Brandon Beane promises to "turn over every stone" to replace Stefon Diggs
Stefon Diggs spent four seasons in Buffalo, catching 445 passes for 5,372 yards and 37 touchdowns. The four-time Pro Bowler averaged 6.7 catches and 87.4 yards in his 66 games with the Bills.
After trading Diggs to the Texans on Wednesday, the Bills concede they will miss his production.
"I mean, are we better today? Probably not," Bills General Manager Brandon Beane said in a news conference after the trade. "It’s a work in progress, and we're going to continue to work on that. I would just hope that people know I’m competitive as hell, and I ain't giving in. And we're going to work through this, and we're going to continue to look. And I'm confident in: A. The guys we have on the roster; and I'm confident in the staff we have upstairs that helps me and that will continue to find pieces to add and that will be ready to roll when it comes time in September."
The Bills are left with Khalil Shakir, Curtis Samuel, Mack Hollins, Justin Shorter, K.J. Hamler, Tyrell Shavers and Andy Isabella at the position. Gabe Davis, Deonte Harty and Trent Sherfield also have departed this offseason.
Shakir is the only remaining wideout who caught a pass for the Bills last season, as his 39 receptions ranked third among the wide receivers behind Diggs and Davis.
It appears a receiver-by-committee approach for now, with the Bills needing a receiver, two or three in the draft.
"The years that Stef's been here, he's clearly been our one. I think we can all agree to that," Beane said. "I think it's more of a volume, a variety of guys [now]. I'm not standing up here today, saying, 'Look, I've got another one to walk in the door,' and we know we're still working through the cap. From an expectation standpoint, I wouldn't anticipate I'm going to walk in here in the next week and say, 'Look what we've got.' I think we do have a lot of confidence in our offense, in the other players, whether it's receivers, the two tights, the backs. And, listen, we don't play games until September. I would hope you know by now I'm going to turn over every stone, and our staff is, to continue to look to add depth and competition to all those rooms, so that when it's time to play that we have a team we're proud of and that's going to go out there and give us a chance to win."
Beane said the move does not signal a rebuild for the Bills, who have yet to get over the hump and get to the Super Bowl in six seasons with Josh Allen at quarterback.
"This is by no means the Bills giving up or trying to take a step back or anything like that," Beane said. "Everything we do, we're trying to win. We're going to continue to do that. It's April the 3rd or 4th or whatever it is, and we'll continue to work on this roster and make sure we're ready to play come September."
