Where do Bills rank on pre-training camp NFL power rankings?

The Buffalo Bills remain in the top 10 of one outlet's pre-training camp NFL power rankings, though the publication is concerned about the team's turnover.

Jan 21, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) reacts with wide receiver Khalil Shakir (10) after throwing a touchdown pass against the Kansas City Chiefs during the second half for the 2024 AFC divisional round game at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

It’s perhaps a bit premature to rank each NFL team based on their quality entering the 2024 season, as each club, at this juncture, is a ball of clay. We have a general idea of what each team will look like come September, but there are still valuable snaps to be earned and roles to be won on each roster; training camps (which are currently kicking off around the NFL) will provide us with the answers to these league-wide questions.

And though we don’t have a definitive picture of what each team will look like come Week 1, Bleacher Report has tried its hand at ranking each club entering training camp, taking into account their pre-camp uncertainties. The Buffalo Bills slot in at No. 7 on the outlet’s pre-training camp NFL power rankings, with the publication’s staff noting the team’s offensive turnover as a reason for concern.

“There's a level of unease surrounding the Buffalo Bills as training camp begins that is unusual for a team that has won four consecutive AFC East titles and went 11-6 a year ago,” the B/R staff wrote. “There are legitimate concerns on both sides of the ball. With the departure of Gabe Davis and the trade of Stefon Diggs, Buffalo's top two wide receivers from a season ago. Replacements were brought in like veterans Curtis Samuel and Marquez Valdes-Scantling and rookie Keon Coleman, but while offensive coordinator Joe Brady admitted this new group may not have experience together and lacks a true No. 1 wideout, he's confident that quarterback Josh Allen can elevate his new pass-catchers.

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“The concerns aren't just on offense. For years, veterans Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer have manned the safety spots in Western New York. Both are gone—replaced by Taylor Rapp and Mike Edwards. None of this is to say that the Bills aren't still a very good football team capable of doing damage in the AFC. But the team isn't the runaway favorite in the AFC East that they have been the past couple of seasons.”

It’s difficult to have too many qualms with the website’s analysis, as any rebuttals simply boil down to hope. Buffalo’s offensive weapons corps is talented, but unproven following the departures of Diggs and Davis; both Khalil Shakir and tight end Dalton Kincaid showed promise down the stretch last season, and their roles figure to grow in prominence given the Bills’ offseason moves. Keon Coleman is a promising big-bodied rookie while Curtis Samuel is set to reunite with the offensive coordinator who led him to his best production as a professional; that said, this is an almost entirely new-look group that has never taken a snap together. There are reasons to be optimistic, but the unit is objectively unproven.

Buffalo Bills rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid (86) jumps into the stands to celebrate his 22-yard touchdown reception. This is the first touchdown of his career. / Jamie Germano/Rochester Democrat and

The publication also notes the omission of Hyde and Poyer from the defensive backfield, noting that they’re set to be replaced by Taylor Rapp and Mike Edwards. Rapp was with the team last season and, thus, knows its defensive system, and rookie Cole Bishop may very well usurp Edwards on the depth chart; regardless, the team will objectively have two new starting safeties for the first time since 2017 this fall, and it’s fair if an outlet finds that uncertainty concerning.

Buffalo, however, still deploys a world-beater at quarterback, thus why the team slots in at No. 7.  It’s still the favorite in the AFC East, but the margin between the Bills and both the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets is perhaps a bit smaller this summer than its best in years past. Buffalo is B/R’s highest-ranked AFC East team entering camp; the only teams ranked higher are the Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens, and the Cincinnati Bengals. An argument could be made for the Bills to be placed higher than Houston and Cincinnati, but the team will just have to prove this notion come the regular season.

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