Bills' roster talent lags behind Jets in NFL Media rankings

Only one AFC East team cracked the Top 10 in NFL Media's 'most complete roster' rankings, and it wasn't the Buffalo Bills.

Sep 11, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson (17) celebrates his touchdown reception in front of Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White (27) during the second half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Not even Top 10?

NFL Media's Eric Edholm suggests a significant drop by the four-time reigning AFC East champion Buffalo Bills in 2024.

Ranking the Top 10 "most complete rosters," the analyst placed one AFC East member on the list and it wasn't the Bills. Instead, Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets took the No. 10 slot, right behind the No. 9 Cleveland Browns. The San Francisco 49ers earned the No. 1 ranking followed by the Baltimore Ravens and Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

From NFL Media's top 10 most complete teams for 2024 season:

"I debated a host of teams for the final spot here, including AFC East rivals Buffalo and Miami, the Cowboys, and up-and-coming teams such as the Bears. But once I looked closer, it became obvious to me: The Jets have enough to be considered a top-10 roster — all things considered — at least for this season."

The Jets, who are coming off back-to-back 7-10 seasons, have featured a Top 4 NFL defense for each of the past two years, but the offense has operated at extreme suboptimal levels. With a healthy Rodgers expected back at the controls, New York made a multitude of offseason changes to the offense, including replacing three starting linemen.

It seems a bit risky to bank on everything falling into place for the Jets. Meanwhile, the Bills have won no fewer than 10 games in any of the last five seasons with Allen at quarterback.

Edholm explained his reason for by-passing the Bills, saying "In the cases of Buffalo, Miami and Dallas, notable offseason departures and/or particularly lean positions heading into the season raised big concerns."

RELATED: Bills confident despite offseason changes: 'This is Josh Allen's offense'

Although he doesn't mention names, the author is almost certainly overweighting the losses of WR1 Stefon Diggs and WR2 Gabe Davis along with salary cap casualties Jordan Poyer and Tre'Davious White.

Outside of Davis, who signed a free agent contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the departing players are all on the "back nine" in their career trajectory and can be replaced by younger, more cost-effective options.

Even with the supposed worrisome departures, Buffalo returns eight starters on offense and eight more on defense. The Bills have a Top 10 roster on paper and they have the past wins to prove it.