Buffalo trades for a WR and signs a veteran CB.
Buffalo Bills Insider Chris Brown provides the details. Here is his report:
A true number one wide receiver, the kind a team makes a major part of the weekly game plan was what many NFL analysts thought the Bills needed to add this offseason to push their passing game over the hump. The question was would such an addition be found in free agency or the draft?
The answer was neither as GM Brandon Beane reportedly orchestrated a seismic trade with the Vikings to acquire receiver Stefon Diggs via Jay Glazer of FOX Sports.
Buffalo reportedly parted with their first-round pick along with a fifth and sixth-round pick this year and a fourth-round pick in 2021 in exchange for Diggs and a 2020 seventh-round pick.
Just 26-years old, Diggs is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons for Minnesota, including a career-high 1,130 this past season. Over the last three years, Diggs has 23 touchdown receptions tied for fifth-most in the league over that span (2017-2019) with players like Kansas City’s Travis Kelce and New Orleans Michael Thomas.
Perhaps even more important to Buffalo’s bottom line and philosophy of staying cap strong, Diggs is under contract for four more seasons, and is just hitting the prime of his career.
A remarkably elusive route runner, Diggs is a consistent separator and big-play threat. According to NextGen Stats, Diggs led the NFL in deep receptions (15), catch rate (57.7%) and yards per target (24.0). His 17.9 yards per reception last season was not only a single-season career best, it was tied for fourth in the NFL in 2019.
Only five receivers in the league had more 20-plus yard receptions than the 20 that Diggs had last season. Five of those 20-plus yard catches went for touchdowns in 2019, tied for second most in the league.
Adding Diggs to Buffalo’s experienced receiving corps that includes proven targets in John Brown and Cole Beasley should lift the Buffalo passing game up closer to the level of their top 10 rushing offense, which finished eighth in the league last season.
In the wake of the trade, Buffalo went from nine draft choices in 2019 to seven, giving up four total in the transaction (4th-round pick in 2021) and getting one in a return.
Buffalo signs Josh Norman
The Bills addressed a position that was a bit light on numbers Tuesday when they officially signed veteran free agent CB Josh Norman to a one-year contract. In February, Norman visited Buffalo and passed a physical. This week he returned his signed contract that was submitted to the NFL.
Norman, 32, was a cap casualty of the rebuilding Washington Redskins. He was released by his former club on Feb. 14th. For the second straight offseason the Bills took advantage of coming to contract terms with a player that was available as a free agent before the market opened.
He appeared in 12 games last season for Washington, making eight starts. Norman had 40 tackles, six pass breakups, an interception, a forced fumble and a sack in 2019.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott are very familiar with Norman, as the cornerback began his NFL career with the Carolina Panthers, with McDermott serving as his defensive coordinator for his first four professional seasons.
Norman went to his only Pro Bowl while being coached by McDermott in 2015 when he posted four interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns and three forced fumbles to help propel the Panthers to Super Bowl 50. He was also named first team All-Pro that season.