Bills' youth earns middling placement in ESPN's 'young core' rankings

The Buffalo Bills came in at No. 16 on ESPN's list ranking NFL teams' under-25 talent.

Kyle Silagyi | Jul 3, 2024

Oct 26, 2023; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid (86) celebrates scoring a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports / Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

In this story:

Buffalo Bills | News, Scores, Schedules & Standings

In any professional sports league, the primary responsibility of a general manager is to set their team up for sustainable success.

Buffalo Bills head executive Brandon Beane has been successful in this regard. The now eighth-year general manager, who inherited a mess of a roster in the midst of an elongated postseason drought upon taking the job in 2017, has lifted Buffalo from the depths of NFL irrelevancy into perennial contention, with the Bills appearing in the postseason in six of the last seven seasons and winning the AFC East in four straight campaigns.

And though Beane has hit on his fair share of trades and free agent signings throughout his tenure, a significant number of the team’s notable contributors over its recent stretch of contention were acquired through the draft—namely franchise quarterback Josh Allen. Building through the draft is the most surefire way to create sustained success in any sport, a tried and true formula that executives across professional leagues often preach the importance of.

That said, Buffalo’s current core of homegrown talent—Allen, Matt Milano, Ed Oliver, Taron Johnson, the list goes on—are largely in their primes; though they have several years of elite play left in the tank, they’re by no mean young prospects. The Bills have several ‘younger’ players with high ceilings on their roster—something that should, theoretically, extend the team’s championship window—but some feel as though the core is middling when compared to the rest of the league.

ESPN’s Aaron Schatz is in this camp. In a recent article in which he ranked each NFL team based on their talent under 25 years of age, the Football Outsiders founder slotted Buffalo in at a middling 16th, identifying tight end Dalton Kincaid, guard O’Cyrus Torrence, and defensive end Greg Rousseau as the team’s “blue-chip players” before warning that it will likely fall further down the list in future renditions.

Dec 31, 2023; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau (50) encourages the crowd to cheer in the second quarter against the New England Patriots at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports / Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

“The Bills are Super Bowl contenders with a lot of young talent on their roster, but they won't be anywhere near this high when we do this ranking again next year,” Schatz wrote. “All three of the Bills' blue-chip players are 24 and will come off this list, as will running back James Cook and wide receiver Khalil Shakir.

“As for talent at age 23 and younger, that's led by rookie second-round wide receiver Keon Coleman (21). Starting cornerback Christian Benford is just 23 and coming off a solid season (54 tackles, two interceptions and two forced fumbles). Kaiir Elam (23), the Bills' 2022 first-round pick, has disappointed and sits on the depth chart behind Benford.”

The immediate ranking, though underwhelming, is not necessarily unfair, especially when one considers that Buffalo has been selecting near the backend of recent first rounds and, thus, hasn’t had the opportunity to select “can’t miss” prospects. It’s also fair considering that Buffalo’s entire offseason strategy was centered around the idea of getting younger; Beane realized that a number of the team’s long-term contributors were reaching the twilight of their respective careers, moving on from them while making a concerted effort to get younger across the roster. This resulted in the team making 10 selections in the 2024 NFL Draft, and this philosophy may not be a ‘one-off;’ the team will almost certainly look to continue to add young talent to further extend their championship window in future offseasons.

Schatz’s analysis of the Bills’ next potential crop of blue-chip players is also a bit underwhelming with regard to Coleman and Benford; the wideout has the immediate opportunity to establish himself as the primary wide receiver of one of the best quarterbacks in football, while Benford has played remarkably above his draft capital over his two professional seasons. It wouldn’t be egregious to name him a “blue-chip player” now.

Minor qualms aside, it’s a generally fair placement for the Bills, who will look to continue adding to their young core in future drafts. The Houston Texans (headlined by young franchise quarterback C.J. Stroud and stud edge rusher Will Anderson Jr.) and the Detriot Lions (lifted by the likes of Sam LaPorta, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Jahmyr Gibbs) come in at No. 1 and 2, respectively, while the Miami Dolphins come in at No. 32 with no “blue-chip” players.

— Enjoy free coverage of the Bills from Buffalo Bills on SI —