Buffalo Bills finish at the top of GM Power Rankings by NFL.com

The Buffalo Bills have one of the best rosters in the NFL but it certainly hasn’t been that way. Ever since Brandon Beane took over the role after the 2017 NFL Draft, the Bills have been a franchise on the rise and he has made more good moves than mistakes.

However, the transformation really began when Sean McDermott took over as head coach a few months earlier. Prior to Beane joining, it was McDermott who was helping begin that transformation with notable free agent signings of Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer.

He also was a big reason for the Bills trading back with the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round. He said one of the reasons why they passed on drafting a quarterback was that they had a shorter evaluation period.

While the Chiefs did get Patrick Mahomes with that pick, the Bills got Tre’Davious White with the Chiefs’ pick later in the first round, as well as a first round pick the following year. That pick helped them move up to select Josh Allen, who has developed into a superstar and one of the best quarterbacks in the league.

Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott were named side by side in the general manager power rankings by NFL.com

Recently, Gregg Rosenthal at NFL.com put together his power rankings for general managers in the NFL. The Bills earned the top spot and it was good to see McDermott listed alongside Brandon Beane. While Beane has done a lot, McDermott certainly deserves some credit for what he did at the start.

"The Bills’ transformation since McDermott’s hire in January 2017 could be taught in a college-level course on how to rebuild a franchise. McDermott helped to hire Beane in May of that year, and they’ve hit every right note since: from big trades (Stefon Diggs, moving up for Josh Allen) and savvy draft picks (Tre’Davious White, Dion Dawkins, Matt Milano) to knowing which veterans to reward (Jordan Poyer, Micah Hyde) and when to move on (John Brown, LeSean McCoy). The Bills have a defensive coach, yet prioritized building an offensive roster around Allen. They always seem to find value in free agency (SEE: this year’s pickups of Jamison Crowder, O.J. Howard, Rodger Saffold, DaQuan Jones and Duke Johnson).No team is doing it better, and these two — along with Allen — deserve credit for helping to get funding for a new Bills stadium."

As Rosenthal wrote, Beane and McDermott not only deserve credit for the players they have brought in, the trades and draft picks they have made but also their ability to know when it’s time to move on. At the time, these moves may appear questionable but for the most part, they appear to be right in hindsight.

The Buffalo Bills have found themselves with their best legitimate Super Bowl opportunity since the 1990s. The combination of Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane deserves a great deal of credit.