big long term cap savings for 2025, 2026 & 2027  ...AND a bonus early 2nd round draft pick that can be used to replace him.

 

diggs didn't want to be here, the bills didn't want him....it had to be done. beane did well out of a bad situation

I know just playing Devil's advocate.

[Beck Water]

40 minutes ago, papazoid said:

i think Diggs will come to regret forcing his way out of buffalo.

 

4x pro bowler.....all and only with josh. the bills #1 target. beloved by most of the fan base.  he had it made here. elite QB,  a Top 5 team.

 

he has now been reduced to a 1 yr rental. if the texans had any intention of keeping him long term they wouldn't have made him a 2025 free agent.

 

he's on the wrong side of 30. unlikely he is #1 in targets for houston. his next stop will probably make less and win less.

 

dare i say....what an idiot

 

I dunno.  People said stuff about Diggs being an idiot to force his way out of Minnesota where he had a very consistent, 69% 70% completion QB throwing to him, to go to Buffalo where he had that young Wild Thing Josh Allen, who couldn't break 59% completion in 2 seasons and wasn't even passing for 200 ypg.

 

Of course, Josh worked hard on himself to totally re-work his passing motion that off season, and when the receivers got together during Covid, all of them said "you can tell he's been in the lab" (Singletary) "Josh is making throws he wouldn't try last season" (Beasley) and Diggs just thought it was fine.  So clearly any narrative around "Diggs made Josh what he is", based on Josh's jump in completion %, doesn't have the full picture.

 

I'm just still puzzled by the difference in opinion between Cosell, who watches tape compulsively and says definitively that Diggs is not a #1 WR at this point and he's not going to the Texans to be a #1 WR (and he's said previously the Bills don't have an elite receiver, they have a single, good receiver - so this isn't something he made up at the Bills urging after the trade) vs. the Texans giving him an extra $3.5M that, IIRC, was not fully guaranteed on his contract, it guaranteed at the start of the next league year, and all the pundits expressing doubt that Nico Collins is a #1 receiver.

[NoSaint]

19 minutes ago, Beck Water said:

 

It's a valid point that once the league year passed the point of guaranteeing Diggs $18.5M, he acquired that leverage.

 

I don't remember the point at which a player can be penalized for "failure to report", though I remember thinking it was surprisingly lenient.  But then, we all saw DeSean Watson getting paid to sit on the bench and not play for one entire season by the Texans.

either way, no one’s trying to trade for a guy to force a holdout to show up against his will even if they could. 

[SCBills]

28 minutes ago, hondo in seattle said:

Was Joe Brady the end of Diggs?

 

Even before Brady took over as OC, Diggs had issues.  But once Brady became OC, Diggs's production fell off considerably.  Was this the final straw for Diggs?  Did Diggs then ask to be traded?  

 

I think it's obvious that some people within the Bills organization weren't happy with Diggs.  But maybe their discontent wasn't enough to trade him - at least not yet, not this year.  But then Diggs demanded a trade because he didn't like his role in Brady's offense.  

 

 

I think this surely had something to do with it.

 

Whatever happened around the Cinci game, bled over into last year .. and then when Allen is able to keep picking his OC’s and one of them - the one we now have - clearly didn’t view getting Diggs the ball as a priority.. here we are. 
 

1) Something outside football happened that fractured the chemistry between Allen/Diggs.  I don’t know that for a fact, but there are too many rumors & signs of that occurring. 
 

2) Usage, combined with playoff stagnation.  His production dropping like a rock and we still get bounced in the Divisional.  He can point the finger at himself for this happening as well, but I’m not sure he has that kind of self reflection.   “It’s everyone else’s fault” vibes are heavy with Diggs. 

[finn]

33 minutes ago, hondo in seattle said:

Was Joe Brady the end of Diggs?

 

Even before Brady took over as OC, Diggs had issues.  But once Brady became OC, Diggs's production fell off considerably.  Was this the final straw for Diggs?  Did Diggs then ask to be traded?  

 

I think it's obvious that some people within the Bills organization weren't happy with Diggs.  But maybe their discontent wasn't enough to trade him - at least not yet, not this year.  But then Diggs demanded a trade because he didn't like his role in Brady's offense.  

 

 

He did get a ton of targets, though. Maybe he didn't like the play designs. Or maybe he was in denial that his skills were sharply declining across the board. You have to be wise to accept that and not blame others. Diggs is anything but wise.