Buffalo Bills' Dion Dawkins Reacts to Stefon Diggs Trade: 'Blind Haymaker!'

The Buffalo Bills trading receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans came out of left field for left tackle Dion Dawkins.

Dec 26, 2021; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs (14) and Dion Dawkins (73). / Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Though Dion Dawkins made a joke on social media about his time with the Buffalo Bills coming to an end before signing a three-year contract extension, it was no joking matter when they traded Stefon Diggs.

Buffalo sent Diggs along with a pair of late picks to the Houston Texans for their 2025 second-round pick on April 3. While things appeared to be bubbling below the surface between the Bills and Diggs, the former All-Pro receiver getting traded still caught Dawkins off guard.

Jan 7, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs (14) / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

"It was definitely a blind haymaker," Dawkins said on the Jim Rome Show. "I have learned in this world [and] in this career that pieces shuffle and things move around all of the time. The last time that something like this happened was when I was in my earlier years and it happened with LeSean McCoy. For a player that has that kind of impact and popularity, it just hits you in a different way."

Diggs had become one of the game's elite receivers since arriving in Buffalo in 2020, as he caught 445 passes for 5,372 yards and 37 touchdowns in four seasons. He also made a Pro Bowl in each of his four seasons in Buffalo and was a first-team All-Pro in 2020 and second-team All-Pro in 2022.

Diggs' elevated play coincided with the growth of Bills quarterback Josh Allen. In each of Allen's four seasons with Diggs, he threw for at least 4,000 yards and had at least 40 total touchdowns, which is an NFL record. In total, Allen has thrown for 17,540 yards, 137 touchdowns and 57 interceptions since 2020.

For as good as the pair was in their first three seasons, they drifted apart in the second half of the 2023. Diggs only caught 37 passes for 349 yards and one touchdown in the final eight games of the regular season and 10 passes for 73 yards across two playoff games.

Now, the Bills will be tasked with replacing Allen's top target of the last four seasons. While that isn't an easy task, Dawkins has the utmost faith in the organization headed by general manager Brandon Beane and believes as long as Buffalo has Allen, they'll have a chance against anyone.

"I love my teammates and I am loyal to my organization, so I trust them," Dawkins said. "I know that they know what they're doing. We got 17 and when you got Josh, anything is possible."