Buffalo Bills Have Plenty of Weapons on Offense

Despite the negativity and changes, the Bills have plenty of weapons, and the right QB, to be as dangerous as ever on offense.

There has been plenty of negativity thrown at the Bills this offseason for the players they lost, traded, and didn't sign. Especially from national pundits who think Josh Allen is overrated. The reality is, however, not what they are painting the picture to be. This is especially true when it comes to the Bills offense.

What the Bills Lost and Why It’s Overhyped 

Yes, the Bills traded Stefon Diggs away and lost Gabe Davis. 

Yes, the Bills lost several established players this offseason. 

Yes, factually, Josh Allen has a lot of turnovers in his career. 

Addressing each in reverse order:

Factually, Josh has an ENORMOUS amount of Touchdowns: more than ANY other player since he came into the league including NFL darling Patrick Mahomes. No shade on him, he’s amazing, but so is Josh. 

The established players they lost were, and I’m sorry to be insensitive but none of the critics are, old. Injured. Past their primes. Needing replacement. Expensive, too, for what you are getting in return. It’s the NFL. Roster turnover happens and it’s nothing unusual for any team that’s good or bad. They replaced them with good players who should have similar, if not better, production. 

Addressing the biggest critique: the Bills traded away Stefon Diggs and lost Gabe Davis. Look, Diggs was great. He absolutely helped Josh grow into the quarterback he is now. Rookie QBs have to have a Stefon Diggs type of player early on. They have to be given the chance and time to succeed. Stef did that for Josh, and thank you. 

Teams don’t trade a player like Diggs away unless there is a problem, and there were problems. He was cancerous on and off the field, and he has lost step. Does that mean he’s not a good receiver? No. He’ll repackage himself in the slot for good teams and have a lot of success. His days as a #1, though, are over. He disappears in the playoffs, let alone down the stretch, and that’s not a 1 season opinion or stat. 

Davis only has moments. Good player. Fun guy. Wish him nothing but the best and would prefer to have him here. The truth is, though, he’s always been replaceable. One giant playoff game does not equal being a star.  

The New Buffalo Bills Receivers

The shade thrown at the receivers the Bills do have is amazing, to me. All of the free agents brought in have upside and 3 of them have suffered from poor QB play. 

I believe receivers can help a young QB grow, but ultimately the QB makes the receiver.

Allen needed Diggs to get better. He did. He no longer needs Diggs to be great and that was clear down the stretch in the last 2 seasons when he was better at spreading the ball out than forcing it to Diggs.

Allen is a special, elite level QB who clearly had the tools and talent to become great, especially if given a superior weapon like Stefon Diggs. The receiver helped him realize his potential, but this doesn't always happen for every QB.

If Diggs was paired with Josh Rosen (‘memba him Bills fans?) instead of Josh Allen, would Diggs have saved Rosen’s career? Likely not, because the reality is Rosen is out of the league and never had the talent to be a #1, superstar QB. Diggs likely would have had average, at best, production with Rosen if not below average.

This was not the case with Allen, who simply has more talent and was able to grow with Diggs creating a mutually beneficial relationship while it lasted. Now, with years in the league, Allen can make other receivers stars. 

The QB makes the receiver, and several of the new wideouts on the Bills have not had Quarterbacks that could make them, or anyone, good.

Curtis Samuel being paired with an aging Cam Newton, career backups Kyle Allen, Teddy Bridgewater, and Tyler Heinicke have their limits on what kind of production any receiver will produce. Do you think Stef Diggs is leading the league in any receiving category with those QBs? The answer is no.

Great QBs make good, and even average receivers look great. Only a handful of receivers ever make average QBs look great. The Bills have added good receivers who have not had good QB play, but will finally get a chance to have just that in Buffalo.

When Curtis Samuel finally got an interesting Quarterback in Sam Howel, he produced more than ever in his career. Not an amazing amount of production, but is Sam Howell, with respect, an amazing QB on the level of Josh Allen? The answer to that is no. He’s out in Washington. 

Chase Claypool, when given a decent QB, has been good. An aging Ben Roethlisberger was still better than other aging QBs, and those 2 years he had with Big Ben were his best. Every other year has suffered because of poor QB play, with the exception of Miami last year where he came in off a trade and never got going. He has perceived attitude issues, and we’ll find out of true those are quickly. This is a player, though, who’s been very productive when he has a good QB. 

Mack Hollins is an interesting receiver who had one good season of QB play with Derek Carr and did well. He’s a bit of a mystery but has a lot of upside.

The exception to this is Marquez Valdes-Scantling. He has benefitted from great QB play in his career. I think he is what he is, and that’s a good, speedy receiver who makes big plays for you here and there and caps out around 700ish yards. Every team needs that. 

What The Bills Still Have

Khalil Shakir, James Cook, Dalton Kincaid, Dion Dawkins, Spencer Brown, O’Cyrus Torrence, Ty Johnson, Dawson Knox, and, oh yeah, JOSH ALLEN. They added Keon Coleman and Ray Davis in the draft. 

You also get a full offseason with coordinator Joe Brady, which plays a big factor in a team being prepared and effective. 

There are plenty of weapons on this roster. It’s up to Josh Allen, and the offensive coordinator Joe Brady, to utilize them.

The Bills have plenty of weapons. Sure, they could fail, but the idea that this team is dead in the water with a QB like Josh Allen is a ridiculous one.