After another agonizing playoff loss against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, the Bills head coach and general manager seperately addressed the Buffalo media during their season-ending press conferences on Tuesday afternoon.
Sean McDermott's conversation with the media lasted 40 minutes, while Brandon Beane was answering questions for more than an hour. The pair of leaders not only reflected on their seventh season in Buffalo, but they provided some insight regarding the team's direction moving forward.
Here are the top five takeaways from their press conferences:
Stefon Diggs is still WR1, but help is needed
While Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs experienced a serious drop in his production down the stretch, Beane and McDermott were both encouraged by his future with the team.
"Stef, he's a number-one receiver. I firmly believe that I'm not wavering off that."Brandon Beane, Bills General Manager
Considering the Bills aren't in a position to realistically move on from Diggs this offseason, the unwavering support of his role on the team shouldn't come as a surprise, especially when you consider that he still led the Bills in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns this season.
Perhaps the more interesting tidbit was Beane's insistence on finding new weapons that would take some pressure off the All-Pro pass catcher.
"We have to continue to put weapons out there to keep teams from bracketing him or locking him down in different ways to take him away... And if that's another receiver to offset Stef or whoever else, yes, we wouldn't hesitate to do that."Brandon Beane
Despite the constant — and probably undeserved — controversy that surrounds Diggs, it seems that the brass in Buffalo are excited to have him around for his fifth season in a Bills uniform.