Bills ranked among NFL's 'most vulnerable' division winners

CBS Sports has ranked the Buffalo Bills among the NFL's most vulnerable division winners to lose their crown in the upcoming season.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen walks off the field after a Chiefs stop. The Chiefs beat the Bills 42-36 in overtime. / Jamie Germano / USA TODAY NETWORK

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane gave new meaning to the phrase “spring cleaning” in the 2024 NFL offseason.

The executive parted ways with several long-time starters in an effort to elongate the team’s championship window and create long-term financial flexibility; Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, Tre’Davious White, Gabriel Davis, Mitch Morse, and Stefon Diggs were all shown the exit door this spring, eliminating an abundance of production and experience from a Buffalo roster that has been one of the league’s best over the past few years.

The Bills have qualified for the past five postseasons, winning at least one playoff game in the last four. The team has won the AFC East in each of the last four seasons, but some pundits around the league feel as though Buffalo may now be vulnerable in the division given its offseason overhaul. CBS Sports writer Cody Benjamin is among this camp, recently identifying Buffalo as the NFL’s third-most vulnerable defending division champion to lose its crown in the 2024 NFL season.

“The reality is, as long as Allen is present at full strength, Buffalo is going to be a tough out,” Benjamin wrote. “We might also be discounting Dalton Kincaid as a top outlet for their offense. Even so, the competition could be stiff. 

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“The New York Jets are putting all their eggs in the Aaron Rodgers basket once again, but if the 40-year-old former MVP can actually stay on the field, they've got all-star talent on both sides to make a real run. The Miami Dolphins have cold-weather, big-game hurdles to clear, but their track speed remains dangerous. And the rebuilding New England Patriots might be slightly better with Jerod Mayo in charge.”

Though the Bills are still a strong team with an offense helmed by an otherworldly quarterback in Josh Allen, it’d be a bit unwise and ignorant to simply overlook the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins. New York’s defense is among the league’s best, and if Aaron Rodgers can stay healthy and cement a rapport with Garrett Wilson, they could be contenders. The Dolphins are also incredibly talented and led the division for much of the 2023 season, with Buffalo only re-claiming the crown with a Week 18 win in Miami.

And while it’d be naive to overlook the Jets and Dolphins, it’d also be ignorant to not look at the additions the Bills made to their roster. The offense is still manned by Allen, and while the team did omit weapons like Diggs and Davis in the offseason, it added external reinforcements in the form of the underrated Curtis Samuel and second-round rookie Keon Coleman. Combine them with second-year tight end Dalton Kincaid and third-year contributor Khalil Shakir, and you have the makings of a stout aerial attack.

The defense, though now sans Hyde and Poyer, reloaded the defensive backfield with Mike Edwards and second-round draft pick Cole Bishop—combine their talent with head coach Sean McDermott’s penchant for effectively coaching defensive backs and the fact that the defense is returning its nine other starters, and it’s safe to assume that Buffalo’s defense will again be one of the league’s best this year.

Offseason maneuvers aside, the Bills are still one of the league’s better teams and figure to be contenders come January yet again. After all, they’re favorites to win the AFC East for a reason.