By Nick Wojton / Billswire.usatoday.com
The Buffalo Bills did a massive overhaul on offense this offseason. Josh Allen had a whole new group of receivers and offensive linemen around him after having one of the worst in 2018.
For their re-building efforts, the Bills’ “supporting cast” around Allen was ranked as the 24th best in the NFL by Bleacher Report recently.
Here’s how B/R explains that placement:
The Buffalo Bills revamped their offense around quarterback Josh Allen this offseason, and as a result, a supporting cast that ranked 31st in this exercise last year has at least moved out of the bottom five.
They at least have plenty of options at running back. LeSean McCoy is declining, and newcomer Frank Gore, 36, doesn’t have a lot left. But they also added fifth-year veteran T.J. Yeldon and used a third-round pick on the intriguing Devin Singletary. Odds are good one of those guys emerges, but there’s an element of uncertainty there.
The same applies to the receiving corps, which added reliable safety valve Cole Beasley and deep threat John Brown to team up with disappointing 2017 second-round pick Zay Jones and late-2018 breakout player Robert Foster. That could be a solid quartet for Allen, but there’s no clear-cut No. 1 guy.
And ditto for a tight end group that replaced Charles Clay with free-agent addition Tyler Kroft, who is a boom-or-bust player. Kroft scored seven touchdowns in Cincinnati in 2017, but injuries have been a major problem. And he is now dealing with a broken foot. Buffalo might have to rely heavily on rookie third-round pick Dawson Knox, which is far from ideal.
This could become a top-10 supporting cast, especially if Singletary becomes another Day 2 running back sensation and Allen can gain early chemistry with playmakers Brown and Kroft. But the Bills still lack a star in his prime, and there’s a lot up in the air with big adjustments looming.
The assessment of the Bills’ cast of characters around Allen has much to prove. Most of B/R’s analysis is simply looking at paper and seeing what names the team have since almost all of them need to build chemistry with Allen over the offseason if they’re going to be a successful offense.
While in the mid-to-late tier range, Buffalo’s supporting cast is the second-best ranked one in the AFC East. The Dolphins and Jets are ranked as the bottom two teams by B/R. However, the division-leading Patriots aren’t far ahead. Buffalo could actually see themselves ranked highest in this category by the end of the season as the Pats are only in the No. 23 spot.
But the Bills have some significant work to do here if they’re going to head into the top three. Spots one to three are currently held by the Browns, Saints, and Rams.