Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott is hoping to get wide receiver Stefon Diggs more involved in the Bills’ offense in the waking of Diggs’ strangely declining role in recent weeks.
While speaking to the media on Tuesday, McDermott said that Diggs’ lack of touches is simply a matter of quarterback Josh Allen making what he feels are the best reads.
“It’s just Josh going through his reads and going through his progressions,” McDermott said, via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “He hasn’t been as involved maybe as much as we would have liked the last couple games.”
Diggs logged just four catches for 26 yards in Buffalo’s Week 17 win over the New England Patriots. He has not posted a 100-yard performance in two-and-a-half months, when he recorded 10 grabs for 100 yards in a victory over the New York Giants back on Oct. 15.
Some have wondered if Diggs is battling an injury, but McDermott refuted that.
“Medically there’s nothing big that’s been, to my knowledge, ailing him,” McDermott said.
Then what exactly is the issue?
Since arriving in Buffalo in 2020, Diggs has been incredibly productive, making the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons with the club. In his debut campaign, Diggs led the NFL in both receptions (127) and receiving yards (1,535).
That’s not to say that Diggs hasn’t done much this season. After all, he has caught 100 passes for 1,096 yards and eight scores. However, five of those touchdowns came over the first five weeks. He also registered five 100-yard outings over the Bills’ first six games, so most of his production this year has been frontloaded.
“He’s a big factor for us,” added McDermott. “He brings so much energy and vibe to our team and to our offense. He’s a valued member of our team and particularly our offense and we’re going to need him down the stretch here.”
If that’s truly the case, then the fact that Diggs has fallen off the map so significantly during the second half of the season is odd, to say the least.
The Bills are 10-6 and can win the AFC East division title with a victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
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