Buffalo Bills top-5 best moves of the 2019 off-season

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane came into the 2019 off-season with a pretty clear plan; don’t let last-season repeat itself.

After earning a playoff bid for the first time in 17 years in 2017, the 2018 build of the Buffalo Bills faltered. However, this was widely expected. After witnessing retirements, departures, and trades in the off-season, the Bills entered 2018 a depleted version of themselves. The plan was to improve around a veteran quarterback, as most thought throwing No. 7 selection Josh Allen into the fire would hinder his development.

But that didn’t quite work out; A.J. McCarron was traded, and Nathan Peterman disappointed yet again. Allen was named the starter by week two, and by the end of week five, he had a shoulder injury — precisely what the Bills wanted to avoid. When Allen came back, he wasn’t shaken by the shoulder injury; instead, he developed quickly and showed the potential to be a franchise quarterback.

Beane appears to be sold on Allen, as his off-season acquisitions would lead you to believe. Rather than gamble on Allen’s development by trotting out a sub-par supporting cast, the GM added heavily to every offensive position group via free agency and the draft. He nearly did the same in a trade for Antonio Brown, but we all know how that worked out.

The culmination of Beane’s efforts should be a much-improved offense to match an already stout defense. Head coach Sean McDermott, the leader that ended the Bills’ playoff drought, could return to the post-season in 2019. Beane’s busy off-season should give McDermott a complete roster for the first time in his career, but five transactions stand out the most.