How Good was Diggs Really?

[Low Positive]

Really f-ing good. 

[Ethan in Cleveland]

3 hours ago, GASabresIUFan said:

I hate to throw gas on the fire, but would the Bills have been better off keeping the pick and drafting Jefferson?

In hindsight of course they would have. Great WR on a rookie deal would have been amazing.  But the trade was the second best move Beane has done as GM. 

2 hours ago, RunTheBall said:

Andre Reed is a Hall of Fame Wr. Diggs won’t sniff the Hall of Fame. So while your stats are nice, and you put he disclaimer of “different era of football” (which it was, and he had to share the targets with a HOF RB in Thurman) Diggs couldn’t sniff the jock of Andre. 

 

 

Andre never even had back to back 1000 yard seasons. He was a great player but the excellence we saw at WR with Diggs for three years is better than any other three year period in franchise history. 

[GASabresIUFan]

3 hours ago, bigduke6 said:

hard to say.  too many moving parts in the NFL.  

Not really.  Minnesota used the pick we gave them for Diggs on Jefferson.

 

Also Diggs is getting close to a HOF resume.  He had 6 straight years of 1000 yards or better.  Lead the league in yards and catches one season, had over 100 catches 5 times including 4 straight years, has over 10K in yards, 70 TDs and was an All-Pro twice.    Right now he is 50th in yards for a career by a receiver/TE.  Not a HOFer, but a couple of good seasons could get him very close.  

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

4 hours ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

Averaging 500 or so yards and 4 TD's more a year isn't really an argument? Like... what? That's a MASSIVE difference in annual production. On top of that Diggs' top years in production in Buffalo when it comes to yardage and TD's eclipses that of Moulds.

 

The argument about him disappearing in the Playoffs to me is dismissing the fact that the game plan in big Playoff games was to go to the guys who weren't facing the heavy coverage. Many of those games he was flat out used as a decoy. Why do you think he lost it in the Cincinnati game? Why do you think Gabe Davis had the game he had in Kansas City? Should he have come down with the ball against KC at the end of the game? Absolutely. But the "disappearing act" everyone likes to point to was largely scheme. They wouldn't even look in his direction bc of the rolling coverage and McDermott being too conservative in big games and it was infuriating to me.

 

I get not liking the guy. How he handled business. How things ended. His general Diva attitude. But to say Moulds was a better WR is just factually false. Stefon Diggs as a player will be remembered by fans of the NFL way more than Eric Moulds and no one but the most homer of Bills fans with an axe to grind would even try and make this argument.

Actually only 20 yards a game more and I’d like to think having Josh Allen would’ve made up that little 20 yard difference. It’s really impossible to prove who is better. Like I said I have a preference for bigger possession WRs. I saw both in their prime and I just love the tenacity Moulds played with. He was a physical freak 

[FieldGeneral]

Diggs was very good at finding spots to “sit in”. Fantastic route runner. Worked phenomenally early on, but against top tier defenses, he struggled to excel. 

[bigduke6]

4 hours ago, GASabresIUFan said:

Not really.  Minnesota used the pick we gave them for Diggs on Jefferson.

 

Also Diggs is getting close to a HOF resume.  He had 6 straight years of 1000 yards or better.  Lead the league in yards and catches one season, had over 100 catches 5 times including 4 straight years, has over 10K in yards, 70 TDs and was an All-Pro twice.    Right now he is 50th in yards for a career by a receiver/TE.  Not a HOFer, but a couple of good seasons could get him very close.  

its hard to say because you dont know what Jefferson would have done here if drafted.  theres far too many variables to say one way or another.  coaching matters,  style of offense matters,  playcalling matters.  maybe he doesnt like Buffalo and dogs it, etc, etc, etc.   

[Niagara Dude]

On 8/18/2025 at 11:47 PM, RoscoeParrish said:

Elite

 

part of the reason Allen became elite

 

worth every second of his time here until the end

I thought he was elite during the regular season but very average in big playoff games when it mattered the most. Elite players don't drop key passes or get totally shut down

[ganesh]

14 hours ago, Ethan in Cleveland said:

Stefon Diggs in 9 playoff games with the Bills had 47 (5.1/game) receptions for 600(66.7/game) yards and 2 TD. 

Andre Reed in 21 playoff games had 85(4.2/game) receptions for 1229 yards (58/game) and 3 TDs

 

So Diggs per playoff game stats are better in every category than the most productive WR in Bills history. Please go ahead and spin your narrative (different era, 80's teams had other options, Kelly not as good as Allen etc etc etc) to contradict my facts.

 

I have too much to do but I'm going to guess most great WRs have lesser stats in the playoffs when they are playing the best teams.

 

So yeah Diggs was absolutely amazing!  His tenure with the Bills is the best 3 seasons of WR play in franchise history. You can hate his personality but please do not diminish what he did on the field. 

You are missing my point.  It is not about putting up huge numbers...It is about coming through during clutch times in the playoffs.  Evenly matched teams look for that one small window somewhere.  Diggs didn't really raise up to that moment during his playoff run with the Bills.  It is not about getting 5-catchs and 66 yards per game...he simply couldn't elevate his game to the next level and give the Bills the leverage. 

 

In fact, it is the biggest problem for this team in the playoffs.  Every one of your best players need to bring their A-game to the playoffs and be able to gain that small edge that is the difference between victory and defeat.  

Edited August 20 by ganesh

[Bob in STL]

10 hours ago, Ethan in Cleveland said:

 

Andre never even had back to back 1000 yard seasons. He was a great player but the excellence we saw at WR with Diggs for three years is better than any other three year period in franchise history. 

Totally different eras, offense and defense are different today.   The NFL is a pass first league now.  The Bills in the Reed era were more balanced run/pass team.   

[Ethan in Cleveland]

6 minutes ago, Bob in STL said:

Totally different eras, offense and defense are different today.   The NFL is a pass first league now.  The Bills in the Reed era were more balanced run/pass team.   

The different era argument doesn't really hold water. Compared to their peers at the time Diggs was more dominant than Reed ever was. Tim Brown had 9 seasons in a row over 1000 yards. Irvin 7 of 8 seasons in a row with over a thousand yards and the one season he did not he played in only 11 games and still had 962. Reed never led the league in receptions or yards. Diggs did both. 

I'm not trying to disparage the greatness that Andre Reed was. His run after catch and toughness are legendary. 

However what Diggs did in three years in Buffalo was extraordinary regardless of era or scheme. 

[Scott7975]

I'd say elite but towards the end he didn't seem to have that clutch gene. You could say it was his drama attitude, but his attitude displayed a desire to win and being mad they weren't getting over the hump... yet his anti clutch is what helped us not get over the hump so idk. People say they don't hate Diggs. I will say that I don't hate him but I am soured on him. This is a receiver that should have been elite and helped us win super bowls until he retired. Instead he played games and forced himself off the team. I loved his early years here and what he helped us accomplish, but I am still soured by his end.

[Bob in STL]

21 minutes ago, Ethan in Cleveland said:

The different era argument doesn't really hold water. Compared to their peers at the time Diggs was more dominant than Reed ever was. Tim Brown had 9 seasons in a row over 1000 yards. Irvin 7 of 8 seasons in a row with over a thousand yards and the one season he did not he played in only 11 games and still had 962. Reed never led the league in receptions or yards. Diggs did both. 

I'm not trying to disparage the greatness that Andre Reed was. His run after catch and toughness are legendary. 

However what Diggs did in three years in Buffalo was extraordinary regardless of era or scheme. 

The era difference is huge and cannot be ignored.  In his era Reed had 7 pro bowl selections and Diggs had 4.  Reed made the HoF, Diggs probably will not.  

 

Reed had to share targets with Lofton, Beebe and Thurman.  Plus the league, and the Bills, were run first.  Imagine Diggs getting less targets?  He would have been insufferable, just like he was for Minnesota. 

 

Diggs had a great 3 years for Buffalo.  Statistically the best of any Bills WR ever.   He helped Allen become a star and deserves credit for that.   I just don't see that as enough to to earn Bills Wall of Fame honors, especially given the playoff drops and the poor attitude.  

 

Reed had a longer Bills career, and was better at being a Buffalo Bill.   To me those things matter when we talk about all time Bills greatness.  

Edited August 20 by Bob in STL

[Ethan in Cleveland]

15 minutes ago, Bob in STL said:

The era difference is huge and cannot be ignored.  In his era Reed had 7 pro bowl selections and Diggs had 4.  Reed made the HoF, Diggs probably will not.  

 

Reed had to share targets with Lofton, Beebe and Thurman.  Plus the league, and the Bills, were run first.  Imagine Diggs getting less targets?  He would have been insufferable, just like he was for Minnesota. 

 

Diggs had a great 3 years for Buffalo.  Statistically the best of any Bills WR ever.   He helped Allen become a star and deserves credit for that.   I just don't see that as enough to to earn Bills Wall of Fame honors, especially given the playoff drops and the poor attitude.  

 

Reed had a longer Bills career, and was better at being a Buffalo Bill.   To me those things matter when we talk about all time Bills greatness.  

I never said wall of fame. Agree his tenure wasnt long enough. That would be like putting Bryce Paup on the wall of fame.

The question was, was Diggs good? 

And we seem to agree he was great while here. 

We are quibbling over the era argument. You are correct but that only means that 88 catches in 1988 was amazing while its not that great in 2022. However when you compare to peers at the time the era doesn't matter. Lots of other teams at the time where run first too, like Dallas with Smith.

[dave mcbride]

10 hours ago, FieldGeneral said:

Diggs was very good at finding spots to “sit in”. Fantastic route runner. Worked phenomenally early on, but against top tier defenses, he struggled to excel. 

He has incredible footwork. Some of the best I've ever seen. That's why he gets open so easily. 

[dave mcbride]

16 hours ago, GoBills808 said:

maybe im prejudiced because i can't stand diggs

 

but imo both those plays were more about players other than the wr...i mean allen made a throw on that 2pt play that zero other qbs make and the miracle in minneapolis miracle was the safety miraculously missing the tackle on diggs and simultaneously taking out the corner which allowed the td. i mean it was a memorable play but hardly amazing or clutch

In the Minnesota miracle play, he displayed his trademark great footwork to retain his balance after the catch, shift on a dime, and accelerate rapidly so that no defender had a chance. Many receivers would have drifted out of bounds on that play, especially given that it required a back shoulder leap to make the catch. I think it was a truly amazing play by him while acknowledging that other factors played a role in the outcome. Both things can be true. In any event, any evaluation of Diggs's overall career, including the postseason, that doesn't include one of the most famous plays of this century is doing it wrong.

 

[dave mcbride]

4 hours ago, ganesh said:

You are missing my point.  It is not about putting up huge numbers...It is about coming through during clutch times in the playoffs.  Evenly matched teams look for that one small window somewhere.  Diggs didn't really raise up to that moment during his playoff run with the Bills.  It is not about getting 5-catchs and 66 yards per game...he simply couldn't elevate his game to the next level and give the Bills the leverage. 

 

In fact, it is the biggest problem for this team in the playoffs.  Every one of your best players need to bring their A-game to the playoffs and be able to gain that small edge that is the difference between victory and defeat.  

People forget his great catch on the 2-point conversion late in the 13 seconds game and also the fact that he blew past Cincy's defenders on the Bills' first possession only for Allen to badly overthrow him because Roger Saffold got eaten alive by DJ Reader on the play. A more accurate pass (not Allen's fault) may well have resulted in 6 -- Diggs was THAT open. 

[Breakout Squad]

On 8/18/2025 at 11:46 PM, Alphadawg7 said:

 

This.  I would say top 5, but he had a case for top 3 for his first 2 1/2 seasons here.  

Top 5 for 2 years absolutely. He was never the best but that’s ok. Diggs really helped Allen grow into a star QB. 

[RunTheBall]

Andre showed up in the playoffs. Diggs disappeared. Andre is a HOF Wr, Diggs won’t get close. There’s not really an argument here.

[Daniel from az]

Stefan Diggs

Was a fantastic and reliable receiver without a true number 2 behind him ....yet he produced. The defense was never up to the standard of the offense in playoff games

Edited August 22 by Daniel from az

[PrimeTime101]

On 8/19/2025 at 12:33 AM, ganesh said:

He disappeared in the Playoffs...If he would have dominated in the playoffs we would have won the SB a couple of times during his tenure. 

thats cause Game Davis had career games in them same playoffs.