With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic taking its toll on sports, the NFL is no outlier even though it may seem so. While the league’s regular season isn’t until September, a big key for teams is the offseason.
New players and coaches get their opportunities to mesh with their teams during this time, and even existing situations lose a chance to take the next step. The Bills fall somewhere in between there, but ESPN pegged one player who would be hurt the most from a “lost offseason” and it’s one of Buffalo’s newest players, wide receiver Stefon Diggs:
Bills general manager Brandon Beane said he traded for Diggs because he believes the receiver could acclimate quickly to Buffalo’s offensive scheme. But knowledge of a scheme is one thing; chemistry with a new quarterback is another. Without an offseason to grow acquainted with each other, it could take Diggs and Josh Allen some time to build a connection — one the Bills are relying on as they look to make a deep playoff run in 2020.
If Diggs is the No. 1 choice, Josh Allen is the close second option to him. Most players heading into their third season have big expectations. Enter Diggs into that equation, and it’s even more crucial that the Bills see some positive improve from Allen in 2020. Imagine if the offense looks similar to 2019 when the season starts? Big expectations are looming, and the Bills can’t do anything about that right now.
But on Diggs, he goes hand-in-hand because the biggest key to him becoming “acclimated” into Buffalo’s offensive scheme is his chemistry with Allen. Those two need to quickly get on the same page before the Bills take the field in September. Regardless of when the two are able to do so, Allen already said he plans to get together with his new top playmaker as soon as it’s safe to do so. Hopefully it’ll be sooner rather than later.
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