The Buffalo Bills have established themselves as perennial contenders throughout the better half of the last decade, this evidenced by the team’s six postseason appearances in the last seven years and four-straight AFC East titles.
The vast majority of this success, however, was achieved with players like Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis, Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, Tre’Davious White, and Mitch Morse on the roster, all of whom vacated their respective lockers at One Bills Drive in the 2024 offseason. Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane made a concerted effort to add youth to his roster and reclaim long-term salary cap flexibility this spring, resulting in a current roster that, while still strong and headlined by former All-Pro quarterback Josh Allen, is not as stout as it has been in previous years.
This idea of a general, if not slight, weakening of the team’s roster is reflected in ESPN’s post-2024 NFL Draft power rankings, as the Bills have fallen three spots from No. 5 to No. 8. Alaina Getzenberg, the outlet’s Bills reporter, summarized Buffalo’s offseason moves and why they leave the team outside of the top five.
“This is a Bills team in transition, and that’s reflected in the many changes to the roster over the offseason,” Getzenberg wrote. “Multiple key players who departed are 30 or older — including Stefon Diggs, Jordan Poyer, Mitch Morse — with only two of 10 team captains from last season still on the roster. As a result, there was an injection of youth when the Bills drafted 10 players last month. Unlike in recent years, later draft picks have a better chance of making Buffalo’s roster this upcoming season, something general manager Brandon Beane acknowledged. This will be a Bills team that has a different look come September.”
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The Bills are no longer the highest-rated AFC East team in ESPN’s power rankings. The Miami Dolphins come in at No. 7. Looking elsewhere in the division, the New York Jets come in at No. 17 while the New England Patriots are ranked at No. 30.
A slight fall for Buffalo is not unexpected given its offseason moves; the team, admittedly, is heavily relying on young wide receivers like Khalil Shakir and rookie Keon Coleman to fill the voids left by Diggs and Davis, while the secondary will look substantially different for the first time since head coach Sean McDermott took over in 2017. That said, the reinforcements the Bills are now relying on have shown promise in the past, and Allen, at the end of the day, is still one of the best quarterbacks in professional football—he cannot be counted out.
Getzenberg makes note of Buffalo’s later-round draft picks having relatively clear paths to the roster; this is not only true, but perhaps a bit understated, as several of the players that the team selected on day three not only have clear paths to the roster, but to relatively prominent roles. Fourth-round pick Ray Davis projects as the team’s No. 2 running back. Fifth-round pick Sedrick Van Pran-Granger could realistically start at center while reigning FBS sack leader Javon Solomon projects as the team’s DE4. Washington linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio will likely be a key special teamer for the Bills.
Though Buffalo fans may be falling victim to the ‘talking yourself into your team’s draft picks’ cycle at this juncture, it looks as though the team added solid reinforcements in the draft, especially considering the revamped state of its roster.
While it’s never fun to see a team (slightly) fall in power rankings, No. 8 seems like a fair ranking for the Bills. Though not as strong as they once were, they’re still one of the strongest teams in the NFL and figure to be a force come January.
