The Bills' hopes of reaching the playoffs at all, let alone winning the AFC East, seemed slim after a lifeless loss to the Broncos in November dropped them to .500. Buffalo fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, and any chance of a late-season revival required the offense to take a significant step forward.
Since 2020, the success of the Bills' offense had largely relied on Josh Allen's connection with Stefon Diggs. When Diggs was at his best, Buffalo's passing game was tough to stop. It looked as though Buffalo would need Diggs to emerge as a dominant force down the stretch for the team stay in playoff contention, but that just hasn't been the case even as the wins have piled up.
Diggs is still active and on the field, but his usage has been curious, to say the least, sparking speculation about his future in Buffalo.
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Here's what you need to know about Diggs' usage and why his production has declined down the stretch this season.
What happened to Stefon Diggs?
Diggs isn't injured, by all accounts. Still, his lack of production even while the Bills have been winning games has been noticeable. Much of that comes down to usage.
The biggest factor in Diggs' inconsistent usage is the Bills' new reliance on the running game. Buffalo operated a pass-heavy offense after the acquisition of Diggs in 2020, but the firing of Dorsey and promotion of Joe Brady to offensive coordinator led to a shift in philosophy in Buffalo.
Brady has emphasized James Cook and the rushing attack, with Cook handling 16 or more carries in five of six games under Brady. Early on, the strategy worked beautifully. Cook averaged 5.2 yards per carry in his first four games under Brady racking up at least 100 scrimmage yards in each game.
Cook has been a bit less efficient in his last two games, but Brady has continued to lean on him. Whether that gameplan will change against the Dolphins on Sunday night will be a storyline to monitor.
What's clear, though, is Diggs' dramatic drop-off since Dorsey's firing. The three-time Pro-Bowler has seen notable a dip in targets and has scored just once in that span.
| WithKen Dorsey | Stat | Under Joe Brady |
| 10 | Games | 6 |
| 67 | Receptions | 27 |
| 868 | Yards | 228 |
| 7 | TD | 1 |
| 11.9 | Yards per catch | 8.4 |
| 86.8 | Yards per game | 38.0 |
| 10.2 | Targets per game | 8.3 |
The lack of production isn't entirely the result of a lack of targets, however. Diggs is averaging 8.4 yards per catch under Brady, compared to 11.9 under Dorsey through the first 10 games. Between a decrease in targets and struggles with efficiency, Diggs has dipped from 86.8 yards per game to just 38.0 per game over his last six contests.
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Diggs' snap count has taken an alarming turn in recent weeks as well. He played at least 80 percent of offensive snaps in 10 of Buffalo's first 12 games, but Diggs has come in under 80 percent in each of his last four games -- including just 46 percent of snaps against the Cowboys and 60 percent against the Chargers.
Not everything was smooth-sailing between Diggs and the Bills entering 2023. Allen confirmed during the offseason that there was at least a minor rift between himself and Diggs, though he declined to elaborate on the issue and said they "hugged it out" before the season.
Meanwhile, the Bills have been cryptic about Diggs' role, with coach Sean McDermott refusing to explain the former All-Pro's decrease in snaps.
Here are the details on Diggs' contract and what the Bills might be able to do to get out of it after the season.
Stefon Diggs contract
Diggs signed a four-year, $96 million contract extension with the Bills in April 2022. The deal doesn't take effect until 2024.
The Bills might regret handing Diggs such an inflated contract in 2022, considering he still had two years remaining on his current deal at the time. If Diggs is released after this season, Buffalo will have to absorb a dead cap hit of $31.1 million in 2024. It's not until 2025 that the Bills can actually save money by releasing Diggs.
At $24 million annually, Diggs remains the NFL's fifth-highest paid receiver nearly two years after signing the deal, behind only Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams, Cooper Kupp and A.J. Brown. His production hasn't matched that billing late this season, and it's unclear whether the Bills have Diggs in their long-term plans at this point.
