A lot is expected of the Buffalo Bills. They have one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in Josh Allen and a very strong team around him. Last season was maybe their best shot at a Super Bowl, but they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs at home in the playoffs. This year, they have a lot of roster turnover. That means the Bills have plenty of training camp battles to monitor heading into the 2024 NFL season. The most notable ones will be at wide receiver and safety.
Who will take Stefon Diggs' mantle?
One example of the roster turnover Buffalo faced this offseason was their trade of star receiver Stefon Diggs. They sent him along with a 2024 sixth-round and 2025 fifth-round pick to the Houston Texans for a 2025 second-round pick. Perhaps Buffalo felt it was time to get Diggs out of their locker room, but he still leaves a gaping hole behind.
The Bills seem to be going with a committee approach in regards to replacing Diggs' elite production. The leader of Buffalo's pass-catcher may wind up being Dalton Kincaid, the tight end they drafted in the first round of last year's draft. But in terms of wide receivers, who the number one is remains cloudy.
Rookie second-round pick Keon Coleman appears to be the early favorite. However, he wasn't all that productive during his time at Michigan State and Florida State. He never exceeded 800 yards in a season in college and his draft profile was not the cleanest of this year's class.
Buffalo does have other options. One of which is the perpetually underrated Curtis Samuel. Samuel is a slick route runner who can play and win all over the field. His biggest issue has come from the quarterbacks he's played with.
And then there is the incumbent Khalil Shakir. Shakir has largely been utilized as a role and complimentary player, but he has been efficient in his brief NFL career. Shakir averaged 1.93 yards per route run last season according to playerprofiler.com.
These three all are very good players who will have big roles this season. But it will be determined during training camp who emerges as the number one option for the Bills before the 2024 NFL season gets underway.
Replacing two stalwarts at safety
Who starts at both of Buffalo's safety spots also remains a question. Both Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde were cut in the offseason to create more cap flexibility. The Bills will sort this battle during training camp as well.
Taylor Rapp looks in line to start at one of the safety spots. He was with the team last year and was a former second-round pick by the Los Angeles Rams back in 2019. Rapp's familiarity with head coach Sean McDermott's scheme should help him immensely earn a starting role.
The other starting safety spot is a bit murkier. Mike Edwards came in as a free agent after a year in Kansas City. He registered 51 total tackles and held his own in coverage. However, the Bills also drafted Cole Bishop in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Bishop, the former Utah Ute, can do a bit of everything. The hefty draft capital the Bills allotted to him could give him the edge in this training camp battle in preparation for the 2024 NFL season. That's where all these decisions will be made.
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