The Buffalo Bills will have the most continuity on their roster heading into next season, ESPN recently revealed via a study.
The results of that showed that the Bills will be returning 88 percent of their snaps from last season in 2020. In terms of offense, the Bills lead that category as well, returning 95.4 percent. On defense, it’s 80.4 percent, or seventh-most in the league.
Continuity is something Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott has stressed in recent years. After turning over the roster that he and general manager Brandon Beane took over in 2017, the Bills have practiced what they preach, always trying to keep promising, homegrown talent, in house.
Looking at last season’s roster, the Bills didn’t lose any big pieces on offense. The largest is running back Frank Gore who had fallen off as the year went on. Defensively the biggest loss was linebacker Lorenzo Alexander, who retired.
Looking forward, the Bills do have a few more pieces to lock up if they want to continue this continuity. Namely, offensive lineman Dion Dawkins and linebacker Matt Milano. Both guys, starting caliber pieces, are entering the final year of their rookie contracts. The Bills would be smart to lock those two up sooner rather than later.
In regard to the rest of the list, the Bills are in good company. The defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs are second behind Buffalo (84.7%). Next are the Colts (82.7%) and 49ers (82.6%), respectively.
In the AFC East, perhaps a bit surprisingly, the Dolphins are the next-closest team at No. 10 (78.7%). The Fins edge out the Jets (72.3%) and Patriots (67.1%), who are going to look much different in 2020.
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