The Buffalo Bills had a much improved 2019 over their 2018 season. That included going 10-6 and making the playoffs as a wild card team.
A lot of the improvement came from new players. However, there were players that improved over 2018, and more importantly players that improved during the 2019 season.
Who stood out the most though?
Which three players improved the most over Buffalo's 2019 year that saw them make it back to the playoffs?
Josh Allen
This one was obvious. The Bills selected Allen in the first round of the 2018 draft to be their quarterback of the future.
2018 saw some glimpses of elite talent from Allen. It also saw wild inaccuracy, mental mistakes, and turnover issues though. All-in-all there were quite a few negatives to go along with the positives that year.
There were still saw some issues in 2019. Allen's completion percentage went up six percent in 2019 from 2018, but it was still just 58.8%. He threw three fewer interceptions though and did so in four more games. Meanwhile, he had 10 more passing touchdowns and threw for over 1,000 more yards.
The biggest changes came during the season though. Watching the games, you could tell Allen was getting more comfortable. He looked a little better in the pocket and was able to step up and had some major performances in big games for the Bills.
2019 was certainly a major step in the right direction for Allen.
Devin Singletary
Buffalo selected Singletary in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. The rookie running back started the year without much of a role though. He's always shown immense talent, but the roles changed throughout the year. That's why he makes this list.
Over his first four games, Singletary averaged five carries a contest. In his last six games, the running back averaged just over 17 carries per contest. That's a massive difference.
It's also part of the reason the Bills went 4-2 down the stretch, including big wins over the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Singletary finished the year with 775 yards on just 151 carries (5.1 yards per carry). A large chunk of those came towards the end of the year.
What this does is not only prove that Singletary is the real deal, but it was a passing of the torch. The Bills now have their franchise running back. They appear ready to ride him to a lot of victories in the future.
Ed Oliver
Singletary was not the only future star that produced right away that the Bills drafted in 2019. Buffalo snagged defensive tackle Ed Oliver in the first round (ninth overall).
Oliver posted 43 tackles (five for loss) with five sacks, one forced fumble, and two pass deflections in his rookie season. Those are great overall numbers, and a solid chunk of them came after the first few weeks.
That shouldn't come as much of a surprise. A rookie took a few weeks to settle in. It still doesn't change the fact that Oliver picked up steam though.
The defensive tackle had just five tackles through his first four games. 11 through his first five. He also had one pass deflection.
Buffalo had a bye in Week 6. Then Oliver went on a tear. Over the last 11 games, of the season, he racked up 32 tackles (five for loss) and five sacks. He also had his one forced fumble and one of his two pass deflections in that time.
Clearly, something clicked for Oliver. He was much more comfortable. This led to him getting to the quarterback with much more regularity. You could find him in the backfield often, bringing down ball carriers as well.
Oliver is poised to be a superstar. And how he finished 2019 is absolute proof of that.
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