Leaders are exceptional people by nature. Followers are much simpler to locate.
The Buffalo Bills want to show that unusual individuals may be swapped out for new ones. They undergo an extraordinary captaincy purge before reporting to training camp in 2024. The roster is going through a gentle reset in terms of identity and finances, and it is noticeably greener.
“With this,” quarterback Josh Allen said after an offseason workout, “there is a lot of opportunity for our guys that are in that room as an offense and as a team to evolve and grow and become a new version of the Buffalo Bills.”
Last year, the Buffalo locker room chose eight captains. The only players back are Allen and Von Miller, an edge rusher. Miller’s influence will fade if he is unable to have an effect on the field.
A number of them will don a “C” for the first time and represent Buffalo’s traditional culture in the coming generations. The Bills expect addition by subtraction with former captain Stefon Diggs. It was eventually thought that the micro-aggressive great receiver was more trouble than he was worth. With Diggs gone to the Houston Texans and his massive dead-salary cap allowance eaten, the Bills hope to have more viable options for a leader.
Compared to this time last year, Buffalo has two new coordinators as well. The upcoming season marks Joe Brady’s first as offensive coordinator. Bobby Babich was promoted to defensive coordinator by McDermott, but it is still unclear if he will give up his play-calling responsibilities. John Butler (secondary, passing game coordinator) and Eric Washington (assistant head coach, D-line) were also fired from their positions as Greybeard defensive coaches.
“In the way of taking a hit with leadership roles,” left tackle Dion Dawkins said, “there’s so many guys that have been picking everybody’s brain that everybody is a leader in their own way. From the inside, I don’t want to say it’s not a big deal, but we’re going to be OK regardless.”
Allen is leading the way, but he still needs to raise his profile more. The “Madden 24” cover boy has gone above and above at One Bills Drive to be simply one of the guys, despite being one of the faces of the NFL. Allen’s effortless charm stems from his demeanor as an ordinary guy who is friendly and willing to oblige. He has been under fire from within for failing to set himself apart from the other players and for not acting more dignified.
Terry Pegula, the owner of the Bills, has pleaded with general manager Brandon Beane and coach Sean McDermott to help Allen develop more of an executive manner. Allen did not undergo this change last season, which probably contributed to his terrible play through 10 games.
Allen seemed to confirm he has been reflecting on that criticism.
“As a franchise quarterback, guys that get to their second contract, you’re not getting paid just to be the quarterback,” Allen said. “You’re getting paid to be the best leader that you can be. The best quarterback, obviously, comes with that. Leadership looks like a lot of different things. You wear many hats in this building.
“Sometimes, it’s not the easiest thing. I feel like I’m one of the guys, and sometimes I have to remind myself that you’re looked at a little bit differently. Guys rely on you a little bit more.”
The Bills selected 41 captain candidates throughout McDermott’s first six seasons, but only seven of them were selected following that season. Of the seven, three retired: linebacker Lorenzo Alexander, defensive tackle Kyle Williams, and center Eric Wood. Thus, before to this offseason, the Bills decided to break ways with just four current captains.
Six players, including center Mitch Morse, safeties Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, linebacker Tyler Matakevich of special teams, and receivers Diggs and Gabriel Davis, wore a “C” for a total of 17 seasons before Buffalo decided not to maintain them.
Hyde has not stated that he will carry on with his work. Hyde’s chances of returning to the Bills are better than zero, even if the team has made plans to prevent that from happening.
Once a team determines who will be their franchise quarterback, turnover of this kind is inevitable. It is tough to distribute large sums of money among the roster due to his massive second deal. Making tough financial choices is necessary for long-term success. Some excellent players are unretentionistable. In order to accommodate the superstar quarterback’s durability, it generates a rotating personnel door.
Allen percolates with a youthful exuberance, but he turned 28 in May.
“It’s kind of crazy to think,” Allen said, “that I’m going into my seventh season.”
Emergence of youthful leaders is crucial. There are just seven Bills from the 2019 roster left. As they begin their seventh season, Dawkins, linebacker Matt Milano, and long snapper Reid Ferguson—the final three Bills draft selections not chosen by Beane—have the longest contracts.
Leading contenders for elevation comprise of offensive linebacker Terrel Bernard, defensive linebackers Christian Benford and Taylor Rapp, running back James Cook, receiver Khalil Shakir, tight ends Dawson Knox and Dalton Kincaid, and center Connor McGovern.
Before every play, McGovern and Bernard give orders and issue alarms, roles that naturally require leadership. As the team’s best safety, Rapp will also be under scrutiny; this is a crucial role in McDermott’s defensive schemes.
“It definitely adds a little sense of urgency to be more of a vocal leader,” said Knox, who along with defensive tackle Ed Oliver are the lone 2019 draft picks still around. “I think my leadership style is more one-on-one, more personal, more locker room stuff. I’m not going to be the guy giving hype speeches or doing any of the rah-rah gameday stuff.
“But I think, realizing Josh and Dion are the only guys on the offense that have been here longer than me, it’s taking that leadership to that next level, having that extra confidence to speak up when I see something that might not be going right or really check on a guy that might not be doing well off the field.”
There are only six players on the training camp roster that are older than thirty. On offense, there are just two new players: backup right tackle La’el Collins and receiver Mack Hollins. Miller, punter Sam Martin, and defensive tackles DaQuan Jones and DeShawn Williams are the others.
Miller is the eldest at 35. Although his expertise and trophy case make him a worthy captain, a leader’s effectiveness is always undermined by declining output. Miller is still up for debate. Including postseason games, the two-time Super Bowl champion played 14 games without recording a touchdown. Out of the 198 opponent dropbacks he saw, he managed three quarterback hits. Miller had the seventh-highest pass-rushing snaps according to Pro Football Focus, but among players with at least 125 attempts, he was ranked 18th in terms of pressure %.
Miller willingly amended his deal to provide Buffalo greater flexibility under the salary cap. It is questionable if he would have been included in the veteran cuts as well if his terms had not been so onerous.
Whatever Miller’s position in 2024, the team has a completely new roster. To keep the Bills atop the AFC East, the next generation of leaders needs to emerge.
“As a human being, it feels a little different because of the different personas, different characters within the room,” Benford said. “But the football doesn’t feel too different because we’ve already set the standard. We’ve embedded what we’re working for, what we’re working towards.”
(Top photo of James Cook and Khalil Shakir: Lauren Leigh Bacho / Getty Images)
