The heavy lifting of the 2022 NFL offseason is now behind us. Much of that has to do with free agency and the 2022 NFL draft.
The Buffalo Bills made some noise during both of those.
Free agency saw numerous additions in Buffalo highlighted by All-Pro Von Miller signing with the team. Then at the draft, the Bills made four trades, including in the first round to select cornerback Kaiir Elam.
All things considered, Pro Football Focus reflected positively on the work Buffalo put together. The football analytics outlet handed the Bills and offseason grade of B-plus.
Here’s the breakdown:
The AFC was a different landscape this offseason than the NFC. This conference featured an arms race between the contenders, and Buffalo wasn’t sitting on the sideline. Free agency brought nice additions such as Tim Settle and DaQuan Jones to the defensive line as well as Rodger Saffold to the offensive line, but then they dropped the bomb by signing Von Miller to a big deal to propel their pass-rush to a different place. Miller showed last season he still has juice, as he accumulated 82 pressures (including the playoffs) — 10 of which came in a single game against Tampa Bay in the postseason.
The Bills had a nice, steady draft. Kaiir Elam should be an immediate replacement for Levi Wallace at cornerback opposite Tre’Davious White. Elam’s stock slipped further than it perhaps should have because his best play came in 2019, but that play was outstanding, as he posted an 89.8 PFF coverage grade. Running back James Cook has the potential to bring a missing skill set to this offense and receiver Khalil Shakir should ensure that the weaponry around Josh Allen remains elite.
Like after the draft and free agency, grades for an offseason needs to be taken with a grain of salt. No one knows how all these moves will work out until these players hit the field.
But the roster the Bills already had in place prior to making these moves make one feel pretty confident about the additions.
In terms of the AFC East, Buffalo was held in high regard by PFF as well. Only the New York Jets were given a better grade for their offseason.
Here’s a quick divisional-grade rundown:
- New York Jets: A-
- Miami Dolphins: B-
- New England Patriots: D
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