The Buffalo Bills are coming off of a 2018 campaign in which they won just six games, one year after making the playoffs for the first time since the 1999-00 season.
Of course, the Bills' struggles this past season did not come as much of a surprise even with their 2017 postseason appearance, and going into 2019, more of the same struggles are expected from Buffalo.
The difference between two and most of the previous 20 years, however, is the fact that Buffalo now thinks it has its quarterback of the future in Josh Allen, and while he had an up and down rookie season, many have high hopes for him based on his arm strength.
Obviously, the Bills aren't entering 2019 hoping to make a Super Bowl run, as the key for them is just showing some improvement.
Here are three priorities for Buffalo heading into training camp.
3. Figuring Out a Plan for the Ground Game
While Allen is a youngster under center, the Bills running backs are anything of the sort, as Buffalo's backfield is led by veterans LeSean McCoy and Frank Gore, the latter of whom signed with the Bills in free agency.
McCoy is coming off of a very rough 2018 campaign, and while Gore was productive with the Miami Dolphins, his season ended prematurely due to a foot injury.
Given all of the mileage on the legs of McCoy and Gore, the Bills are going to need to figure out a way to manage their workload without driving them into the ground.
Because Buffalo's passing game remains very suspect, the Bills may have to lean on both McCoy and Gore in 2019, but how they split up their carries will be paramount in keeping both aging vets fresh for the entire 16-game campaign.
2. Establishing a No. 1 Receiver
We can sit here and critique Allen as much as we want, but the fact of the matter is that if he doesn't have anyone to throw to, it's not going to matter how well he plays this coming season.
The Bills did go out and sign John Brown to add to their receiving corps, and third-year receiver Zay Jones showed some promise in 2018, but Buffalo doesn't really seem to have a definitive No. 1.
It's imperative for Allen to develop a connection with all of his receivers, but it's equally important for him to discover his go-to guy. While Brown is the veteran with more experience, Jones may end up being Allen's primary target, as he forged some familiarity with Jones this past year, and the one-two punch between Allen and Jones may become the biggest part of Buffalo's offense moving forward.
1. Avoid Any Pressure
Let's face it: the Bills aren't going to the playoffs this year. We know it, and head coach Sean McDermott knows it.
Of course, the players are going to believe in themselves, but Buffalo has to know that it doesn't even resemble a playoff contender and might not even exceed its win total from 2018.
The key for the Bills, as I said earlier, is simply getting better every day. That means Allen learning a bit more each week, and the rest of the young players on the roster earning more and more experience as they move forward.
You can't put any pressure or expectations on a young team like this, or else you're just asking for disaster.
Buffalo just needs to stay the course and keep building. Hopefully, Allen really is the Bills' quarterback of the future, and they can build around him and eventually become what they have been trying to be for the better part of two decades.
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