The Buffalo Bills fell short in the 2021 NFL Playoffs after succumbing to conference rivals Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Round. The bitter loss surely exposed a ton of glaring holes on the Bills' side that they would need to address moving forward.

One of the major points of improvement for them would be their ability to play with consistency. They often found themselves surging in the regular season only to run out of gas in the postseason for the past few years. Failing to solve the complex puzzle that is the Chiefs will definitely be a tough pill to swallow for them after getting eliminated by the same opponent for the second straight season.

Currently, the Bills are projected to be $1.33 million over the salary cap for the upcoming offseason. General manager Brandon Beane will aim to create more flexibility in order to address the gaps on their roster and have a more competitive lineup for 2022. Hopefully, the moves that they will make will allow them to get over the hump sooner than later.

Let's take a look at four predictions for the Bills in the upcoming 2022 NFL offseason.

Bills Offseason Predictions

4. The Bills will address their running back room.

The Bills had always lacked a potent rushing attack which held them back on most occasions. Their RB1 in Devin Singletary didn't make much noise as he only tallied 870 yards for the 2021 season. It was already the best output of his young career though it is still nowhere near the numbers of the top running backs in the league.

Coming in second in most rushing yards is Josh Allen who compiled 763 yards on his own. Without his contributions, the Bills wouldn't have been able to put up a decent ground game on the field. Their RB2 in Zack Moss had a down year as he didn't start in any game and only settled for 345 yards and four touchdowns this season.

Certainly enough, the team would need a dependable rusher who can be a consistent threat in the backfield for the Bills aside from Singletary. If they manage to land one then it will surely help improve the team's offensive attack moving forward.

3. Buffalo is expected to part ways with a number of veterans.

In order to improve the quality of their players, the Bills are expected to release the veterans who are considered cap casualties for next season. Wide receiver Cole Beasley is projected to have a $7.6 million cap hit as he heads to the final campaign of his four-year contract.

Center Mitch Morse is in the same situation but will be having a greater cap hit at $11.25 million for the Bills. The one-year contract of CB Levi Wallace has also expired and he might not be brought back next season as the team plans to overhaul the cornerback unit in 2022.

Meanwhile, aging pass-rushers in Jerry Hughes and Mario Addison as well as wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders remain to be on the fence though they may still be brought back on team-friendly deals.

2. The team will prioritize a cornerback in the draft.

Buffalo was challenged when top cornerback Tre'Davious White suffered a torn ACL injury midway through the season. With his absence, the Bills had no choice but to rely on Levi Wallace and Dane Jackson for the remainder of their campaign.

They managed to hold their ground for the most part but eventually crumbled in the AFC Divisional Round against the Chiefs. The game eventually exposed the capabilities of the Bills' cornerback unit which needs to be addressed in the upcoming offseason. Wallace's potential departure as a free agent will leave them shorthanded even more.

Luckily for the team, they are currently in a favorable position in the 2022 NFL Draft as they will be picking at the end of every round. They are expected to nab a cornerback early on with the likes of Kaiir Elam, Roger McCreary, and Trent McDuffie as potential targets.

1. They will try to re-sign Harrison Phillips.

Among all of their pending free agents, defensive tackle Harrison Phillips would be the one that they should try to prioritize in bringing back next season. Currently, his four-year, $3 million rookie contract has already expired and is set to enter free agency in the offseason.

He has been one of the bright spots on the Bills defensive line and managed to have vital contributions despite playing within a stacked unit. The Stanford product has yet to be a full-time starter through the entirety of the 2021 season though he just played the best campaign of his career.

Phillips compiled 51 combined tackles, a sack, and a pass defended in 14 games played. At the age of 26, he is expected to improve even more as his career progresses moving forward.

His strong surge in the second half of the 2021 season has surely given him a solid case to gain a larger role with the team and remain in Buffalo for the years to come.