After a newsless dry spell in the NFL, football fans perked up their ears when they heard that Stefon Diggs was traded to the Houston Texans. Diggs was a four-time Pro Bowl receiver for the Buffalo Bills and he earned First-Team All-Pro honors back in 2020 when he recorded 127 receptions for 1,535 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Over the past few years, tension has been running high between Diggs and the Bills' organization. Despite handing him a lucrative four-year, $96 million contract extension during the 2022 offseason, the relationship wasn't working out, and Buffalo will take an $18.5 million dead money hit to send him to Houston, per Over the Cap.
As Texas gets another toy for budding QB C.J. Stroud to work with, the Bills receive a second-round pick in exchange. The gaping hole in their receiving corps could have a ripple effect that impacts the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Bills could leapfrog the Steelers in the NFL Draft
With the departure of Stefon Diggs, the Buffalo Bills are left with arguably the league's most pedestrian group of wide receivers with 2024 free agents Curtis Samuel and Mack Hollins along with former draft pick Khalil Shakir. Former starting WR Gabe Davis signed with the Jaguars this offseason, and Buffalo has no depth worth noting at the position.
With one of the league's best quarterbacks in Josh Allen, there isn't a chance that Buffalo is going to be okay with the group they have at wide receiver. The Bills could double up on the position early in the NFL Draft.
This could mean leapfrogging a team like the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan have expressed interest in some of the top receivers this year. While they seem more likely to address the offensive line in Round 1, Pittsburgh has shown interest in receivers like LSU's Brian Thomas Jr. and Texas' Adonai Mitchell.
If the Bills were to make a move to get ahead of the Steelers, it would likely ensure that Pittsburgh will be going the offensive line route with the 20th overall pick. If, for some reason, the Bills don't trade up or take a WR with their first pick, they could look to jump ahead of Pittsburgh early in the second round to take one of the top remaining weapons on the board.
This scenario could be worse for Pittsburgh than the first. The Steelers seem to have their hearts set on the second-round receivers this year with players like Xavier Legette, Ricky Pearsall, and Malachi Corley. If there's a run on these receivers early in the second round, the Bills could look to jump ahead of Pittsburgh for the WR of their choice.
There's certainly no reason for Steelers fans to hit the panic button. This could work out in their favor. If the Bills jump ahead of Pittsburgh in the first round, it could be just what they need to cause one of the top offensive linemen to fall into their lap.
Either way, the Stefon Diggs trade really shakes things up in the AFC, and with a glaring need at receiver for the Bills, it could cause s ripple effect in the 2024 NFL Draft.