Buffalo Bills stay out of the red on their offseason balance sheet

The Buffalo Bills lost some players but the additions kept their balance sheet in the black for the offseason.

Every company uses a balance sheet to look at their assets and liabilities and the same framework can be used looking at the Buffalo Bills. What are their assets, or which players and coaches provide more value than, and what are their liabilities, or potential issues with how the roster and coaching staff are constructed.

The good news for the Buffalo Bills is that even with some changes, they were able to address them and ensure that they didn’t become liabilities. For this balance sheet it is broken into four main categories: coaching staff, offense, defense and special teams. This is what a balance sheet might look like for the Buffalo Bills coming out of the 2020 offseason.

Buffalo Bills coaching staff avoids going into the red

Thankfully the Buffalo Bills coaching staff didn’t have any major changes, especially considering Brian Daboll could have potentially left after interviewing for the Cleveland Browns job. However, with Daboll not being picked, the Bills kept the key pieces in place with Daboll as offensive coordinator and Leslie Frazier on the defensive side of the ball.

Frazier actually did a job title change, and he is now assistant head coach along with defensive coordinator. This was absolutely the right move as he has been a key part of leading a group that is one of the best in the league.

In addition to the job title change for Frazier, another interesting move was the creation of a position coach to focus on the nickel position. The team named Jimmy Salgardo for this role and considering the Bills rely so heavily on the nickel defense, this was a smart move.

Buffalo Bills offense – Black

The Buffalo Bills didn’t lose any offensive starters this offseason as they were able to re-sign Quinton Spain. However, they significantly improved this group with the additions of Stefon Diggs and Zack Moss. These are certainly assets, along with John Brown, Cole Beasley and Devin Singletary

These are two playmakers that should help Josh Allen take that next step in his development. It is hard to imagine but Allen could be the potential liability for this group. The Bills offense is hoping to move out of the bottom half of the league and that is going to fall on the shoulders of Allen. However, Allen can help in this regard by getting the ball out quick and to his playmakers, allowing them to gain those extra yards.

This is a group that has potential upside and it will be interesting to see how the pieces gel together this coming season.

Buffalo Bills defense – Black

The defense had some losses with the departure of Jordan Phillips and Shaq Lawson in free agency and Lorenzo Alexander, who retired. The Bills front office elected to add multiple pieces to fill the holes left by their departure.

At defensive tackle, the Bills signed Vernon Butler and Quinton Jefferson to replace Phillips. Meanwhile at defensive end, the Bills brought in Mario Addison and drafted A.J. Epenesa to rotate at the position and replace Lawson.

In terms of liabilities, the biggest concern has to still be the cornerback position opposite Tre’Davious White. This will be the weakest spot on this defense unless someone like Josh Norman can have a career resurgence in Buffalo after down years with the Washington Redskins.

Buffalo Bills special teams – Black

The Buffalo Bills didn’t lose anything here but brought in players like Tyler Bass and Kaare Vedvik for competition. The additions here would hopefully eliminate any liabilities at the kicking specialists positions by the competition added. The Bills coaching staff should be able to enter the 2020 season with the best option at both.

The biggest improvement, and this will certainly be an asset, is the additions made on the coverage team.  A player like Tyler Matakevich, who led the league in special teams tackles, is a big boost to this group.

The Buffalo Bills are coming off a playoff season and the lack of losses certainly helped this balance sheet. However, the front office didn’t sit back but were aggressive adding pieces that really kept this balance sheet out of the red this offseason.