By Nick Wojton / Billswire.usatoday.com
In just over a month, the Buffalo Bills will go to training camp with the hopes of making the playoffs for the first time since 2017. But in order to do so, plenty of players will need to cease the opportunity in front of them.
Whether a new kid on the block, a returning vet, or free agent addition, there are numerous pieces that need to play their part in order for the Bills to make that push.
With that, here are the 10 most important players for the Bills next season:
C Mitch Morse
The Bills signed Morse in free agency, making him the NFL’s highest-paid center. As Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane both explained, the team believes it’s an important position. A good center can have a ripple effect on the offensive line, improving or hurting the play of those around him. The Bills are hoping Morse will have a positive impact.
Last season, Morse earned high marks from Pro Football Focus, earning an 82.7 grade in pass blocking and 69.5 overall, making him the 13th-best center in the NFL. Buffalo’s center last season, Russell Bodine, graded out at No. 18 (61.6). Per PFF, Morse hasn’t allowed a sack since his rookie season and only allowed one QB hit in his last 21 games played of 20-plus passing snaps.
CB Tre’Davious White
White is as dependable as they come, but he’ll have to be once again in 2019. His second season got off to a bit of a rocky start, but never was considered bad. That’s just an evaluation in comparison to his lights-out rookie campaign.
In 2019, some speculate the Bills need to get off to a hot start because of a tougher end to the season. Early on, the Bills face the Jets, Giants, Bengals, Patriots and Titans. In that grouping, White will face off against guys like Corey Davis, A.J. Green, and Robby Anderson. And of course, Tom Brady. If White locks down those names early in the season, it will be a huge boost for the Bills and their looks at grabbing some pivotal early season wins.
DE Jerry Hughes
The success level of Hughes could certainly push the Bills up another level in 2019. That likely depends on one thing: sacks. As a pass rusher, that’s the obvious call. However, Hughes is an interesting case. He garners praise despite not reaching double-digit sack totals since 2014.
Hughes had seven sacks last year but PFF gave him the second-highest pass-rushing grade (90.4) in the NFL, the highest pass-rush win rate (23.9%) and the league’s highest pressure rate (19.7%).
Translation, Hughes is getting close to the QB, but not getting there. Actually getting there makes a much bigger difference, which is why sacks are held in such high regard. They stall opponents’ drives and get the Buffalo offense back on the field. The now longest-tenured Bill, Hughes can make a big difference on the outcome of next season if he takes things to the next level by taking down opposing quarterbacks a bit more.
DT Ed Oliver
Oliver and Hughes go hand-in-hand. The team’s first-round pick from the 2019 draft will likely slide in at Kyle Williams’ old spot in the lineup. While he will need time to develop as a rookie, Oliver’s ceiling as a pass rusher is much higher than Williams’ in that regard.
If Oliver, who’s been playing with the second-team defense during spring practices, can unlock his potential as a pass rusher as early as next season, he could certainly make those around him better. Not just Hughes, but guys like Shaq Lawson and Trent Murphy, as well.
And if Oliver takes down the QB himself instead? The Bills will take that, too.
K Stephen Hauschka
The kicker? Yes, and it’s pretty self-explanatory. If Buffalo is in a push for the postseason, the smallest of things can make a difference. Such as a single kick. The Bills will need Hauschka’s clutch leg, perhaps a few times, during the season.
In recent memory and likely again next season, the team’s defense will lead the way. If the offense lags behind, the Bills could be in for some close games. In 2017, 9-7 got Buffalo to the playoffs and seven of those games were decided by less than a touchdown.
Hauschka has been reliable during his tenure in Western New York. Last season, his accuracy dropped to 78.6 percent, though. The kicker wasn’t himself because of a few injuries he sustained, so the team will hope he’s shaken them off, both physically and mentally. You never know with guys like kickers, goalies or pitchers. That mental game needs to be just as strong, if not stronger.
LB Tremaine Edmunds
At linebacker, the Bills have two options you can rely on. In his second season, Matt Milano was inches away from Pro Bowl level and perhaps could’ve gotten there if he didn’t have a late-season injury. Veteran Lorenzo Alexander provides contributions as a team leader, but also has a knack for pass rushing.
That makes Edmunds the key here. If the second-year pro can take a step forward in 2019, the Bills could have one of the best linebacker groups in the NFL, along with one of the best secondaries. Edmunds shined during his first season, but also made rookie mistakes. If he cleans those up, he’ll send the Bills defense to the next level.
Edmunds had two of each of these as a rookie: sacks, forced fumbles and interceptions.
QB Josh Allen
Quarterback is perhaps the most important position in all of sports, so there should be no surprise that Allen makes the list. As a rookie, his overall athleticism turned heads. His throwing accuracy shook those same heads, and not in the best of ways.
Allen will need to improve his accuracy in his second season, which is certainly possible. Young quarterbacks in the NFL, such as Jared Goff, have done just that from their first to second seasons. If Allen is good, he’s making everyone else around him better in the … process.
RB LeSean McCoy
The bar for McCoy might not be high in 2019 after setting a career-worst 3.2 yards per carry last season. But it should be noted that it wasn’t all on him.
The offensive line in front of McCoy was brutal. For most of the 2018 season, PFF ranked Buffalo’s run offense the second worst in the NFL. On top of that, McCoy might have lost a step.
Furthermore, combining those with the Bills’ lack of a passing attack allows defenses to stack the box across from McCoy. In the past when a defense has keyed in on McCoy, he still had a chance to make them miss. He needs help doing so now, it appears, but if Buffalo’s run game returns next season and we see glimpses of the Shady of past with an improved Allen? That’d be a scary good offense.
And let’s face it. Frank Gore has a lot of tread on him and Devin Singletary is the future. If the Bills’ running game is good in 2019, McCoy will be the beneficiary of that.
WR Cole Beasley
Beasley, the longtime Cowboy, recently said he’s expecting a bigger role in Buffalo’s offense than the one he played in with Dallas. That should be a telling sign of how he’ll be an important player for the team moving forward.
Beasley isn’t a burner. He’s not big. He’s safe, and that’s a good thing.
The wideout is one of the NFL’s most impressive playmakers off the line of scrimmage and he uses his short-distance agility to shake defenders and get open quickly for his QB. Beasley might not make the flashy plays, but what’s better on third-&-3: four yards or zero? He could be an extremely important safety option for Allen and Buffalo’s offense, which had trouble sustaining drives, at times, in 2018.
WR Zay Jones
There’s the newly acquired Brown and Robert Foster as the Bills’ deep threats. Plus Beasley as the safety net. So what’s that leave Jones as? No one really knows, but Jones makes the list because he’s entering his third NFL season and his ceiling could be high.
Jones’ first season was bad, but his second was better; nearly all of his stats doubled. In Year 3, wideouts are expected to take that “next step.” Buffalo landed Oliver with its first-round pick in the draft and didn’t use that high pick on a receiver. Perhaps the front office hopes Jones can enter into that No. 1 wide receiver discussion in the league come next season.
If not, they’ll likely look to address that at the 2020 NFL draft. But if Jones can do that, it would be the first time in recent memory the Bills have had a solid, all-around receiving option for their QB to rely on and naturally, that would shift him into an important role player for the Bills in 2019.