Bills’ Josh Allen still paying price for Stefon Diggs ending originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Maybe the Buffalo Bills had no choice but to trade away Stefon Diggs.
The reality, though, is that Diggs was a true WR1 for Josh Allen, and since dealing him away, Buffalo is still looking for a replacement.
DJ Moore is the new guy tasked with becoming Allen’s top target, and he’s got a chance at it. The Bills traded a second-round pick to the Chicago Bears for Moore, in hopes that he can harness some of his high-end talent to shine as a still-dangerous weapon.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano acknowledged in a new article on Tuesday that whether or not Moore becomes a real No. 1 is a key factor in the Bills’ season ahead.
“Lots of change in Buffalo this offseason, too, as longtime coach Sean McDermott was fired and replaced by offensive coordinator Joe Brady,” Graziano begins. “Allen’s relationship with Brady shouldn’t be a problem since they’ve worked together for years. But questions remain about the group around Allen, specifically whether he has enough at wide receiver.”
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The receiving group hasn’t been good enough in the two seasons that Diggs has been gone.
“Two years after trading away Stefon Diggs, the Bills are still looking for a true No. 1 wideout,” Graziano writes. “Trading a second-round pick to the Bears in March for Moore, an eight-year veteran with three 90-catch seasons and four 1,000-yard seasons on his résumé, is a move the Bills hope addresses that issue. Buffalo knows what it has in Khalil Shakir, but 2024 second-round pick Keon Coleman has been a disappointment, and injuries have kept 2023 first-round tight end Dalton Kincaid from emerging as the consistent receiving threat Buffalo hoped he’d be. Moore will have plenty of opportunity to make a major impact in this offense as the (delayed) Diggs replacement.”
Moore is going to get targets. It’ll be what he does, or doesn’t, do with them that determines how good Buffalo’s offense can be.
With Allen at QB, the Bills always have a chance. But the last couple seasons, they’ve almost ridden that to a fault.
They needed a guy who can help make Allen’s life easier, and the hope is that Moore is that guy.
Even if Diggs had stuck around, he might’ve aged out of WR1 status by now. But with him gone, it’s clear the Bills have no choice — they need Moore to elevate into that role for a team that otherwise doesn’t have one.
