The Buffalo Bills added Stefon Diggs this offseason and it was the move that helped bumped the wide receivers group up to one of the best in the league in a recent ranking by Pro Football Focus.
Over the past two years, the Buffalo Bills have gone through almost a complete transformation at wide receiver. There are only two wide receivers left on the team from the Bills 53-man roster at the start of the 2018 season. Those two wide receivers include Ray-Ray McCloud, who was cut and re-signed over that time, and Robert Foster, who looks to be a long shot to make the roster for this coming season.
Since that time, Brandon Beane has added John Brown, Cole Beasley, Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis, Isaiah Hodgins and Isaiah McKenzie. There is no question that this is an impressive group and gives Josh Allen one of the top wide receiver groups in the NFL.
Recently, Pro Football Focus ranked each team’s wide receivers and the Buffalo Bills ranked fifth in the NFL and was actually the best group in the AFC.
"5. BUFFALO BILLSThe Bills’ receiving weapons have improved drastically over the past two years, and they may boast the best trio in the league in 2020. An offseason trade for Stefon Diggs completed the trifecta, as Buffalo added one of the league’s best route runners who also leads the league with a contested-catch rate of 60.0% since 2016. He’s capable of winning at all levels of the field, and his presence helps John Brown and Cole Beasley play to their respective strengths.Brown’s 4.34 speed makes him a downfield threat, but he’s done his best work at the intermediate (10-19 yard) level, where his 57 receptions rank 16th in the league since 2017. Beasley is one of the best slot receivers in the league, and he’s been open on 77.1% of his targets over the past two years — the best rate in the league. The top three should have distinct roles, as should Isaiah McKenzie, who ranked third in the league with 120 yards on screens last season. He adds the change-of-pace/jet sweep option that many NFL offenses covet. The Bills have one of the most well-rounded receiving units in the league."
One of the things that Brandon Beane has done is found wide receivers that really compliment each other very well. The Bills now have that top wide receiver in Stefon Diggs that is going to command the attention of defenses and he is well rounded thanks to his route running. They also have John Brown who is a deep threat but as PFF notes, he works very well in that intermediate range. The third piece is Cole Beasley, who proved to be one of the better slot receivers and works effectively in the underneath routes.
The wide receiver position was also not only built for this year but long term as in the coming years players like Gabriel Davis can replace John Brown and Isaiah Hodgins is a big slot receiver that can eventually step in for Beasley.
The Buffalo Bills have seen their roster as a whole drastically improve but the moves at wide receiver may be Brandon Beane’s best work as general manager for the Bills.