All of the attention around the Buffalo Bills recently has involved wide receiver, Stefon Diggs. He has been expressing some frustration with the franchise, which reports have trickled out about in recent days. Things got to the point that head coach Sean McDermott canceled the final day of mandatory minicamp last week.
If the Bills want to have any chance of remaining contenders this season, they need Diggs committed to the team. Whatever his issues may be, they need to find a way to resolve them as the offense would crumble without him being a part of it.
Adding another wide receiver to the mix, namely DeAndre Hopkins, would alleviate many of the issues that the Bills have. That is reportedly the crux of the issue that Diggs currently has with the team, as he restructured his contract to fit Hopkins on the salary cap but no move has been made.
Hopkins would provide insurance if there are other issues between Diggs and the organization that goes beyond the field in the event a divorce occurs. But, in the opinion of ESPN NFL insider Field Yates, the one move that the Bills need to make the rest of this offseason is adding depth at the linebacker position.
“It was not a surprise that Tremaine Edmunds left in free agency with a robust market available, but right now, the Bills appear to be going with a develop-from-within approach to replace him. While Matt Milano will serve as the central hub of the linebacker group, it’s a young and largely untested group beyond him. Buffalo’s roster is in an extremely healthy spot and is good enough to win the Super Bowl, but depth at a position they have not been active in addressing this offseason feels like one last to-do item.”
Even the strongest of rosters could use some tweaks and the Bills are no different. Adding veteran pass rusher Leonard Floyd to their linebacker group was a solid move, but Yates is correct; Buffalo is one injury away at the position from having to turn to a player with virtually zero experience as a full-time player defensively.
Special teams ace Tyler Matakevich, who has three defensive snaps last season and only 267 in seven seasons between the Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers, is currently the backup behind Matt Milano. Another backup, Terrel Bernard, was mostly used on special teams as a rookie, logging only 110 defensive snaps.
At middle linebacker, A.J. Klein is slated to start but hasn’t been a regular on defense since 2020 with the Bills. Behind him, on the depth chart is third-round rookie Dorian Williams out of Tulane.
Expect that to change at some point between now and training camp, and most certainly before Week 1. This is a championship-worthy roster but the linebacker depth is certainly a cause for concern.
