AFC Notes: Stefon Diggs, DeAndre Hopkins, Bills, Dolphins, Patriots

Bills

Bills QB Josh Allen and HC Sean McDermott both spoke candidly about WR Stefon Diggs, saying they could have done more last season to get the ball to their star receiver.

“There are things I could do better to help out with this process and try to get him back here and be the Buffalo Bill that he’s meant to be. There are some things that could have gone better last year and didn’t,” Allen said. “I think, as an organization, maybe not communicating the right way with everything. Just trying to talk and listen at the same time, hear him out, and just try to move this forward as quickly and respectfully as possible.”

“I know everybody in our locker room loves (Diggs),” Allen added. “And I don’t think we’re gonna see this as anything different other than a guy that wants to win and somebody that we need to incorporate a little bit better in what we’re doing here and I got no doubt that we will.”

“I feel overall that we take a hard look at the season and review and we come out of those meetings with some real truths about what we could have done better,” McDermott said. “Whether it’s getting Stef the ball in this case, and listen, getting Stef the ball is an important part of our offense.”

• Ben Volin of the Boston Globe says a source close to the Bills’ locker room has told him Diggs is frustrated with his role in the offense and his lack of input into play-calling. 
• Volin points out that although Diggs had over 150 targets last season, there was a six-game stretch toward the end of last season where he was held to 60 or fewer receiving yards four times. In the playoff loss to the Bengals, he had just four catches for 35 yards. 

Dolphins

Dolphins CB coach and former Pro Bowler Sam Madison said that second-round CB Cam Smith is learning quickly this offseason.

“[He’s] doing very well,” Madison said, via DolphinsWire.com. “But guess what, he’s a rookie, right? We can look around the league since football’s been in inception and they’re going to have their ups and downs. But he’s a fast learner. He still has a long way to go, but he’s getting better at each and every last one of those things that we’re throwing at him. We’re going to keep challenging him, we’re going to keep putting him in positions and see exactly what we can get out of him.”

Patriots

Free agent WR DeAndre Hopkins left his visit with the Patriots without a contract despite optimism from both sides about the fit. That optimism is still there, per NFL Media’s Jason McCourty who still has his pulse on the team as a former player. 

“I spoke to some guys on the team, they feel really good about that visit,” McCourty said via ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “Obviously there’s nothing set in stone, I’m not saying he’s going to the Patriots, but I feel once he was there, in the building … [I think it showed] Hopkins having an interest in wanting to play for Bill Belichick.”