Yesterday, the Bills made a blockbuster trade and sent All-Pro WR Stefon Diggs to the Texans. It was a move that was surprising at first but it made sense. There had been rumors of Diggs being unhappy with his role and the front office in general. That led to the 30-year-old being traded to Houston and getting a fresh start with the Texans.
Along with trading Diggs this offseason, the team also lost WR Gabe Davis to free agency. He signed with the Jaguars and Buffalo lost their top two WRs for the 2024 season. After making it to the divisional round in the 2023 playoffs, the Bills have the 28th pick in the NFL Draft. Does the team need to draft a WR in the first round to replace Diggs?
Will the Bills be able to replace the production of Stefon Diggs with a rookie WR in 2024?
From @NFLTotalAccess: A look at how the Stefon Diggs trade alters the #Bills draft plans… pic.twitter.com/t7HrLKajPI
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 4, 2024
After trade details were released, many NFL insiders noted that the Buffalo Bills may have lost the trade with Houston. The Bills gave up All-Pro WR Stefon Diggs, a 2025 5th-round pick, and a 2025 6th-round pick. In exchange, they got a 2025 2nd-round pick. That doesn’t feel like a fair trade whatsoever. Regardless, the trade happened and now Stefon Diggs gets a chance to start fresh. He played four seasons and appeared in at least 16 games each year.
Now, the Bills are left with an interesting group of WRs. On their roster, Buffalo has Curtis Samuel, Khalil Shakir, and Mack Hollins as their top three wideouts. In the 2024 NFL Draft, the Bills own the 28th pick. After trading Diggs, the question arises. Do the Bills need to draft a WR to replace the production they got from Diggs? General Manager Brandon Beane addressed that question and more at a press conference.
Brandon Beane as a GM on Day 1:
2018 — traded up for Josh Allen
2018 — traded up for Tremaine Edmonds
2022 — traded up for Kaiir Elam
2023 — traded up for Dalton KincaidIf there is a WR in range on draft day, expect Beane to go get him
— Anthony Amico (@amicsta) April 3, 2024
The experienced GM spoke with the media yesterday after the team made a blockbuster move to trade Stefon Diggs. Brandon Beane said the value and timing made sense for the team. He noted that he had let QB Josh Allen know that the team had been acquiring about trading Diggs this offseason. With the 28th pick in the 2024 Draft, the Bills are in a tricky spot. In this year’s draft class, there is plenty of WR talent to go around. However, there is only so much first-round talent. Will there still be a quality WR to draft at 28 or will the Bills need to try and address that position later?