The Bills have found their next star...

The Bills have found their next star wide receiver, and he's drawing comparison to a former Bills wide receiver that's getting people excited. That's right, we're talking about Skyler Bell and his phenomenal performance against the Steelers in Thursday night's preseason game. Plus, we'll be talking about one other player that got his first taste of preseason action and didn't quite live up to that same standard. So welcome in everybody to Bills Digest. I'm Ben Volker. Here at Bills Digest, we talk all things Buffalo Bills, so if you don't want to miss a thing leading up to the 2026 season, make sure to hit subscribe and let us know that you want more content just like this, and we will be delivering. And that's because the Bills just had their third and final preseason game of the season, meaning that the only thing ahead of us is the regular season. And the Bills won yet again in a 28-27 win over the Steelers. It was actually a pretty fun game all things considered for a third and final preseason game, considering most of the starters weren't playing, considering that there wasn't much to watch unless you're a true sicko like me. But the Steelers were in control for most of this game, and they looked like the better team for most of this game, and then all of a sudden with like five minutes left, Shane Buchel just went on a tear and led the Bills down the field, scored a touchdown, and then a two-point conversion for the win. It was pretty fun, but that's not why you're watching the third preseason game. You're watching to see those guys that are on the fringe, guys that haven't had a chance to play yet, to see what they've got. It's nice that the Bills finished the preseason 3-0 that is nice for positive momentum, but that's not the true storyline. The headliner of yesterday was Skylar Bell and his performance. He looked phenomenal. Now this was his first preseason action that is due to being injured at the start of the month. It wasn't a major injury, but it did keep him out of the first two preseason games. And then Joe Brady said ahead of Thursday's game that Bell would be playing, and it got fans pretty excited. We talked about it the other day, what he could bring to this Bills offense, and why both Brady and Josh Allen are excited about his presence. And he did in fact prove that on Thursday. Let's go ahead and take a look at his line from Thursday night. He finished with seven receptions for 49 yards, which was a team high for the night. Plus, and this was the big play that really got people talking, the 28-yard touchdown run. And Joe Brady said about Skylar Bell, he said it was good, tried to get him involved, it wasn't too big for him talking about the pressure in the stage. So people were chatting about Skylar Bell and his performance in this game. He looked like the real deal and looked like a starting receiver. And Skylar Bell, he's got some great energy, some really fun energy. We talked about him the other day. He said he was like a kid in the candy store getting back to practice. And this is what he said about his performance last night. He said he was super pumped when he heard the play. This is specifically about his 28-yard touchdown run. Heard the play in the huddle. It was two plays. There was a play where he got the ball, and there was an alert if it wasn't the right look. And he was praying to God that he didn't get an alert. He didn't, and they gave him the ball, and the rest was history. So Skylar Bell, it really seems like he's the type of guy that understands that everything he gets in this league is earned and not given. And he seems like he is really, really focused and really determined to make an impact on this Bills team. And those are the kind of guys that you really want to see. But people were getting really excited about Skylar Bell because it was reminding them of another former Bills receiver that had a great career in Buffalo. And that, of course, is Stefan Diggs. Now, of course, we all know how big Diggs' time in Buffalo came to the end. But for the most part, while Diggs was in Buffalo, he was great, and he was beloved. Let's not choose the fact here. Diggs was beloved when he was producing and performing in Buffalo. Now, what about Skylar Bell makes that comparison to Stefan Diggs? Well, for the most part, for the main part, they really have a very similar build. And I think what really stood out to people was Bell's action after the catch. He's very twitchy, very evasive, trying to get whatever he can out of every single catch he makes. And it is like this tweet says, you know it when you see it. And no, it does say that. He's not comparing him to Diggs. But the comparisons are there. And yeah, it is like Diggs' game when he was young in Minnesota coming up. Just the way they move and catch. Yeah, I agree. Bell has got it. That it factor a hundred percent. So people are seeing like a ghost of Diggs out there. And if that can hold up going into the regular season, that is exciting. And that is scary for the rest of the league. Because could you imagine a guy with that talent of prime Diggs combined with DJ Moore and Khalil Shakir? That is a recipe for a deep, deep run in the playoffs. But let's go ahead, take a look at the Bills receiving depth chart. This was prior to Thursday's Steelers game. As you can see, the top three are as of right now, DJ Moore, Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman. Right now, Skylar Bell slots in as probably a receiver five. But I would not be surprised if we see him rise throughout the depth chart. I could see him definitely leaping ahead of a Joshua Palmer. And then it's a question of does he become the receiver three above a guy like Keon Coleman, especially since Keon Coleman's kind of on thin ice. He wasn't great last season. That's been talked about for ages. He's been injured this preseason. So Skylar Bell really has a chance to really make an impact on this Bills roster. But let me know what you guys think about Skylar Bell. Do you think that he really is the second coming of Stefan Diggs? Did the Bills find a stud in the fourth round of this year's draft? Or is this a massive overreaction to a guy that performed really well against Steelers third stringers and that we shouldn't be getting our hopes up this much? I think I'm in the camp of yes. I do think that he does have that Stefan Diggs upside. And if you watched the game last night, it was like a one to one comparison. I mean, everybody was talking about how much Skylar Bell looks like Stefan Diggs. But let me know in the comments what you guys think. And if you agree with me that he does look like Diggs, make sure to leave a like. But I got one more guy for you that got his first taste of preseason action on Thursday. And it wasn't quite received as well as Skylar Bell was. And that, of course, is Maxwell Hairston, who had a pretty rough game Thursday night. Now, the big talking point, there was a missed tackle early on that he just completely whiffed, just gave up the touchdown. It was it was not a good look. Now, this is his first preseason action, as he has also been injured throughout the preseason. So Joe Brady wanted to give Hairston a few reps before the regular season started. But a lot of people were saying that Hairston did not look ready to go. And despite that, Joe Brady went out and said after Thursday night's game, he was confident. He was confident Maxwell Hairston is their starting corner at CB2. Now, that was kind of surprising, considering there is another guy on this roster who was threatening for that spot. You guys mentioned it in the comments a few days ago when we were talking defense, that being Davison Igbenosin, aka IGB. Now, he, on the other hand, looked really well last night, played really well, and made a few stellar tackles. And it really got people talking about if Joe Brady's call was the right move, going outright and naming Maxwell Hairston the CB2 for week one. Because, look, as Alex Braske points out here, Maxwell Hairston, blown over by Stiffwin, you got David Igbenosin running through Walls, Davison Igbenosin, excuse me. And IGB really has been the better player at training camp and throughout preseason. Alex Braske believes that he should be the CB2. Let me know what you guys think on this one as well. Do you think the CB2 in week one, do you agree with Joe Brady that it should be Maxwell Hairston? Or did Joe Brady make the wrong call here? Should it be Davison Igbenosin, IGB, as he is known? Now, look, I'm kind of torn on this one because, yeah, Hairston really hasn't had a great preseason. People are calling him the next Kyler Elam. I think it's a little bit too early to give up on him. And they did spend a first-round pick on this guy, so it would kind of be not a great look if they just gave up on him after one season of play. So I do think that Joe Brady is making the right call starting Hairston week one, but I can definitely see the point otherwise. So let me know, excuse me, let me know what you guys think in the comments on this one too. Do you think Hairston should be one of the starting cornerbacks? Or should they give IGB a chance? And let me know why. And if you agree that it should be Hairston, again, leave a like, let me know. So this is what the Bills defensive depth chart is looking like heading into roster cuts and then into week one, specifically at that cornerback position where Christian Benford obviously locked in as CB1, and then it's just between IGB and Hairston for that CB2 spot down there at the bottom. And look, even if Hairston is the guy week one, that's not to say that that will be the case the entire season. They did spend a second-round pick on IGB, so clearly they are high on him. But that's it for the preseason. That's everything in the books, preseason, Bills undefeated. All that's ahead of us now is roster cuts, and then we're on to Houston and the regular season is upon us. So if you don't want to miss a thing related to anything Buffalo Bills, roster cuts, Texans, anything beyond that, make sure once again to hit subscribe, let us know, and we've got you covered throughout the entirety of the 2026 season. Thank you for watching, and as always, Go Bills!