ESPN ranks the Buffalo Bills highly for ‘long-term success’

ESPN ranks the #Bills highly for ‘long-term success’

The Bills are set up well for the long term.

This is according to an ESPN 2024 NFL Future Power Rankings: Projections for all 32 teams list of teams the sports media outlet deems built for the future.

Power rankings this time of the year in the NFL can be speculative, being that it’s the offseason, and those projections are often educated guesses towards the coming year’s campaign.

In the case of ESPN’s rankings, they’re looking farther out ahead to the future in terms of what team’s project to have sustainable success over an extended period of time, and the Bills are among those at the top of the list.

For this list, ESPN’s focus is long-term projection over the next three seasons (2024 through 2026) and the analysis is provided by Dan Graziano, Louis Riddick, and Aaron Schatz. The trio was asked to rate each team’s quarterback situation, the rest of each club’s non-QB roster makeup, as well as each franchise’s front office and coaching staff, using the following scale:

  • 100: A+ (elite)
  • 90: A (great)
  • 80: B (very good)
  • 70: C (average)
  • 60: D (very bad)
  • 50 and below: F (disastrous)

Once the results have been averaged, each of the four categories are weighted creating each team’s respective overall score: quarterback (20%), roster (30%), front office (25%) and coaching (25%).

The final outcome projects how well each team is positioned for the future, along with the three analysts reasons for optimism, reasons to worry, and crucial stats/nuggets to know for each club.

Here’s what ESPN had to say about the Bills, who they have ranked at third overall on the list behind only the Chiefs (1), and Ravens (2):

3. Buffalo Bills
Overall score: 89.5

Signing Eddie Jackson named the one final move for Eagles before training camp

ESPN’s Aaron Schatz suggested one final move for all 32 NFL teams and the Philadelphia Eagles were linked to Eddie Jackson

The Eagles have one of the NFL’s most complete rosters, but there are still holes to be filled, and even after C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s return, the safety position could use an experienced veteran presence.

ESPN recently suggested one final off-season move for all 32 teams, and adding a particular safety could put Philadelphia over the top.

Sign S Eddie Jackson

What the Eagles could use is defensive depth. At safety, for example, Sydney Brown is coming back from an ACL injury suffered late last season, leaving little depth behind C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Reed Blankenship. Jackson, a former Bears star, would help stabilize the unit. He could play strong safety if Gardner-Johnson lines up in the slot, or he might even beat out Blankenship for the free safety position.

Jackson was released by the Bears in a cost-cutting move.

Jackson, 30, has spent his entire seven-season career with Chicago, who picked him in the fourth round of the 2017 draft.

He has started all 100 games he has appeared in his career, and in 2023, he had an interception and 37 tackles in 12 games.

Jackson is familiar with Vic Fangio’s scheme and could be a name to watch.

Seahawks 2013 squad still sits atop list of best teams of the decade

Four Seattle Seahawks rosters have made Aaron Schatz’s list for ESPN of the best NFL teams of the decade.

With a lull in the action before the hopeful start of training camps at the end of July, Aaron Schatz has updated his special to ESPN detailing his best NFL teams and players of the decade following the close of the 2019 season.

After his adjustments, the 2013 Seahawks still sit atop his list of the best clubs of their time at No. 1 overall.

“The 2013 Seahawks featured the No. 10 best defense in DVOA history (including playoffs),” Schatz writes. “They also ranked seventh on offense and fifth on special teams for the regular season. Seattle’s three losses all came by a touchdown or less, and their 43-8 Super Bowl blowout of Denver ranks as one of the 20 best single-game performances in DVOA history.”

Seattle’s 2013 squad wasn’t its only one to make the cut, four Seahawks teams were included in Schatz’s top-10 of the decade: the 2014 corps landed at No. 9, the 2012 roster made it to No. 4 and 2015’s slate ranked No. 3.

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