Bills WR confident in team’s ability to replace Stefon Diggs: ‘Everybody can do everything’

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir is confident in the team's ability to replicate the production vacated by Stefon Diggs.

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs (14) can t make the catch on this deep throw by Josh Allen. / Jamie Germano/Rochester Democrat and

The Buffalo Bills’ receiving corps has been the subject of much national discourse throughout the 2024 offseason not necessarily because of the players on the roster, but because of the pass-catchers off of it.

Buffalo made significant alterations to its weapons group in the spring, allowing Gabriel Davis to depart as a free agent before trading its fourth-all-time leading wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans in early April. Both departures were notable, but it’s the omission of Diggs that will perhaps be most prominently felt; the four-time Pro Bowler averaged 161 targets throughout his four years in Orchard Park, never notching fewer than 100 receptions or 1,100 yards in a single season.

He was a once beloved figure in Buffalo, a pass-catcher who played a significant role in quarterback Josh Allen's development into the world-beater he is today. Though Diggs, now 30, showed signs of decline last season, there still looked to be tread on the tire; he also had three years remaining on his seemingly unmoveable contract, the idea of trading him seemingly philosophically and financially unfeasible.

Related: How Bills WR Khalil Shakir is balancing his own growth with new leadership role

But the Bills traded him anyway.

The trade left Buffalo without a bonafide primary target, a hole it deliberately did not subsequently fill. The team instead hopes to take a more democratic approach to aerial production, now deploying a skilfully diverse weapons corps that Allen can spread the ball amongst proportionately as opposed to funneling the offense through a singular target.

One of the players who figures to feature prominently in the Bills’ revamped receiving corps is third-year pass-catcher Khalil Shakir, who flashed in his sophomore year to the tune of 39 receptions and 611 yards. The 24-year-old is confident in the team’s ability to replace Diggs’ production by committee, feeling as though the team’s robust weapons group contains a bevy of skill sets that will be difficult for the opposition to defend.

“Obviously losing Stef, it’s Stefon Diggs, you know?” Shakir told reporters after Thursday’s training camp practice. “He’s a great athlete, great person, great dude to be around. We have so many moving pieces now that everybody can do everything. One moment somebody could be outside, but then the next they could move into the slot and another guy comes in and replaces him on the outside, you know? We’re not losing a step there. Everybody in that room can make a play at any time when the ball is in their hands, make one guy miss, go. Make multiple guys miss and go to the house. There’s a lot of play-making ability within the room.”

Jul 24, 2024; Rochester, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Mitchell Trubisky (11) gives a hug to wide receiver Khalil Shakir (10) during training camp at St. John Fisher University. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports / Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Shakir’s comments echo a sentiment that offensive coordinator Joe Brady spoke about in his Thursday press conference; the play-caller spoke at length about the team’s versatility at receiver, as several of its (presumably) key contributors are talented in several areas of the game and can line up at several positions. This should result in a malleable offense that changes from week-to-week, drive-to-drive, and play-to-play—defenses simply won’t know what’s coming at them.

Shakir’s usage of the phrase “moving pieces” could even be interpreted as two-fold; not only is it a fitting description of the team’s receiving corps in terms of tenure, but also in terms of both positional movement and pre-snap motion. Brady has reportedly installed a myriad of motions into his offense, something that should add yet another wrinkle and provide another advantage over defenses.

Buffalo does not have a like-for-like replacement for Diggs, but that’s by design. It instead plans to spread the ball amongst its various targets and simply become more diverse offensively; though it’s early days at training camp, the philosophy is showing early promise.

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