The two main guys in charge of the Buffalo Bills, general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott, did their end of season media availability, speaking with reporters for extended amounts of time at One Bills Drive.
In McDermott's time with the media, he took the opportunity to point out something that may be the difference between the current Bills roster and what it takes to finally get to, and win, a championship.
McDermott said that, in his experience, teams need to have two to three difference makers on each side of the ball that are top one to three in the league at their position to win a Championship.
He was careful to follow it up by saying something that he's not saying they currently don't have that on their roster, but it certainly raises some questions.
Looking at the offense, it's safe to say Josh Allen is firmly an elite difference maker at the quarterback position. That one is locked in. After Allen, it takes some thought. Is Dion Dawkins a top left tackle in the league? Would you take him over any of Jordan Mailata, Rashawn Slater, Tristan Wirfs, or a healthy Trent Williams?
You could argue Spencer Brown is in the conversation as a right tackle for the massive growth he has gone through this season. I also think it's completely warranted to put James Cook in the elite difference maker tier.
So, sure. With Cook, who needs a new contract, offense is pretty squarely there. Defense, on the other hand, is not.
The best players on the Buffalo defense are easily Taron Johnson, Terrel Bernard, Matt Milano, and Christian Benford.
Taron Johnson is arguably the best nickel cornerback in the league, and he's invaluable to what they do in their scheme. I'll put him in that elite tier. Matt Milano, at his all-pro form from two years ago, is in the conversation as a weak side linebacker, but I'm not sure we see that level of play from Milano after two straight seasons ravaged by injuries. Bernard is a solid middle linebacker, but he's not one of the best in the NFL. Christian Benford is on his way to earning respect as one of the league's best perimeter corners. He might not be a top-2 corner in the league, but he's knocking on the door behind Pat Surtain II and Derek Stingley Jr.
I like what McDermott is saying, but I believe it needs a little more context, especially on defense. I would go so far as to say that having a difference maker somewhere on the defensive line is essentially a requirement, whether on the interior or as an edge pass rusher. Without a game-wrecker on the defensive line, coverage can only hold up so long. Buffalo's biggest weakness is their defensive front, and it showed up in the worst way against the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.
Let's take it further and put it into context for the Bills. They play in a conference with Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, and an emerging CJ Stroud. To successfully run that gauntlet every postseason, the Bills will need to find a way to secure a difference maker up front.
I firmly believe Buffalo is a difference maker away, and that it needs to be the biggest priority of the offseason while Josh Allen is still in his prime. Brandon Beane needs to get busy this offseason.
