The Buffalo Bills have a major elephant in the room heading into training camp. They have to figure out what to do with disgruntled wide receiver Stefon Diggs. Reports have been all over the place about what actually bothered him during the team’s OTAs, but things certainly got bad enough that head coach Sean McDermott canceled the final day of practice.
With training camp in a few weeks, hopefully, that situation is resolved. Without Diggs, the entire dynamic of the offense would change. He is the No. 1 weapon for Josh Allen in the passing game and without him in the lineup, their aerial attack would be among the least intimidating in the NFL.
With Isaiah McKenzie and Jamison Crowder departing in free agency, the depth at wide receiver is thin. Gabriel Davis is the team’s No. 2, followed by Khalil Shakir and Trent Sherfield, who has been standing out during the offseason. First-round pick, tight end Dalton Kincaid, is expected to have a major role as well.
But, at the end of the day, retaining Diggs is a must as replacing his production would be virtually impossible. Alas, adding more weapons to the mix on offense would be ideal for the Bills.
Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report made that clear as he suggested running backs Dalvin Cook and Austin Ekeler as trade ideas. The Bills did make two additions to help replace Devin Singletary, signing Damien Harris and Latavius Murray. But, adding more explosive options wouldn’t be the worst idea.
Cook is now a free agent, so the Bills could sign him if they opened up enough cap space. Teaming him up with his brother, James Cook, would likely be appealing. Ekeler is an elite dual-threat option out of the backfield and thrives in all passing situations. He would be an upgrade over what Buffalo currently has in that role and on an expiring contract would be relatively cheap to acquire.
The last deal that Ballentine suggested was trading defensive tackle Ed Oliver. However, that is also off the table, at least for now, as Oliver signed a four-year extension earlier this offseason and looks to be a key long-term piece for the Bills’ defense.
