WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling on goal with Bills after Stefon Diggs' exit: Go in there and 'be myself'

Marquez Valdes-Scantling has been down the road of filling a superstar void before.

Just as he was part of a cast of wide receivers brought in by the Kansas City Chiefs two years ago to compensate for trading away Tyreek Hill, Valdes-Scantling is now on a similar mission for the Buffalo Bills in the post-Stefon Diggs era — even if he doesn’t see it that way himself.

“I never really look at it like that because I went through the same thing when I went to Kansas City and Tyreek Hill left,” Valdes-Scantling said Thursday on The Herd with Colin Cowherd. “I just come in there and be myself. Whatever that version of myself is that’s needed for the team to help them win, that’s what it is. I’ve never really tried to say, ‘Oh, yeah, I want to come in and replace a guy.’ … Just going in and being myself is the goal. It’s never about what anybody else did before me or after me, it’s all about who I am and being the best version of myself.”

By trading Diggs to the Texans over the offseason, the Bills moved on from a player with four consecutive 100-catch, 1,000-yard seasons. They also saw Gabe Davis leave for the Jaguars in free agency.

Buffalo signed Valdes-Scanting, Curtis Samuel, Mack Hollins and Chase Claypool, and then took Keon Coleman with the No. 33 overall pick in the draft to restock the wide-receiving cupboard.

Samuel primarily serves as a slot option and Hollins and Claypool offer significant targets due to their size. However, MVS brings the deep-threat aspect to Buffalo’s roster of free-agent signings.

Despite suffering a challenging 2023 due to drops, managing to catch only 21 passes for 315 yards and one touchdown, he persisted and continued to make plays, ultimately securing another touchdown in Super Bowl LVIII. He also boasts an impressive average of 17.0 yards per catch over his six-season career.

His role as a burner will be pivotal to help strong-armed quarterback Josh Allen succeed in one of the bigger transitions of his career, but Valdes-Scantling is right to shrug off any narrative putting extra pressure to take over for Diggs or Davis.

The Chiefs have yet to find a direct replacement for Hill, but they have nonetheless succeeded with two consecutive Super Bowl victories without him.

Valdes-Scantling, now on the other side of the so-far one-sided rivalry between Kansas City and Buffalo, will be just one of many new additions designed to help the Bills overhaul their offense.

Perhaps Buffalo can finally overcome the hurdle if they all succeed together.