Buffalo Bills Ranked With the Thinnest Unit in the NFL
By Erik Lambert
People are trying to remain optimistic on the Buffalo Bills. They just went to the playoffs for the first time since 1999. Things are looking up, right?
Not really. That trip, while memorable and a great story, felt less like the arrival of a budding contender and more like the last gasp of a veteran team before everything came apart. The sheer volume of players who were a key part of that push in 2017 are already gone, replaced by younger players but not what one might call “better” players. At least not yet.
Perhaps it just hasn’t quite hit home yet home drastic the changes have been, but that’s only a matter of time. Fans may be excited about what’s to come, but many in the media aren’t buying what the Bills are trying to sell. In fact, some of them think the team got substantially weaker this offseason in every phase of the game.
According to Chris Wesseling of NFL.com, nowhere was it more noticeable than on the offensive side of the ball.
Buffalo Bills offense is overrun with question marks
Wesseling tagged the Bills offense as the single thinnest position group in the entire NFL. That’s to say they lack more proven players than any team in the league. It’s not just isolated to one position either. There are question and concerns everywhere, starting at quarterback.
"“Career backup AJ McCarron was unable to separate from 2017 fifth-round pick Nathan Peterman and raw rookie Josh Allen in offseason practices. After falling out of the running-back rotation in Jacksonville late last season, injury-prone Chris Ivory is the favorite for carries if McCoy is unavailable. No wide receiver on the roster caught more passes last season than McCoy or tight end Charles Clay, leaving undrafted rookie Robert Foster to steal reps with the “starters” in OTAs.The offensive line lost its best tackle (Cordy Glenn), guard (Richie Incognito) and center (Eric Wood) from last year’s unit. Don’t let the Bills’ miraculous entry into the 2017 playoff field mislead you. As general manager Brandon Beane acknowledged entering draft weekend, this organization remains squarely in rebuilding mode — especially on offense.”"
A lot of the decisions made by the team brass up to this point have been questionable at best. Trading both Glenn and Tyrod Taylor, proven commodities at their respective positions was a big one. It’s understood they want to build their own team but to deliberately blow up one that just got done making the playoffs? That feels somewhat irresponsible considering how long Bills fans have had to suffer for years.
Now they must endure even more losing in the name of maybes and long-term promises. They’ve heard it all before and they have no reason to trust this regime can do any better of a job than the last ones.