Last off-season, the Buffalo Bills had to switch things up on the offensive side of the ball when they lost Brian Daboll. They pivoted to their quarterback coach Ken Dorsey, who was star quarterback Josh Allen’s, number one choice for the vacant offensive coordinator job. While there were some highs in the first-year offense under Dorsey, the lows stick out like a sore thumb; especially to Bills fans.
In the first few games of the season, the Buffalo Bills offense, and the team as a whole, came out of the gates scorching hot. The offense was humming and Dorsey was looking like the perfect replacement to Brian Daboll, who won Coach of the Year last season. However, it didn’t last. Launching an FBI investigation should be under serious consideration to find out what happened to the Bills’ offense during their bye week.
The offense was merely a shell of itself. Yes, teams got film and adjusted, mainly by switching to a two-high shell look and bracketing Stefon Diggs; it should not have shuttered that badly though. Diggs himself in an appearance on HBO’s The Shop, mentioned that the execution by the offense just wasn’t there. The worst showing was in the Bills’ playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals, in a team no-show. Despite that, there are still plenty of reasons for optimism that the offense will be better next season.
Reason No.1: Ken Dorsey will be in his second year calling plays
While it made sense to hand Dorsey the keys to one of the best offenses in the league, a con was that he had never been a play-caller before. At times, the offense was just stagnant and seemed to have no flow to it. The team was dependent on Josh Allen doing unbelievable things and extending plays to get moving; it worked, for the most part. It is just not a sustainable way of operating.
Despite a lot of complaining from fans, the Bills did finish as the number two-ranked offense in 2022. They also finished as the number seven-ranked passing offense, averaging 258 yards per game, and the seventh-ranked rushing offense, averaging 139 yards per game.
Ken Dorsey is a fantastic coach and offensive mind, who is only going to improve in year two. He is going to have a full season of his own tape to critic and spend the entire offseason improving the offense as a whole. Not to mention, he has a very close relationship with Josh Allen, which will only help further the development of the offense with his thoughts.
General manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott have expressed nothing but the utmost confidence in Dorsey, and expect big development from him and the offense. If anyone has doubts about Dorsey’s coaching ability, he has been at the vertex of Cam Newton’s MVP season and prime of his career, and now the ascension of Josh Allen into a top-three quarterback in the NFL.
Reason No. 2: The Buffalo Bills have already improved the personnel on the offensive side
A huge reason for some of the offensive woes last season, was the offensive line, especially in big games. I mean if you watch the tape, there are times when the O-line was just straight-up getting bullied. Keeping Allen clean is crucial, and Brandon Beane got to work. He signed interior offensive lineman, Connor McGovern, and added more depth there by signing David Edwards.
McGovern played 909 snaps last season, committing only one penalty and allowing just two sacks. The former third-rounder in 2019, is entering the best years of his career and is slotted to be the Bills starting left guard; a nice upgrade over Rodger Saffold. David Edwards is a former Ram and Super Bowl champion, and a top-notch depth piece. Depth is crucial and a big reason for the lowly protection of Allen last year.
The Bills don’t seem to be done adding on the offensive line either, as they are being linked to numerous prospects in the draft. More notably, some of the higher profile ones, like Darnell Wright.
Source: #Bills to host #Tennessee OT Darnell Wright on top-30 visit https://t.co/lnXPRSM4qX #BillsMafia
— Ryan Talbot (@RyanTalbotBills) April 1, 2023
On paper, before the draft, the protection for Josh Allen has already improved, which will translate directly to an improved offensive unit next season. If the Bills add one of the top O-line prospects in the draft to what they already have, the potential to be a top pass-blocking unit is there.
Reason No. 3: James Cook and the run-game is set to explode
The NFL is a quarterback-driven league and the Buffalo Bills luckily own one of the best at it. One of the best things you can do to help your quarterback is to establish a run game. While Devin Singletary was great in his four years as a Bill, he never seemed to be able to completely take over a game. That was in large part due to his ability to not be a home run threat, because of his lack of burst.
2022 second-round pick, James Cook, seems set to be the team’s number-one back in the 2023 season. Cook got better as the season went on and flashed the ability of what he can do. He can rip long runs and is a threat to take it to the house every time he touches the ball. Cook brings a burst that the Bills’ backfield hasn’t saw since LeSean McCoy was in town.
Cook finished last season averaging 5.7 yards per carry, which led all rookies. It would have led the league if he had 11 more carries during the year. He also brings a great receiving ability out of the backfield, which helps open up the playbook. With an off-season for improvement and an upgraded offensive line, Cook can help take the offense to another level.
Outside of Cook is the Bills’ new power back, Damien Harris. He will be the perfect complement to Cook, who can go run some people over at the goal line, or in short-yardage situations. Nyheim Hines is another great option to have, providing a similar skillset to Cook’s. All-in-all, the Bills will finally not have to rely on Josh Allen’s legs for ground game production. The running back crew, led by Cook, is going to go a long way in improving the team, especially late in the season.