5 Buffalo Bills who will take a massive step forward in 2022
By Theo Bachman
The Buffalo Bills are well aware that the NFL is a year-to-year league; past success is not indicative of future success. Additionally, a player’s past failures do not necessarily mean that that player will continue to fail in the future.
Every year in the NFL, old stars burn out, and new stars are born in the form of bright young players. With the constant upheaval, a new team or coaching staff can make all of the difference in the performance and development of a player.
But, unfortunately, sometimes the player has had the talent all along and just hasn’t been used in the right scheme or has even sat on the bench and not been used at all. Regardless of the reason, there are breakout players across the league every year
Under this regime, the Bills have successfully turned players into the best versions of themselves. Here are five players on the current Buffalo Bills roster that will fare much better in 2022 than they did a year ago.
Which Buffalo Bills will take a major step forward in 2022?
Ryan Bates
The Buffalo Bills stand to get a massive upgrade at offensive guard in 2022. The Bills buried Ryan Bates on the depth chart in 2021, and it took an injury to Ike Boettger and a combination of injuries and poor play by Jon Feliciano for Bates to see the field.
He did not play heavy snaps until Week 16 against New England, but when he did, he rejuvenated the Bills running game. In the five games, including playoffs that Bates played, the Bills averaged 160 yards per game on the ground.
Due to his performance, the Bills coaching staff could not take Bates out of the lineup. Bates was pretty good in pass protection, too; in 160 pass block snaps, he committed just one penalty and allowed just three total pressures and 0 sacks.
In 2022 Bates will go into the season as the starter and will get much more playing time. Additionally, he will be getting first-team reps in practice, allowing him to practice against some of the monsters the Bills have on the defensive line, which should only make Bates better. By the end of the 2022 season, it will be apparent that Bates is integral to the Bills success and will be a household name amongst Bills fans.