Many in western New York are excited about the future ahead of the Buffalo Bills. The folks at the world-wide leader are not quite at the same spot the locals are at, though.
ESPN did some “futures” rankings for every NFL team, projecting the next three years forward. The Bills got some praises and got some knocks, too. With that two-way street in mind, Buffalo slotted in at No. 14 overall, right in the middle of the NFL pack.
Here’s part of the breakdown on the Bills:
Why they’re here: A nasty defense isn’t going anywhere in Buffalo, and it plays under excellent leadership in coach Sean McDermott and assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier. GM Brandon Beane has attacked all layers of team building: major trades (Stefon Diggs), lucrative free-agent deals (Mitch Morse), value additions (there are many) plus a solid drafted nucleus. Josh Allen is the key for this team’s rise.
Biggest worry: There are no more excuses for Allen. The front office acquired a legit No. 1 WR in Diggs, bolstered the rushing attack with the drafting of Zack Moss in the third round, and have an under-the-radar superstar in second-year TE Dawson Knox. In a division no longer inhabited by Tom Brady, Allen must deliver. I have my doubts.
Looking ahead: It’s great that Allen has speedy weapons, but Buffalo’s top three receivers are 6-foot or below, which isn’t ideal for a quarterback who battles accuracy issues. Add a big-bodied receiver for balance, and another tight end alongside Knox for catch-radius purposes; similar to Lamar Jackson’s setup in Baltimore last year — think wider targets. Otherwise, the Bills’ roster is primed for playoff runs over the next three years. The defense is wildly underrated.
In stacking up these rosters, ESPN had a grading system based on each team’s overall roster, quarterback, coaching, drafting, and front office. In terms of a scale, the Bills’ total score was a 79.3. That landed the Bills just below a letter grade of ‘B’ which was described as very good.
Interestingly, what held the Bills back was one surprising and one unsurprising thing. Buffalo’s quarterback grade was the 26th best among all teams, which isn’t much of a shock at all since Josh Allen really needs to take a step forward as a passer next season. We already knew that. But what else held Buffalo back was their draft grade ranking 20th.
While the Bills have had their Nathan Peterman’s, there’s others such as Matt Milano, Dion Dawkins, Tre’Davious White, Devin Singletary, and Tremaine Edmunds as well. Really what this one comes down to as much as anything else, once again, is Allen.
In terms of positive rankings, the Bills’ overall roster, which is everyone minus the QB combined, landed as the sixth-best, while the front office landed at seven. Looking at the rest of the list, the Bills are in good standing to potentially make some noise in the AFC East as well.
The Patriots do out-rank the Bills, but only by hair at No. 13 overall. The gap has certainly closed. The Jets and Dolphins bring up the rear in the division at No. 28 and 20, respectively.
[lawrence-related id=66430,66423,66344,66410]