In recent years, the Bills are a team defined by perennial shortcomings. In every offseason since Josh Allen became, well, Josh Allen, there has been a clear path to playoff success. Each year, though, they just cannot seem to clear the hump.
As Bills fans are painfully aware, four of their last five playoff losses have come at the hands of Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. This begs the question: is Mahomes so much better than Allen that a Chiefs victory is a certainty? The answer: absolutely not.
It’s much more likely that these two quarterbacks are in the same league talent-wise. The difference is found in their supporting casts.
Bills have major problem that needs addressing soooner than later
While other contenders have successfully rounded-out their rosters, the Bills often find themselves struggling with personnel holes well into the playoffs. This year, lacking depth in the pass rush and in the secondary proved damaging to their super bowl hopes. Paired with injuries, the secondary was outright incomplete heading into Arrowhead.
Conversely, the Chiefs were able to adjust personnel packages on offense and defense without exposing any gaps in talent. In playoff football, the ‘weakest link’ notion shines bright, and it’s been a big issue for Buffalo.
Even acknowledging recency bias, the Eagles remain a strong blueprint for building a pass rush. They drafted defensive line talent early and often, and constantly disrupted and sacked Mahomes despite not blitzing a single time in the Super Bowl.
The Bills have a strong group of talented players at the top of the roster, but they lack the depth needed to overcome similarly-talented opponents late in the season. Fortunately, they roll into this off-season spared by a recent boost in the salary cap. While Buffalo will still be strapped by the cap, it gives them increased flexibility in player retention. The best opportunity to improve, though, will be the NFL Draft.
Fortunately for Beane and crew, this draft class is loaded with explosive and unique edge rushers. There are still question marks on where some of them will fall, but given the depth of this class Buffalo ought to be able to find their guy.
In Round 1, there’s hope that Marshall’s Mike Green could fall, but it’s unlikely. Other options are Tennessee’s James Pearce (despite some character concerns), and Texas A&M’s Nic Scourton. The latter is a stockier option, but still has a huge upside and isn’t yet 21 years old.
Same goes for the secondary, another need for the Bills. Specifically at safety, this class has an exciting mix of size and athleticism well into the middle rounds. Early on, South Carolina’s Nick Emmanwori and Notre Dame’s Xavier Watts could be on the table for Buffalo. A bit down the board, Texas’s Andrew Mukuba or Ohio State’s Latham Ransom could play a role early on while also providing important depth to an otherwise-thin defensive back end.
This draft class is riddled with talent at positions of need, and Buffalo is merely a few good personnel decisions from a Super Bowl appearance.