Last season, the Buffalo Bills ended their 17-year playoff drought by finishing 9-7 and clinching a Wild Card berth. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear Buffalo will be able to repeat that success in 2018. The loss of some key players coupled with the projected improvement of the rival Miami Dolphins and New York Jets (as well as the New England Patriots' continued dominance) may be too much for the Bills to overcome.
Bills Offense
Since joining the team in 2015, Tyrod Taylor developed into one of the NFL's most efficient quarterbacks. However, leading the NFL in lowest interception rate apparently isn't enough to prevent you from being benched in favor of a rookie (Nathan Peterman), only for that rookie to go out and throw four picks in a half.
Not viewing Taylor as the long-term solution under center, Buffalo traded him to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for the 65th overall pick, which ended up making its way to the Oakland Raiders in another deal.
Ironically, that selection was used when Buffalo traded up from the 12th overall pick to the seventh slot, where they drafted Wyoming QB Josh Allen. He possesses one of the strongest arms the NFL has ever seen, but he struggles with pretty much everything else.
Consistent accuracy is almost non-existent for Allen, and reading the defense both pre and post-snap is something he needs to improve vastly before he steps on the field for a regular season game. If Allen reaches his potential, he can be one of the best. If he doesn't, he will be one of the bigger busts in recent memory.
The man tasked with staving off Allen is former Bengals backup A.J. McCarron. However, after an underwhelming camp and first preseason game, McCarron suffered a collarbone injury against the Browns. It was not a fracture, however, and McCarron should be ready to start Week 1. Whether or not he keeps the job for long after that is another story.
Whoever is playing QB will need to rely on Pro Bowl running back LeSean McCoy. McCoy is now 30 though, and he is coming off of the worst full season of his career. Things won't get any easier for him, as Buffalo lost its two best offensive lineman, Cordy Glenn and Richie Incognito.
Quarterback X also will not have the best weapons to throw to; even though the Bills have added two first-round picks at wide receiver over the past year, they still have one of the worst receiving groups in the league.
Kelvin Benjamin functions as a (very) large red-zone target. His motor is inconsistent but his mouth is anything but. 2017 second-rounder Zay Jones will attempt to rebound after a disappointing rookie season and a near-death experience in the offseason. Buffalo sent a 2020 seventh-round pick to Cleveland for Corey Coleman, whose stone hands, glass bones, and lack of effort ran him out of town after two poor years.
Tight ends Charles Clay and Nick O'Leary aren't great players, but they look to be the Bills' most dependable receiving options at this point. Defenses will be able to key in on the run, and with a brand new offensive line, this spells trouble. Scoring points will be difficult for Buffalo this season.
Bills Defense
The Bills' better unit will undoubtedly be their defense. A surprisingly weak group a year ago, there have been improvements at the weakest spots which should put them into contention for a top-1o finish.
The defensive line is revamped, with the biggest addition being former Washington Redskins pass rusher Trent Murphy. He will start opposite Larry Hughes and 2016 first-round disappointment Shaq Lawson rotating in.
Between Murphy and Hughes are Kyle Williams and former Carolina Panther Star Lotulelei. Williams is currently dealing with a knee injury he suffered against Cleveland, so rookie Harrison Phillips, who was drafted to replace Williams anyway, will start in his place to start the year. Adolphus Washington is a great depth player who can stop the run or rush the passer from inside.
2017 tackles leader Zach Brown left in free agency, but he was replaced by first-round pick Tremaine Edmunds, who is basically the Josh Allen of defense. At just 20 years old, Edmunds stands 6-foot-5 and 253 pounds, and he ran the 40-yard dash in just 4.54 seconds. He has rare athletic ability and is the perfect linebacker prototype for today's NFL.
However, he is undisciplined and doesn't yet have the grasp of the position that he needs to be successful. Like Allen, Edmunds' ceiling is very high. Unlike Allen, Edmunds' floor is somewhat high as well. He is already skilled in zone coverage, and even if he never becomes a dominant linebacker, he could function as a glorified strong safety/moneybacker as his career goes on.
Tre'Davious White is still the #1 cornerback, but his running mate, E.J. Gaines, left for Cleveland. He was replaced by former Indianapolis Colts CB Vontae Davis, which may end up being an upgrade. Behind those two, Buffalo's depth is weak at the position.
At safety, Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer form a solid duo against both the run and pass. As a whole, the defense may not be on an elite level, but it should be much better than it was last year.
2018 Bills Outlook
Even though improvements were made on defense, Buffalo's offense is a giant question mark. A postseason return looks to be out of the discussion, and if offensive coordinator Brian Daboll can't figure out how to mold his new group, the Bills could find themselves in contention for the first overall pick in 2019.
Follow Us
Subscribe