Ranking the Best AFC East Wide Receivers After Bills Trade Stefon Diggs
The AFC East received a massive shakeup on Wednesday afternoon thanks to another marquee trade by the Buffalo Bills. After bringing him in with a blockbuster deal, the Bills just traded Stefon Diggs away to the Houston Texans.
Breaking: The Buffalo Bills are trading WR Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans in exchange for a 2025 second-round pick (via the Vikings).
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) April 3, 2024
⁰The Texans also receive a 2025 fifth-round pick and sixth-round pick.
Diggs has been one of the best wide receivers in the AFC East since he arrived with a league-leading 1,535 yards in 2020, and this move totally shakes up the pecking order.
Here's a look at the new rankings for the best wide receiver in the AFC East (at least before the 2024 NFL Draft shakes things up again).
8. DeMario Douglas, New England Patriots
If we were ranking based on potential, you'd see Pop Douglas much higher on this list. And some Patriots diehards would want to see Douglas higher than No. 8 as it is. But he still needs to prove himself over a bigger sample before getting that kind of respect.
Even though Bill Belichick frustratingly refused to play Douglas on more than half the Patriots' snaps in any game until Week 7, he finished his rookie season with 49 receptions and 561 yards. Doing that in a Mac Jones/Bailey Zappe-led offense raised some eyebrows.
7. Khalil Shakir, Buffalo Bills
Khalil Shakir had a massive breakout in 2023, but i'm not ready to crown him just yet. A handful of home run deep balls totally inflated his numbers (to an admittedly impressive 611 yards on 39 receptions), but Josh Allen and defenses keying on Stefon Diggs and/or Gabe Davis get a lot of credit for that.
One more good season from Shakir, proving 2023 was no fluke, and I'll be ready to send him soaring up the list. But for now let's wait and see.