Buffalo Bills: Offseason Wants, Needs & Preview

[Finished 13-3 Overall]

We have to start by giving the Bills Mafia a shoutout. We heard about them all season long, but it took until playoffs for us to see them live in action. The argument can be made that those 6700 fans allowed at the Bills Stadium were the loudest 6700 people any stadium has heard ever. Win or lose, Bills Mafia is here for the journey.

Despite falling short in their journey to Super Bowl LV, the Bills still had a very successful season. Much of their success can be attributed to NFL MVP contender Josh Allen. The QB who came into the NFL with the lowest floor and the highest ceiling finished his 3rd season with the Bills with 4,544 passing yards (#5), 37 touchdowns (#5), and an 81.7 QB rating (#3). The addition of WR Stefon Diggs and rookie RB Zack Moss opened up the realm of possibilities for this team on offense. Diggs led the league this season with the most receptions, targets, and receiving yards overall. The two clicked on the field despite no pre-season and limitations in practice as a result of COVID-19. There is hope for the Bills Mafia to return to the playoffs next season.

Offensive Needs

You don't need perfect vision to see that the Bills desperately need to improve their running game. The Bills' inconsistency of being able to run the ball is arguably what cost them a trip to Tampa Bay to face Tom Brady (yet again). You can put Josh Allen in a hurricane, and he has the arm strength to get the ball to where it needs to go, but take away the receivers and the Bills are nothing. This team showed how truly one-dimensional they were when playoffs rolled around. Recency bias may make you forget, but Josh Allen was running around like a chicken with its head cut off in the Conference Championship. Remember Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl? That was Josh Allen just weeks prior. Allen racked up 88 rushing yards in that game, and the other running backs managed just 41 against Kansas City.

Brandon Beane was careful with his words, not to put all the blame on Devin Singletary and rookie Zack Moss, but reiterated that this is a team issue. So where do the Bills go from here? This offseason will be crucial to get the Bills where they need to be to make a potential run at Super Bowl LVI. The Bills released WR John Brown ($8.1M) and TE Lee Smith ($2.2M) on offense to create cap space. While re-signing LB Matt Milano would be a clear and obvious choice for the Bills, the chances of that actually happening are low. With limited cap space even after the cuts made, the Bills' offensive needs would make re-signing OT Daryl Williams a priority over Milano. The Bills will likely look to the draft to get some additional help on the offensive line. Free agency is rich with receivers should the Bills feel they need another, although pass-catchers Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley, and Gabriel Davis are nothing to complain about. The tight end department is one where they could use an extra set of hands; the Bills would be wise to look at free agents to fill this need.

Defensive Needs

Along with cutting John Brown and Lee Smith, the Bills also chopped NT Vernon Butler ($6.8M), DE Mario Addison ($6.2M), and LB Tyler Matakevich ($3.3M). This offseason, the Bills will need to fill two crucial holes on defense: a partner to dance with Tre'Davious White and a linebacker to walk in Matt Milano's shoes. Bills CBs Levi Wallace and Josh Norman are slated to be free agents this season, and so the Bills need to work aggressively to get some depth behind White. With the potential loss of Milano, the Bills are looking at a weak defense if adjustments are not made, whether it be through the draft or free agency.

Too Long Didn't Read Version

The Bills are estimated to have roughly $1M of the 2020 cap rollover along with about $1M of cap space allotted in 2021. The expected cap for the next season is $176M, giving the Bills only $2M in cap space this season. Yikes. This is the main reason the Bills are likely going to have to let go of Matt Milano. While he would love to come back and play for the Super Bowl contenders at the right price, the Bills, quite frankly, don't have the right funds to afford him right now. The Bills already have the key players on offense to make a run at the championship, but weak defenses rarely make it all the way (just look at the Titans). Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs could easily be enough to get this team to playoffs, but improvements to the run game and defense will be fundamental in getting this franchise its first ring.