He’s an elite route runner. He is one of the best, if not the best. I remember when he came into the league, I was just really shocked by the maturity of his route running. Got a lot of respect for him.” Those words were said by Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach, Mike Tomlin, in describing the potential threat of Stefan Diggs ahead of their wild-card matchup in January. Diggs delivered seven catches for 52 yards in a 31-17 win to send Pittsburgh out of the playoffs. Unfortunately, the following week, the Chiefs upset the Bills in Buffalo en route to winning their third title in five years. Three months later, on April 3, the Bills decided to trade Diggs to the Houston Texans along with a 2024 sixth-round pick and a 2025 fifth rounder in exchange for a second-round selection in 2025. The trade was surprising since Diggs was still considered the Bills’ best wide receiver. In this article, we will break down this trade from various standpoints as we look at the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The Good
Texans closing the gap with the Chiefs- the Texans were one of the big surprise teams in the 2023 season. The team improved from a 3-13-1 record to a 10-7 record and a playoff win in the wild-card round. The team improved behind a rookie season for the ages by quarterback C.J. Stroud, who finished with 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns, and only five interceptions. It appears that entering the sophomore season, the Texans have decided to go all-in based on their decisions in the offseason. The Texans resigned TE Dalton Schultz, traded for Running Back Joe Mixon from the Bengals, and extended his contract. The defense improved when they decided to sign Danielle Hunter, who had 16.5 sacks last season and will be the pass rusher the team will need to slow down an elite quarterback like Patrick Mahomes. The Texans had a formidable duo in Nico Collins and Tank Dell, who combined for 127 catches, 2004 yards, and 15 touchdowns in 2023. The addition of Diggs will make this offense virtually unstoppable, with Mixon enabling a good balance between pass and run. In the NFL, the best time to win a Superbowl is during the 1st deal of your star quarterback. This trade makes the Texans closer to challenging the Chiefs and the Ravens in the AFC.
The Bad
The Pressure on Josh Allen intensifies- the nature of the NFL is that when the team wins the quarterback gets all the praise. However, when the team loses, then the quarterback gets the most blame. It is the exact scenario that Josh Allen faces as the quarterback of one of the oldest franchises in the league. Allen finished 4,306 yards, 29 touchdowns, and completed 66.5% of his passes. However, what will concern the Bills are the 18 interceptions and the 22 turnovers overall, which is second in the league behind Sam Howell. In his tenure with the Bills, Allen has the pressure of being not only the quarterback but the top rusher and playmaker on the team. The risk of making a play on every down has led to inefficient play and turnovers. Diggs was likely traded due to frequent demands to get the ball and outbursts on and off the field to express his frustration. However, without Diggs and Gabe Davis, who signed with the Texans in 2024, Allen will face tighter windows with likely young or rookie wide receivers. It will likely force him to do more playmaking and ratchet the pressure on his shoulders to deliver for his team. It is a gamble on the part of management, and it could backfire.
The Ugly
The Bills are vulnerable in the AFC East- after Tom Brady left New England and headed south to Tampa Bay, the Bills have dominated the division with four straight titles. However, Miami has emerged as a real threat in the past two seasons, led the division most of the year, and lost a winner-takes-all matchup at home. After the Diggs trade, it feels like the Bills’ Championship window has closed, and they will look back on the January 2022 matchup against the Chiefs as the turning point when they failed to stop them from getting a game-tying field goal with just 13 seconds left in the game. The team appears to be retooling to set up another run with Josh Allen as the centerpiece. The New York Jets will be another challenger this season because Aaron Rodgers is poised to return from injury. The team also signed OL Tyron Smith, TE C.J. Uzomah, and WR Mike Williams, and traded for linebacker Haasan Reddick from the Eagles. Could the Bills take a step back by losing the division and even miss the playoffs? It is a distinct possibility in a tough AFC Conference where teams are ever improving.