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Bills star explains change in Josh Allen since Stefon Diggs trade
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Jamie Germano/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

Bills star explains biggest change in Josh Allen since Stefon Diggs trade: He's 'doing exactly what he should'

It’s no secret that Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and former receiver Stefon Diggs had a pretty turbulent relationship.

Diggs used to take frequent shots at Allen, who often took a backseat to the boisterous wide receiver. With Diggs now in Houston, Allen’s demeanor has changed noticeably according to teammate Dion Dawkins.

“Josh is one of those guys that will do what it takes at that moment,” Dawkins said on “The Herd.” “He's definitely a barker when that time comes. I've actually seen the bark a lot more this OTAs where he's been very, very verbal, because our team is different. It's different. We've got some young dudes that, when they come in, they see a little bit of success, and they can change, so Josh is doing exactly what he should.”

Allen asserting more verbal leadership likely became necessary given the youthfulness of Buffalo’s offense, particularly its receiving corps.

Four of the Bills top five receivers — Khalil Shakir, Curtis Samuel, Chase Claypool and rookie Keon Coleman — are 27 or younger, and of that group, only Shakir was on the team’s roster last season.

In Diggs’ absence, even more of Buffalo’s offense will run through Allen, who won’t have a 1,000-yard receiver for the first time since his rookie year in 2018.

But as Dawkins hinted, the advantage of having such a young group that doesn’t know any better is they haven’t had time to pick up some of the bad habits an older player like Diggs exhibited.

Michael Gallagher

Michael Gallagher is a longtime sports journalist based out of Nashville with a decade of experience covering college football, mixed martial arts and prep sports plus the NFL and NHL — specifically the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators. He’s covered several notable sporting events including an AFC Championship game, a Stanley Cup Final, an NHL All-Star Game and an NHL Stadium Series. Some of his past bylines can be found at the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, The Hockey News and Fox Sports Knoxville

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