The Buffalo Bills offense was stellar throughout the season. However, more conservative than explosive, the lack of major avenues to break open a game became apparent for Buffalo in the playoffs. Now, after a fourth playoff defeat at the hands of Patrick Mahomes, they need to regroup.
And, according to most predictions, that turnaround begins with adding new supporting pieces around MVP Josh Allen. A prime candidate to join the Bills is a veteran wide receiver sharing his last name.
Buffalo Bills Find Their Stefon Diggs Replacement
Since trading Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans, the Bills have been on the lookout for a consistent veteran receiver. They added Amari Cooper in the middle of last season, but his contributions weren’t as steep as Buffalo had anticipated.
Instead, he finished with just 547 yards on the season, with nearly half of that number coming as a member of the Cleveland Browns. Moreover, in the postseason, he was a relative no-show, tallying just 41 total yards over three games.
But, according to Yardbarker, the Bills could find their Diggs replacement in the form of Keenan Allen. The veteran wide receiver had a wildly disappointing year with the Chicago Bears. However, he still has enough upside for Buffalo to take a chance on him.
Last season, he totaled just 744 yards and seven touchdowns. But on an offense that was downright bad at times, those numbers might not tell the whole story. Throughout his career, Allen has been a reliable name as a quarterback-friendly target who can draw extra attention underneath and, thus, have an indirect impact on the vertical passing game.
In 2023, he totaled 1,243 yards in just 13 games with Justin Herbert as his quarterback. Even in his age-33 season, he can be productive for a Buffalo team that is yet to get over the hump. The offense ranked fourth in PFSN’s Offense+ metric but stumbled just enough in January to fall short.
Moreover, after the down year, the asking price for Allen might be lower than other names on the market, making him ideal for the Bills.
The pairing of the two Allens could make Buffalo’s offense that much more bulletproof. And for a Bills team going up against the heavy-hitters of the AFC, ensuring the passing offense remains elite is paramount.
Allen still ranks as the 27th free agent in PFSN’s top-100 NFL free agent rankings and is among the five best receivers available. If he is attainable for a reasonable price, it would be in Buffalo’s best interest to add him to the mix.