The Bills made a lot of adjustments throughout the offseason to update an aging squad and free up cap money for next campaigns. The Bills had very little roster turnover over the course of multiple offseasons, so the 2024 campaign will be distinct at the very least in that aspect.
A major effect of clearing the cap in subsequent years will be a decline in roster depth. As your primary players take up larger percentages of a team’s overall cap space, it is just a fact of life in the NFL.
It also puts more pressure on some of the best players on the Bills roster to continue playing well and maintaining their health.
These seven players are the ones the Bills can least afford to lose in 2024 based on what we have seen since the team’s return for training camp, their overall significance to the team’s success, and the depth chart behind them.
Okay, that makes sense. For the past five seasons, the Bills have been extraordinarily fortunate to have their franchise quarterback play in every game. Though there have been near misses throughout the years due to his somewhat brash play style that results in some needless hits, Allen has not missed a start since Week 10 of the 2018 season. It is really easy. The Bills follow Allen’s lead. Allen must be the main factor if they are to have any hope of defeating the Chiefs and the rest of the AFC in 2024.
Allen’s health may perhaps be more crucial this year than it has ever been, if that is at all conceivable. Since 2020, they have enjoyed the security of a highly skilled wide receiver in Stefon Diggs, who relieves burden on Allen by being a reliable contributor most weeks. In addition to Diggs, the Bills typically had other reliable wideouts on hand. All of that is no longer there. Allen will have to develop into a talent elevator with a collection of receivers who are all questions. Is Keon Coleman going to adjust throughout his first year? Is Khalil Shakir going to be able to contribute even more than he did the previous season? Is Curtis Samuel a receiver who can catch eight hundred yards or less? Allen plays a part in the answers to each of those queries.
The player the Bills can least afford to lose is Allen, regardless of how they respond. There is nobody else on the roster close enough to shout. The likelihood of making the playoffs with Mitchell Trubisky starting will significantly drop if Allen sustains an injury. This explains why, ever since Allen turned the corner and became one of the best quarterbacks in the game, complaints about his running reduction and sliding at the conclusion of runs have remained.
It may come as a surprise to see Johnson ranked so highly. Though a lot of big-name players have left Buffalo in the last two offseasons, he is regarded as the Bills’ second-best player, after Allen. Johnson performs admirably in every facet of his work and is at the peak of his career. He can read plays well, which makes him a nuisance in zone coverage. His man-covering abilities have significantly increased since he joined the league. He is a sure-handed tackler who is capable of matching up with much larger ball carriers head-to-head. And to top it all off, his run defense as a de facto third linebacker gives the Bills the opportunity to play nickel all day.
Dion Dawkins is the elder statesman of the offensive line and coming off one of his best seasons. (Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
Once a first-round pick during the Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane era, Dawkins has evolved into an offensive line senior statesman. The 30-year-old, who has been the Bills’ go-to blindside defender since his debut campaign in 2017, signed a new contract extension this offseason. Dawkins is an essential component of the puzzle because he just finished one of his best seasons in 2023. Additionally, Dawkins offers a sense of serenity because the offensive line is switching places in the two spots adjacent to him. However, the main factor contributing to his high ranking on this list is the substantial drop-off from him to the best backup. The Bills are expected to start the season with former
Oliver is on this list since he was among the team’s top three players in 2023 and there were no concerns about him ahead of the season. Oliver instantly improves the defense and team when he plays at his best, which was during the whole previous season. His versatility as a run defender and pass rusher—which even allows him to play well against double teams—makes it challenging to remove him off the field in any circumstance. The Bills invested a third-round pick in DeWayne Carter this year, and veteran Austin Johnson has shown so far to be an improvement over Jordan Phillips, Tim Settle, and Poona Ford, so the depth surrounding Oliver is better than it was a year ago. However,
The Bills’ defense, which already has many questions, would face additional uncertainty if Milano had to miss any time this season. At the moment, Milano’s top two backups are rookie Edufuan Ulofoshio, selected in the fifth round of this April, and second-year player Dorian Williams, a 2023 third-round pick. Although Williams possesses a lot of speed and is capable of making some spectacular plays, he is still a bit of a rough operator when it comes to play action and can get caught out of position. Milano limits plays that many players in his position would not notice fast enough because of his excellent senses and perceptive abilities. Given the young players on the depth chart behind him at outside, Milano would normally be higher on this list in most years.
The Bills are counting on Rousseau, who is in his fourth season, to step up in 2024, and he has performed admirably throughout summer sessions. If all goes well, Rousseau will lead the group in snap counts by a wide margin, so the entire defensive end room is built around him. The finest pure pass rusher they have at this point in his career is Rousseau, who can play either the left or right side. This season, compared to previous ones, it might be a little harder to get pressure off the edge, even with him in the lineup. Pressure off the edge might become a significant vulnerability for this Bills defense if Rousseau is forced to miss time. However, the table is
In his first season with the organization in 2023, McGovern impressed the Bills as a right guard, but it was not enough to make him the clear choice to start at center when the team decided to part ways with seasoned Mitch Morse. In any case, McGovern finishes last on this list because the Bills have legitimate worries about their offensive line depth this season, particularly at center. O’Cyrus Torrence and David Edwards, the starting guards, are the only guards. La’El Collins, their best interior backup, is a guard exclusively. In the event that McGovern is out, it seems likely that up-and-down veteran Will Clapp, fifth-round rookie Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, or previously undrafted player Alec Anderson will start at center. Clapp is engaged in
What about…
TE Dalton Kincaid Dawson Knox, who played as the team’s finest tight end throughout some of their best seasons, is a member of the Bills. They are confident in his abilities. Thus, even though Kincaid is unquestionably the more skilled pass-catcher, they could manage to keep things going with Knox.
Terrel Bernard, LB When Milano is playing at his peak, they can least afford to lose him among the linebackers, Bernard included. Although Bernard’s season the previous year featured many flashy moments, his actual plays in coverage and run defense revealed a guy who was more akin to an average player than one of the team’s finest. While we witnessed last season that the drop-off to an experienced linebacker like Baylon Spector should not be as severe as Milano to Williams, a second-year player, he may undoubtedly advance in 2024.
James Cook, RB In the unlikely event that Cook must miss any time due to injury, the Bills should be able to rely on Ty Johnson or rookie Ray Davis to provide reliable offense given the nature of the running back position as a whole. Although they would likely lose an explosive component of their system, offensive coordinator Joe Brady could still create a strong weekly plan with the support of Johnson, Davis, and even receiver Curtis Samuel.
(Top photo: Shawn Dowd / USA Today
