ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Stefon Diggs was back on the field practicing on Wednesday, and Bills Coach Sean McDermott said whatever lingering issues from last season that raised concern and confusion over the absence of Buffalo’s top receiver a day earlier have been resolved.

To begin with, McDermott said Diggs didn’t skip the team’s mandatory session on Tuesday, but was in fact excused. As for the issues that led to Diggs’ concerns in questioning his role in the offense, the coach said the team and the receiver are “in a real good spot.”

McDermott made an unscheduled appearance with reporters after practice to address questions raised regarding Diggs’ status, by clarifying and expanding on the limited comments he made in helping create the stir a day earlier when saying he was “very concerned” with the receiver leaving the team’s facility and missing a mandatory practice.

In laying out a timeline, McDermott said he and team officials spent Monday and Tuesday having conversations with Diggs to address the receiver’s concerns. The team and player then agreed to take a break from talks, with McDermott saying he excused Diggs from practicing and then picked up the conversations later in the day.

“Sometimes you’ve got to have conversations, you need communication and I appreciate Stef being willing to communicate,” McDermott said. “And you guys need to understand, Stef’s a valuable member of this football team. He’s one of our captains and a leader. … And I love him.”

Though Diggs has yet to address reporters or share his concerns publicly, he was a welcome sight wearing his No. 14 white practice jersey and shorts in making his offseason practice debut. Diggs previously skipped the team’s previous voluntary workout sessions, which opened in mid-April.

Diggs was limited to participating in only the stretching and individual portions of practice, while watching team sessions from the sideline, some of them alongside offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey. During a stretching session, Diggs reached over and shook hands with quarterback Josh Allen.

McDermott said Diggs’ limited practice time was by design in “ramping him up” toward the start of training camp. The Bills are scheduled to hold a third and final mandatory practice on Thursday before reporting to camp in suburban Rochester late next month.

While McDermott didn’t divulge the details of his conversations with Diggs, Allen shed light on the issues a day earlier. The quarterback said Diggs’ concerns are unresolved issues stemming from last season, which include getting the receiver more involved in the offense and having more game-planning input as among the player’s concerns.

“I think that 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.”

Diggs is entering his fourth season in Buffalo, and last summer was rewarded with a four-year, $96 million contract that kicks in this season.

PATRIOTS: Pleased with his team’s work this spring, Coach Bill Belichick canceled New England’s final day of minicamp and took them paintballing instead, per a source.

Cornerback Jack Jones also posted an Instagram of the outing surrounded by a number of his teammates: Josh Uche, Mack Wilson, J.J. Taylor, Kayshon Boutte, Corliss Waitman, Rodney Randle, and Marte Mapu.

Belichick often substitutes the final practice of the spring with a team-building activity. He canceled last year’s last minicamp session as well, and back in 2018, Belichick brought the Patriots to Fenway Park for some fun.

GIANTS: Former Giants wide receiver Homer Jones has died at the age of 82 following a battle with lung cancer, the team announced.

Jones is credited with the invention of the spike and is known for his speed on the field during his seven-year career.

The Pittsburg, Texas, native spent six seasons with the Giants, from 1964-69, after a brief stint with the Houston Oilers. He surpassed the 1,000-yard mark three times with the Giants from 1966-68 and was selected to two Pro Bowls during that stretch. His 1209 receiving yards and 13 touchdown receptions in the 1967 season led the NFL.

Jones is credited with inventing the spike in 1965, when he threw the ball to the ground after scoring a touchdown.

In 1970, the receiver was traded to the Browns. He caught just 10 passes for 141 yards that season as he was limited due to knee injuries. He soon retired at the age of 29.
Jones is survived by his six children.

• Jeff Nixon has spent most of the past quarter century working almost exclusively with running backs, including the past 12 in the NFL.

The 48-year Nixon has coached Reggie Bush and Christian McCaffrey just to name a few and he joined the New York Giants this year with the idea of working with Saquon Barkley, a fellow Penn State player.

As the Giants ended a two-day mandatory minicamp on Wednesday, Nixon has yet to work with Barkley. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 draft was franchised by the Giants in March and the two sides have yet to reach an agreement on a new long-term contract.

Since he has not signed the franchise tender offer, which would pay him $10.1 million in 2023, Barkley is not eligible to work out with the team.

Nixon has talked with Barkley since being hired to replace DeAndre Smith, who left after one season to take a job with the Indianapolis Colts.

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