The Buffalo Bills showed little interest in adding a bona fide Wide Receiver 1 this past offseason
Instead, general manager Brandon Beane and Co. focused most of their attention on potential defensive improvements.
Afterall, even without WR1 Stefon Diggs, the Bills featured the NFL's second-highest scoring offense. Buffalo did not feature a 1,000-yard receiver, but still averaged 30.9 points per regular season game. The Bills became the first team in NFL history to score 30 rushing touchdowns and 30 passing touchdowns in the same regular season
In the end, it was the defense that allowed the Kansas City Chiefs to produce their season-high point total in the AFC Championship Game.
After seemingly shoring up the defense through free agency and the NFL Draft, the Bills appear as legitimate Super Bowl contenders once again. Still, some critics have suggested that Beane did not do enough to upgrade quarterback Josh Allen's pass-catchers. In the spring, Beane directly confronted one of those critics live on the radio.
“It's really interesting. I laughed at Brandon Beane kind of getting a little bit riled up about the not adding the number one receiver. But fundamentally, I agree with him," said ESPN analyst Mina Kimes while appearing on One Bills Live this week.
Kimes, who offered multiple detailed takes on the Bills heading into training camp, pointed to the team's defensive shortcomings during postseason play.
"It was, in my mind, important to focus on the defense. When you think about this team and why didn't they get over the hump? I think about second cornerback being mercilessly targeted in the postseason. I think about the lack of a pass rush. I think about the need to add interior defensive line depth. So, his approach, to me, makes sense," said Kimes.
Although a healthy Allen may be more than enough to keep the Bills' offense humming, there is a worry that the wide receivers will have difficulty when going against man-to-man coverage.
“I wish that they had a little bit more speed. I mentioned this on NFL Live, you know, Josh Allen's splits were worse versus man coverage than zone. The Bills faced a lot of man coverage. I wish they had a man beater. That's not a Josh Allen stat, right. That's about the pass catchers.”
It'll also be up to offensive coordinator Joe Brady's "everybody eats" approach to counter the defense and create opportunities for his playmakers.
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