The Bills used any means necessary to add during free agency. Signings are the obvious but the trade route even happened.
Stefon Diggs headlines Buffalo’s additions via that trade, and all things considered, Touchdown Wire thinks the Bills got even better recently.
Following the early stages of free agency, TD Wire moved the Bills from No. 9 to No. 7 in their latest power rankings. Here’s why:
7. Buffalo Bills
Previous ranking: 9Key additions: WR Stefon Diggs, OLB A.J. Klein, ILB Tyler Matakevich, DE Quinton Jefferson, DT Vernon Butler, CB Josh Norman
Think back to Josh Allen, quarterback prospect out of the University of Wyoming. Close your eyes for a second and try and picture who he was back then. You’re probably seeing images of his big arm, making downfield throws, and flashing the elite velocity and arm strength ideal for a vertical-based passer.
That part of Allen’s game was missing a season ago. He was woeful throwing downfield, ranking 23rd out of 24 qualified passers in adjusted completion percentage on throws 20 yards or more downfield. But that can change with the trade for Diggs. While not a prototypical X receiver, Diggs is a game-changer in the vertical passing game. He led the league in touchdowns on vertical targets a season ago (six).
But the butterfly effect is real on what this means for the Bills offense. Having Diggs might mean more defenses play Cover-2 against them, making the box lighter and making the running game a bit easier. It also creates space for players like John Brown and Cole Beasley underneath.
Defensively, Jefferson and Butler are very solid acquisitions that will ease the loss of Shaq Lawson and Jordan Phillips, and reuniting Norman with Sean McDermott puts the veteran corner in a familiar defensive scheme.
Overall, the Bills actually rank as the fourth-best team in the AFC in TD Wire’s rankings, so a Buffalo playoff berth is something the outlet is believing in looking to the 2020 season. Ranking ahead of the Bills are the Titans in sixth, and moving up the ladder you find the Packers, 49ers, Saints, Ravens and defending champion Chiefs at the top.
The Bills edge out Tom Brady’s new team, the Bucs, who sit at eight. In terms of his old team and the rest of the AFC East, the Patriots sit at No. 14, and the Dolphins are starting to get love once again. They beat out the Jets slightly at No. 26, one point ahead of them.
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