Bills have to find offensive help this offseason
The Buffalo Bills can’t score points. If you’re familiar with how the game of football is played, that’s a problem.
Going into his second season, quarterback Josh Allen has raw tools. He also has very little help around him. Running back LeSean McCoy is one of the game’s best over the last decade, but age and injury limited McCoy to only 514 rushing yards on 3.2 yards per attempt. At the age of 30 (and turning 13 in July), it’s reasonable to believe McCoy’s best days are behind him.
In 2018, Allen actually led the team in rushing yardage with 631. If that happens again, you can book another top 10 pick for Buffalo in the 2020 NFL Draft. While it’s foolish to spend big free-agency money on a running back, the Bills either have to pluck somebody off the second tier of free agency, or simply draft a back who they’ll have four years of cheap control over.
On the perimeter, the story is very much the same. Zay Jones led the Bills with a paltry 652 yards, followed up by Robert Foster and his 541. Kelvin Benjamin actually checks in third with 354, and Buffalo cut him during the season. At tight end, the leading receiver was Jason Croom with 259 yards. Many in the Bills fanbase might have a tough time picking Croom out of a lineup.
In free agency, there aren’t many wide receivers worth paying real money. Golden Tate is the best of the bunch, while Tyrell Williams is an intriguing player to watch, looking for a second contract.
However, this might be where Buffalo has to overspend to land someone who can make a difference.
For starters, Buffalo isn’t one of the more attractive free-agent destinations for a receiver due to the cold weather and an unproven quarterback. If the Bills want Tate or Williams to come to Buffalo instead of going to a bigger, warmer city with a better signal caller, they are going to have to pay handsomely. Again, maybe it’s better to look for some bargains while taking someone like D.K. Metcalf or N’Keal Harry in the second round of the draft.
For general manager Brandon Beane and the rest of his staff, it’s time to take the next step. After landing who they believe is a franchise quarterback in Allen a year ago, Beane now has to supplement that player with talent around him, elevating what was a dormant offense in 2018.
In Buffalo, the dreams of winning a Super Bowl will have to wait. And that’s alright. Right now, the Bills have to take steps towards respectability, and it starts by adding offensive firepower over the next two months.
