Bills fade into crowded AFC field in 2024 NFL roster rankings

Where do the Buffalo Bills rank in PFF's recent 2024 NFL roster rankings?

Jan 21, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) reacts after losing to the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2024 AFC divisional round game at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Buffalo Bills—while demonstrably a team in transition—are still built to be competitive in the 2024 NFL season, this largely a testament to the continuity of the coaching staff and front office, as a whole, and the presence of otherworldly quarterback Josh Allen. Buffalo is coming off five consecutive double-digit win seasons and playoff appearances, with Allen fresh off his NFL-record fourth-straight year in which he’s totaled more than 40 touchdowns—as long as this regime and quarterback are present, it’s impossible for one to confidently write off the Bills.

PFF Roster Rankings

This sentiment has been echoed in Pro Football Focus’s recent 2024 NFL roster rankings; despite parting ways with stalwarts like Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, Tre’Davious White, Mitch Morse, Gabriel Davis, and Stefon Diggs in the spring, writers Jim Wyman and Dalton Wasserman rank Buffalo’s roster as the league’s 10th strongest. While not egregious on the surface, the ranking does see the team get lost in the AFC shuffle a bit; five AFC foes rank above the Bills on the outlet’s list, with the AFC East rival New York Jets coming in at No. 4.

Related: Analyzing the Bills' over-under win total for 2024 NFL season

Bills Biggest Strength

The analysts—perhaps surprisingly—identify the cornerback position as Buffalo’s biggest strength, writing “Christian Benford, Rasul Douglas and Taron Johnson generated an 81.0-plus coverage grade and finished among the top 20 PFF-graded cornerbacks.” While it’s great to see the Bills’ nationally underrated outside cornerback duo of Benford and Douglas receive their deserved flowers (and for perennially excellent nickel defender Taron Johnson to get some love), the team lacks depth at the position, with 2022 first-round pick Kaiir Elam and third-year defender Ja’Marcus Ingram—neither of whom have fared particularly well in live-game action—serving at the team’s immediate depth on the boundary. Buffalo certainly doesn’t deploy a weak cornerback room, but it’s likely not as strong of a group throughout as the quarterback or offensive line rooms.

Bills Biggest Weakness

Speaking of weaknesses, Wyman and Wasserman identify the Bills’ receiving corps as their biggest roster deficiency entering the new year, writing “The veterans in the receiver room currently feature Curtis Samuel, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Khalil Shakir, the latter of which came on late last season as a reliable slot option. The former two, however, are offseason additions entering their first year in offensive coordinator Joe Brady’s system and have never been more than complimentary pieces throughout their respective careers.”

The Top-10 NFL Rosters headed into the 2024 season pic.twitter.com/kGdXAmJiKc

— PFF (@PFF) May 30, 2024

The two expand on their thoughts by naming rookie wideout Keon Coleman as the team’s X-factor, summarizing their thoughts with “Coleman seems about as boom or bust as any rookie in this year’s class but if he hits, the 6-foot-4, 215-pounder has a chance to be the focal point of this Bills offense.” 

Their general thoughts on Buffalo’s receiving corps are fair and their logic sound, but ‘uncertainty’ doesn’t necessarily equate to ‘weakness.’ The team’s current pass-catching crop is inexperienced, but there’s talent there, particularly in the form of Shakir—who, as PFF notes, shined down the stretch last year—and Samuel, who is reuniting with the offensive coordinator who helped him produce the best season of his professional career. Combine the Bills’ objective talent and promise at the position with Allen's excellence, and it’s difficult not to be at least slightly intrigued.

Related: Bills OC Joe Brady praises talent, character of late-round draft pick

Who To Watch

PFF also identifies fifth-round pick Sedrick Van Pran-Granger as a “rookie to watch,” writing “While Will Clapp is currently penciled in as the starter at center, don’t be surprised to see Van Pran-Granger on the field before long.” While the idea of the former Georgia Bulldog logging snaps in his rookie season is not egregious, Clapp is by no means “penciled in” as the starting center (in fact, he’s a long shot to make the roster); Connor McGovern—who started 17 games for Buffalo at left guard last season—is projected to slide over to center, with David Edwards replacing him at left guard. It’s possible, sure, that the Bills will ultimately opt to keep McGovern at left guard, thus opening a path to playing time for Van Pran-Granger; Clapp likely won’t factor into the situation regardless.

Win Loss Projection

The outlet ends its thoughts by projecting the team to finish under 10.5 wins, writing “With the Dolphins nipping at their heels and the Jets on the rebound due to Aaron Rodgers‘s return, the Bills' stranglehold on the AFC East over the last four seasons is in jeopardy.”

Slightly pessimistic outlook aside, the ranking seems generally fair for the Bills. They still deploy a top-10 roster in the league and figure to be competitive as long as Allen is around. Don’t be shocked if the team ultimately finishes above 10.5 wins and exceeds PFF’s expectations—Allen, after all, has a knack for doing so.