By Nick Wojton / Billswire.usatoday.com
With the 2018 Buffalo Bills season well over, most observers of the team and members of the organization will think back and think “what if?”
The Bills finished 6-10 overall, but that was still much better than most expected. En route to the record the year was a bit of a roller coaster for Buffalo with plenty of ups and downs.
That ride included some strong performances from players on the field and some… not so strong performances. With that, here are our “studs” and our “duds” from the 2018 Bills season:
Studs
WR Robert Foster
Perhaps the most obvious and most surprising all in one. After six games, Foster was cut and only had two catches for 30 yards. Both came in one game. Foster finished the 2018 season with 27 catches for 541 yards and three touchdowns after being called back up to the roster from the practice squad. Foster did so well, if he gained 40 more yards than Zay Jones in the team’s season finale, the speedster would’ve finished the year the team’s leading receiver. Now it’s up to him to see if he can build on that progress in 2019 now that team’s have tape on him.
QB Josh Allen
The rookie quarterback has plenty to improve upon in 2019. Still, he was a stud at times for the Bills’ lackluster offense. Allen finished the season with 12 games played. That was 12 more than many predicted he would’ve played. Overall, Allen had 2,074 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 52.8 completion percentage. Some observers of the team think he needs to clean that up, and no one would be mad if that improved. His accuracy was an easier pill to swallow with his excellent running ability as Allen’s 631 yards was a team-high for the Bills. He also added eight rushing scores, proving to the NFL he’s a legit dual-threat QB.
WR Zay Jones
Foster wasn’t alone. Jones was inconsistent at times, but overall, was much better in his second season than his rookie year. Jones led Buffalo with 56 catches for 652 yards, 56 receptions and seven touchdowns. That’s up from 27-316-2 in his rookie year. While an improvement, the Bills could afford to add another top-two receiver to complete a trio of options for Allen outside with Jones, Foster and insert name here.
LB Tremaine Edmunds
Like Allen, Buffalo’s other first-round rookie had his ups and downs. He certainly finished on a high note, though. Edmunds was named the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Month for December. He had a team-high 121 tackles with 12 passes defended, two interceptions, and two sacks. At only 20, he’s slated to fill Kyle Williams’ role as the team’s leader on defense.
LB Matt Milano
It’s unfortunate Milano’s season ended with a broken leg, but he’s in one of the NFL’s best linebacker duos with Edmunds after his season as well. Following a strong rookie year, Milano settled in with a fantastic sophomore season. Milano had 78 tackles, a sack, seven passes defended and three interceptions in 13 games played for the Bills this year. He was good his rookie season, but all those numbers were vastly improved. If the Bills make another push to the playoffs, Milano will start grabbing national attention.
LB Lorenzo Alexander
Another linebacker, why not? All three are deserved, though. At 35, Alexander looked nothing like an old man. The Bills and Alexander are working on a contract for another season and it’s well deserved. Alexander had 74 tackles and 6.5 sacks this year, up from only three in 2017. He also had career-highs in passes defended (9) and interceptions (2). In his three-year Bills career, he’s never missed a game. There’s no numbers that can reflect his leadership or willingness to play special teams, either.
CB Levi Wallace
Wallace, an undrafted rookie from Alabama got his shot after Vontae Davis, Phillip Gaines and Ryan Lewis all had theirs. Patience paid off. After seven starts, Wallace built up a total of 37 tackles and three passes defended. He was also named the NFL’s best rookie cornerback by the football analytics website Pro Football Focus. The Bills might’ve found their starter across from Tre’Davious White… finally.
S Jordan Poyer
Another year, another strong outing for the Bills’ secondary. The unit finished as the No. 1 overall passing defense in the NFL. This year it was led by Poyer who had a team-high four interceptions, bringing his total to nine in two years with the Bills. Last season he had 13 passes defended which dropped to six this season, but Poyer’s name was for almost all season. Which is ideal for a defensive back.
Duds
Offensive line
A very, very tough outing for the Bills’ offensive line in 2018. The Bills’ offensive line was up and down in pass protection during the year but they were awful in run-blocking scenarios. PFF had the Bills’ run-blocking ranked second worst for most of the 2018 season. Overall, PFF ranked Buffalo as the 26th-best line in the NFL. Even Dion Dawkins struggled after a successful rookie year. Including Dawkins potentially moving from his job at left tackle, the Bills could change starters at every single position along the line next season. A case can be made for every single one. Wyatt Teller is young at left guard but could improve his run-blocking, like everyone else.
RB LeSean McCoy
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Buffalo’s offensive line did McCoy no favors this past season has he averaged a career-low 3.2 yards per carry. Still, McCoy deserves some blame, too. He’ll be 31 heading into next season and appears to have lost a bit of a step in his game. An improved line will certainly help, so we’ll see if any potential changes help him moving forward. Or if he’s even still with the Bills.
DE Trent Murphy
In his first season with Buffalo, Murphy started well. Three sacks in six games. Then he fell off a cliff and only had one more the entire season. A lot of his struggles had to do with injuries. He had multiple during the year and eventually Shaq Lawson looked a lot better than Murphy. He came to Buffalo fresh off an ACL injury and wanted to prove he can stay healthy. He’ll have to re-start that campaign next season. Pending a potential cut by the front office, Murphy’s dead cap hit is only $3.5 million. Just a note.
WR Kelvin Benjamin
Woof. In 89 targets in his Bills career, Benjamin had 39 catches for 571 yards and two touchdowns. Nobody had that in mind when Buffalo traded for him. Now with the Chiefs since being cut by the Bills, he’ll have a chance to prove his worth during the postseason as they face the Colts on Saturday. He’s had plenty of time to learn the playbook by now.
QB Nathan Peterman
In the same light as how “Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo” is somehow a complete sentence in the English language, “Nathan Peterman Nathan Peterman Nathan Peterman” is one, too (or for Bills fans, at least). Interceptions is the story here, but he’s landed with the Raiders since being cut so good luck to him moving forward. Perhaps he was put in a bad position by the coaching staff in Buffalo.
CB Vontae Davis
We we’re going to write a full review on why Davis was a dud for the Bills, but we didn’t feel is doing it anymore half way through it.
TE Charles Clay
Overall, Clay only had 21 catches for 184 yard in 13 games played this season. He didn’t have a single touchdown. In 2017, Clay also played in 13 games, he had 49 catches for 558 yards and two touchdowns. A huge drop off. The tight end position has grow to a hugely important position and playmakers on some of the NFL’s best offenses. Clay’s dead cap hit drops down from more than $10 million this past season to$4.5 million, a much more manageable number considering the big large cap room the team has in 2019. That’s near $90 million. He saw his playing time decreased significantly down the stretch and could be cut this offseason.