The Buffalo Bills are a team in transition, but extremely dangerous nonetheless.
Although there’s no shortage of TV talking heads who love telling us how the Bills’ “window is closed,” Buffalo is a championship contender as long as quarterback Josh Allen is healthy and available. The wagering futures market suggests as much as do Sports Illustrated’s post-draft NFL Power Rankings.
The Bills sit No. 7 overall on the 32-team list that is topped by the back-to-back Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. The Baltimore Ravens (4) and Cincinnati Bengals (5) are the only other AFC teams who rank higher than Buffalo.
The Bills may not have a WR1, with Stefon Diggs now in Houston, but they add to their stable of capable targets by drafting Florida State receiver Keon Coleman at No. 33 overall. Next, Buffalo picked up a safety replacement in Utah’s Cole Bishop and beefed up its interior line depth with Duke’s DeWayne Carter. Fourth-round running back Ray Davis, who was a 1,000-yard rusher for Kentucky last year, also figures to contribute early on.
From SI’s NFL Power Rankings:
“WR Keon Coleman and S Cole Bishop were selections of need. My friend, Tyler Dunne, over at Go Long changed my mind on the Coleman pick. While I thought it was foolish for the Bills to invite Kansas City to the top of the draft to select a wide receiver, he saw it as a bit of a “come and get it” declaration, a message that the Chiefs don’t scare the Bills in particular and that they’ll treat them like any other team. This is a good year to see how Sean McDermott can refresh his coaching chops and get his staff to hit the ground running. The Bills are getting younger, but don’t want to spend time not winning the AFC East.”