The Buffalo Bills made the playoffs in two of the past three seasons, and with Tom Brady now out of the AFC East, Sean McDermott’s club has the best chance they have had in the past two decades to win the division and host a playoff game.
While quarterback Josh Allen is at the center of it all, the roster has been beautifully constructed by GM Brandon Beane in the past two years.
For the purpose of this depth chart projection, we will project up to the top four at any given position. The Bills, like all 32 teams, have a bloated roster as it nears the triple-digit mark, but in September, that number will drop significantly when coaches settle on the 53-man roster.
Rookies will be denoted with a
.
Here’s what the Bills depth chart looks like over the summer:
Offense
The Bills have the most offensive staff continuity in the league (95.4%) according to a recent ESPN study, and last year the unit finished 21st in Football Outsiders DVOA (23th in passes, 17th in runs).
Allen took a major step forward in his second season, and as a rookie, Singletary averaged 5.1 yards per carry on 151 attempts. He finished with 969 yards of scrimmage in the regular season despite not reaching double digits in touches in a single game until November.
John Brown and Cole Beasley were key elements in Allen’s development a season ago. They routinely opened and combined for 1,838 yards and 139 catches at a stellar team average of 8.31 yards per goal.
The Diggs acquisition really moves the needle, as he has been the league’s best disputed catch catcher since 2017 and an elite separator since joining the league in 2015. After a high-volume season in 2018, in the He worked mostly underneath – 102 catches at 10 yards per catch and 6.9 yards per goal: Diggs erupted with 1,130 electric yards on just 63 shots: 17.9 yards per catch and 12.9 yards per goal.
Buffalo also returns with its five initial offensive linemen, though sophomore Cody Ford and veteran Ty Nsekhe will likely fight for the right tackle job. Spencer Long and Daryl Williams have deep quality, both of whom gained initial experience before signing with the Bills. Dawson Knox shone as a rookie and has the athleticism to threaten defenses on the field, he just needs to fix a few drop issues.
Altogether, this is the most comprehensive offense Buffalo has seen in quite some time.
Defending
Sean McDermott prides himself on a loaded, heavily rotating defensive line, and now as he enters his fourth year with the team, he undoubtedly has exactly that. Jerry Hughes has long been a productive pressure builder on the edge, and McDermott pitted Carolina Addison of Carolina to play as a standing runner on the outside, though he will move. So will second-round pick AJ Epenesa, a great and powerful defensive lineman. It will be the main backup in the end with veteran Trent Murphy.
In between, Ed Oliver will be the top interior disruptor, but he can face league discipline for a DUI and arrest for possession of weapons earlier this offseason. Third-year pro Harrison Phillips is coming off a torn knee ligament, and Quinton Jefferson, who steadily improved during his four years in Seattle, was signed in free agency.
The main attackers are Star Lotulelei and possibly former Panthers player Vernon Butler if he is on the team.
As a linebacker, Buffalo radiates athleticism and coverage brilliance with the towering Tremaine Edmunds and the stretchy, explosive Matt Milano. The secondary is led by All-Pro cornerback Tre’Davious White and smart, interchangeable locks Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde. Second place cornerback remains a question mark with Josh Norman, Levi Wallace and EJ Gaines, the trio ready to compete for that concert.
Special teams
Actually, there is some intrigue at the starting point in Buffalo.
Hauschka is the starter, hitting exactly the same number of field goals in 2019 as in 2018 (22 of 28), but he lost some distance as he made just one of five attempts over 50 yards last season. And the Bills picked Bass in Round 6 of the draft, a prospect known for his huge leg.
