Buffalo Bills: 4 reasons to be excited for the 2018 season

Most Buffalo Bills fans are optimistic for this season. There are many reasons to be excited for this season, but a few stand out as most important.

The Buffalo Bills have made their annual move down to St. John Fisher College in Rochester for a nearly three-week training camp. That’s where we will see rookie players trying to make their moves up the depth chart and see key position battles.

After surpassing many predictions last season, the Bills reached the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. Some are seeing a new bright future for the team this season, but at the same time, staying optimistic.

A few reasons fans should to look forward to this season are:

A strong battle for starting quarterback

For the first time in a few years, the team has three capable starting quarterbacks. Those include rookie Josh Allen, AJ McCarron and Nathan Peterman. This is where training camp comes into play. Fans will get to see first-hand which quarterback has the strength and skills to lead the team.

Some believe that Josh Allen should take his time and learn the complex system of Sean McDermott and new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll and not recreate the Nathan Peterman debut of last season. At the same time, some really like what Allen has showed in OTAs and during his tenure at Wyoming.

McCarron, a more veteran-like quarterback, played under Andy Dalton for four seasons. He played at times where Dalton was injured and came in to start and showed impressive skills. Peterman has the equal opportunity of the other two. Reports have said that coaches are impressed with what he has done in minicamp. This should be very interesting.

Continuing the stacked secondary

Early last season, general manager Brandon Beane went to work and signed safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer. This dynamic duo combined a total of 10 interceptions out of 20 total for the team last season.

Hyde was selected to the 2017 NFL Pro Bowl as a reserve, but had to withdraw due to injury. Then-rookie Tre’Davious White took the starting cornerback job and became one of the best in the league, tallying four interceptions last year and 18 passes defended.

Two-time Pro Bowler Vontae Davis signed a one-year deal in February to join the group of cornerbacks that lost a great amount of depth to free agency. After struggling last season with injuries and being cut by the Indianapolis Colts last November, he is said to be healthy and could bring some skill to the group.

What happens with the running back group

With the LeSean McCoy saga still undergoing, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that McCoy will be reporting to training camp with the rest of veterans. Behind McCoy, there is a lack of depth.

On the roster right now: Chris Ivory, Marcus Murphy and Travaris Cadet. Murphy showed some sparks of light last season, but was mainly third or fourth-string. Cadet is still nursing an injury sustained last season and Ivory was signed during free agency and played behind Leonard Fournette and T.J. Yeldon. Where the Bills go from here is up to the competition still to come.

What the rookies can show

This year’s draft was a success in most people’s books by trading up to get Josh Allen at No. 7 overall and drafting Tremaine Edmunds also in the first round. He has already been slotted to take the starting middle linebacker position, after losing Preston Brown to free agency.

A Kyle Williams look-a-like, Harrison Phillips, is also impressive and will probably back him up at defensive tackle. Wide receivers Ray-Ray McCloud and Robert Foster have been said to show some good talent. Both are competing to join Kelvin Benjamin and the rest of the receivers on the 53-man roster.

We all are optimistic of what the team can do this year and hope to expand from last year.