Bills OL is fine with the Stefon Diggs trade for one crucial reason

The Buffalo Bills entered the offseason with a $43.3 million salary cap overage and an aging roster. All-Pro cornerback Tre'Davious White was injured in two of the past three seasons, the safety tandem of Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer was not as dynamic as it once was, and defensive end Von Miller lost a step. It was time for a reset in Buffalo, and the team parted ways with many of their star players this offseason. The salary cap casualties included White, Poyer, center Mitch Morse, running back Nyheim Hines, and return specialist Deonte Harty.

Buffalo's renovations were highlighted by a blockbuster trade that sent wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans earlier this month. For some, the writing was already on the wall for the end of Diggs' tenure in Buffalo. For Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins, it was a blind haymaker.

Dion Dawkins believes Buffalo Bills are still Super Bowl contenders

During an appearance on "The Jim Rome Show," Dawkins admitted he was shocked by the news of Diggs' trade, but he also reiterated his trust in the organization.

"The Stefon Diggs [trade], it was definitely a haymaker," Dawkins said Friday. "A blind haymaker. But, you know, I have learned that in this world, in this career that I'm in, that pieces shuffle and things move around all of the time. … For a player that has that type of impact and popularity and stat-based weight for their career, it just hits you in a different way. Like I said, I love my teammates and I am loyal to my organization. So I trust them. I think that they know what they're doing. I know that they know what they're doing."

The NFL is a business. Players will often hear the expression, but it remains an abstract idea until they experience it themselves. That experience can come through their own contract negotiations, or through the team's transactions. Players develop deep and meaningful relationships with their teammates, only to see them get released or traded during the offseason. General managers are shrewd and calculated, and the ones that aren't capable of making cutthroat decisions typically don't last long. Sometimes, those decisions involve trading away a superstar player.

Many media members see Buffalo's drastic offseason changes as a sign that the team's Super Bowl window is closing, but Dawkins doesn't agree. He expects the Bills to still be contenders for one simple reason: Josh Allen will still be slinging the ball at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, NY.

"We got [No.] 17, and when you got Josh [Allen], anything is possible, truly," Dawkins said. "That window is always open when you've got guys like me and you got guys like Josh."

At the NFL Scouting Combine in February, general manager Brandon Beane told reporters that he expected Diggs to remain in Buffalo for the 2024 NFL season.

Diggs was targeted 160 times in 2023, the third-most of his career. He recorded 107 catches for 1,183 yards and eight touchdowns, but the 2023 season was his worst campaign with the team. The performance earned Diggs his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl nod, but he still suffered from a late-season slump. After Week 9, Diggs only surpassed 70 receiving yards twice and failed to record a 100 receiving yards during the team's final eight games. He scored just one touchdown during that span.

Throughout the 2023 NFL season, rumors suggested that the former All-Pro wide receiver was unhappy with Buffalo's offensive scheme, that his relationship with Allen was deteriorating, or that he wanted to be traded. Diggs repeatedly claimed that he wanted to retire with the Bills, but the disgruntled wideout began sending cryptic tweets about his future in Buffalo after the team's postseason run came to an abrupt end in 2023. Diggs allegedly "liked" a post on X that said the Bills had the worst fanbase, but Dawkins defended his ex-teammate, suggesting that it may have been an accident.

"The fans have an entitlement to whatever they choose," Dawkins said. "That's why they are fans. They have a choice. They have a side that they pick and, you know, every decision that we do in our lives as athletes, you know, people is always watching. ... Everybody has their own choice of emotions to show, and if Diggs accidentally hit that like button, so be it. The fans, they're going to hate him, then they're going to love him, then they're going to hate him, and then they're going to love him. ... And I'm loyal to my [Bills] Mafia, so, you know, I like where I'm at." 

After 2024, moving on from Diggs would've cost the Bills $22.2 million in dead money. Rather than delaying the inevitable, they opted to take the hit now.

Allen struggled during the first two seasons of his professional career. When Diggs arrived, Allen blossomed into one of the league's best quarterbacks. Now, he'll have to prove he can maintain that excellence without Diggs.