Despite DJ Moore Addition, Bills LT Dion Dawkins Begs Free-Agent WR Stefon Diggs to Sign Back With Buffalo

The former All-Pro wide receiver is still on the market following his release from the New England Patriots earlier this offseason, and there’s at least one current prominent player on Buffalo’s roster that still wants the former wideout back in Western New York.

FOXBOROUGH, MA — DECEMBER 14: Former New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs (8) hugs Dion Buffalo Bills left tackle Dawkins (73) after a game between the Patriots and the Bills on December 14, 2025, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, last season. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

The Buffalo Bills and team president of football operations/general manager Brandon Beane made a splash this offseason with the trade acquisition of wide receiver D.J. Moore.

Some people praised the move.

Meanwhile, others brushed it off as just another failed attempt by Beane at bringing aboard a washed-up wide receiver to help former 2024 MVP quarterback Josh Allen finally reach his ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl and bringing a Lombardi Trophy back to all of Bills Mafia before it’s too late.

CHICAGO, IL — DECEMBER 14: Former Chicago Bears wide receiver D.J. Moore (2) and fellow Bears receiver Olamide Zaccheaus (14) celebrate together after Moore scored a touchdown during the second half of an NFL game between Chicago and the Cleveland Browns on December 14, 2025, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois last season. (Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire)

Recent attempts at resurrecting Buffalo’s receiver room have failed miserably by Beane

Buffalo’s head man has tried with other fellow wideouts like Joshua Palmer, who is coincidentally still on the roster, as well as Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore in the last couple of years.

But, none of the “experiments” have worked . . . even if Palmer technically could still pan out.

So, with that in mind, former University of Connecticut wideout Skyler Bell was drafted in the fourth round of this past April’s draft to help double down on the recent move for Moore.

And, free-agent veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks, who says he wants to come back to Buffalo despite the debacle in Denver last January, is still ripe for the picking on the open market.

A young Denver Broncos fan shakes the hand of Denver’s mascot at Mile High in Denver, Colorado, during a past NFL season. (Photo by LOGAN WEAVER | @LGNWVR on Unsplash)

So far, though, Beane and the front office have stood pat.

The team does have a little wiggle room in terms of its current situation regarding cap space entering training camp this week, however, so it’ll be interesting to see if that train of thought from the brain trust behind the operation in Buffalo remains to be the case in the coming days and weeks, especially as injuries unfortunately, yet inevitably happen.

Current Bills’ veterans take to Twitch to plead with Stefon Diggs to rejoin team

Well, if current franchise left tackle Dion Dawkins and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson have anything to say about it, then Beane will be picking up the phone for a certain former receiver’s services, and soon . . . even if he is the exact player that Buffalo’s roster orchestrator has been trying so hard to replace over the past two years.

The player in question? Notorious veteran wideout Stefon Diggs.

MIAMI GARDENS, FL — JANUARY 07: Former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs (14) heads to the locker room after playing catch with some young members of Bills Mafia before an NFL game in the AFC East division between Buffalo and the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, January 7, 2024, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire)

On a live Twitch stream from a dorm room at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford, New York, on Tuesday night — on the eve of a new era in Bills football with Wednesday’s opening training camp practice scheduled for 8:30 a.m. ET — Dawkins let his true feelings be known about Diggs’ time with the Bills.

There certainly appears to be no “bad blood” between the two former captains, that’s for sure.

“I don’t care. I would rather have him than not: I’m telling you . . . he’s one of them players that makes everybody around him better. He’s one of them teammates that will genuinely care about you. He will love you. He will take care of you as a person: everything,” Dion Dawkins said on Gardner-Johnson’s late-night live stream on social media on Tuesday.

FOXBOROUGH, MA — DECEMBER 14: Former New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs (8) dances on the sideline in Week 15 of the NFL regular season last year during an AFC East divisional matchup between the Patriots and the Buffalo Bills on December 14, 2025, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

“Diggs is that dude. He was one of my favorite teammates just like Von (Miller).”

Those are definitely powerful words from Dawkins. And, he didn’t mince them. It’s very clear to see.

In spite of all the off-the-field issues — let’s just say — that have followed the often, at least seemingly, disgruntled wideout since his abrupt departure from the Bills in 2024, the former Minnesota Viking, Buffalo Bill, Houston Texan, and New England Patriot playmaker still has supporters from some prominent figures in Buffalo’s locker room.

Even the new ones.

PHILADELPHIA, PA — NOVEMBER 28: Former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown (11), who now plays in the AFC East division with the New England Patriots, and former Chicago Bears safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson (35), who now also plays in the same division for the Buffalo Bills, share a hug after a past NFL game between the Bears and the Eagles on November 28, 2025, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, last year. (Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire)

“Me, as a person who’s seen it from the outside looking in, and being a person who’s been through all (that type) of chaos off the field, I know what a person like that on the field — with passion — does for a team.

“Because when he was on the Bills he had a captain’s patch on. That’s not voted by fans (or) coaches. That’s (chosen) by teammates,” new Bills’ safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson added on his live stream.

“That’s bigger than off-the-field (hearsay). So, then what’s his impact? I know he’s going to go out there and get me 145 yards and tear up your №. 1 corner right now.”

LONDON, ENGLAND — OCTOBER 8: Former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs (14) catches a pass from Bills quarterback Josh Allen (not pictured) for a touchdown during an NFL International Series game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Bills on October 8, 2023, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England. (Photo by Katie Chan/Action Plus/Icon Sportswire)

Dawkins, Gardner-Johnson believe Diggs can still be ‘that guy’ for Bills

Dawkins agreed with the sentiment surrounding the former 2015 mid-round pick of the Vikings, who has 12,523 total receiving yards in his 11-year career in the regular season and postseason combined.

And, Buffalo’s franchise left tackle doubled down on his take, especially after seeing Diggs blow up for 99 receptions for 1,123 yards and five touchdowns last year in the AFC East division for New England.

The personable offensive lineman wants Diggs’ back in the fold in Buffalo this week, regardless of what the roster currently looks like at the position.

“100%. Right now,” Dawkins continued.

LANDOVER, MD — SEPTEMBER 24: Former Buffalo Bills veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs (14) walks off the field following an NFL game between the Bills and the Washington Commanders on September 24, 2023, at the stadium formerly known FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland. It has since been renamed to Northwest Stadium. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire)

“Right now from fashion week. Come put pads on and a helmet on. . . . Diggs is that guy! Come play with us!”

Will it happen? Probably not.

But, it’s always fun to dream about the possibilities of what could be during the months of July and August before the real thing kicks off in September.

Football is back, folks. Rejoice.

MIAMI GARDENS, FL — NOVEMBER 9: A group of Buffalo Bills fans is pictured during an NFL game between the Miami Dolphins and the Bills on November 9, 2025, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, last season. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire)

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