There’s no denying that the relationship between former receiver Stefon Diggs and quarterback Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills was not without drama.
Allen was frequently the target of Diggs’ many jabs since the gregarious wide receiver frequently took precedence over him. Teammate Dion Dawkins says Allen’s attitude has significantly improved since Diggs moved to Houston.
“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.”
Josh Allen greets his new WRs @wufopower965wny @BuffaloFAMbase pic.twitter.com/F6VAFGaIBi
— Muki Hawkins (@wufosports) May 21, 2024
According to Allen, Buffalo’s offense—especially its receiving corps—is still very young, therefore more vocal leadership became probably necessary.
Of the receivers in the Bills’ top five, only Shakir was on the club last season. The other four are rookies Keon Coleman, Chase Claypool, Curtis Samuel, and Khalil Shakir. All four are 27 years of age or younger.
More of Buffalo’s offense will pass through Allen in Diggs’ absence. This will be the first time since Allen’s debut season in 2018 that he hasn’t had a 1,000-yard receiver.
Nevertheless, as Dawkins alluded to, one benefit of having a young group that is naive is that they haven’t had time to acquire some of the negative tendencies that an experienced player like Diggs displayed.