Now that the dust has settled on the draft and free agency, and the roster is (mostly) in place for training camp, it’s time to look at how the 2019 Buffalo Bills have chosen to allocate over $184 million cap dollars to the various position groups. Currently the Bills have 87 players on their roster, and dollar amounts have been projected for draft picks who have yet to sign their contract. This isn't guaranteed money, and at least 34 of the included players will not make the final roster. So it should go without saying that with 11 players at a position where the team might keep six (linebacker), or eight at a position they might keep four (running back)—these totals could change significantly prior to opening week.
Overall
The Buffalo Bills currently have $184.21 million worth of contracts on the books for 2019, only the 26th-highest total in the league and a little below the league average of $191.5 million. Of that, $94.12 million is allocated to the offense, while $84.89 million is allocated to the defense. Offensively, that is the 23rd-most in the league, while the defense comes in at 17th.
NFL high: $216.43M (Tampa Bay)
NFL low: $136.06M (Miami)
NFL average: $191.49M
Buffalo Bills: $184.21M, 26th-highest
Total Offense
NFL high: $119.9M (Washington)
NFL low: $58.99M (Miami)
NFL average: $99.05M
Buffalo Bills: $94.12M, 23rd-highest
Total Defense
NFL high: $108.33M (Houston)
NFL low: $61.68M (Seattle)
NFL average: $86.95M
Buffalo Bills: $84.89M, 17th-highest
Offense
Buffalo’s offensive rankings varies wildly between positions, from ranking No. 2 in money spent at the running back position, to No. 28 at quarterback. Despite adding six free agents and a top draft pick for the offensive line, spending for that position ranks only 19th in the league, $24 million behind top spending Dallas. With only 12 teams spending more than $10 million at running back, releasing LeSean McCoy and realizing his $6.5 million cap savings would still leave the Bills in the top ten of spending at that position.
Quarterback
NFL high: $31.08M (New England)
NFL low: $3.9M (Dallas)
NFL average: $19.6M
Buffalo Bills: $7.8M, 28th-highest
Running Back
NFL high: $19.68M (San Francisco)
NFL low: $4.1M (Indianapolis)
NFL average: $9.07M
Buffalo Bills: $17.35M, second-highest
Wide Receiver
NFL high: $38.2M (Cleveland)
NFL low: $10.08M (Pittsburgh)
NFL average: $23.74M
Buffalo Bills: $24.0M, 16th-highest
Tight End
NFL high: $18.3M (Washington)
NFL low: $3.6M (New England)
NFL average: $8.98M
Buffalo Bills: $7.4M, 20th-highest
Offensive Line
NFL high: $61.41M (Dallas)
NFL low: $13.06M (Miami)
NFL average: $37.66M
Buffalo Bills: $37.56M, 19th-highest
Defense
A clear focus of Sean McDermott’s defense, defensive-line spending is sixth-highest in the league, $14 million higher than average and $34 million more than the lowest spending Seattle. However, spending on the rest of the defense is well below average, at only No. 28 for linebackers and No. 25 for defensive backs.
Defensive Line
NFL high: $52.63M (Carolina)
NFL low: $11.28M (Seattle)
NFL average: $31.73M
Buffalo Bills: $45.37M, sixth-highest
Linebacker
NFL high: $38.0M (Houston)
NFL low: $8.6M (Atlanta)
NFL average: $21.4M
Buffalo Bills: $12.88M, 28th-highest
Defensive Backs
NFL high: $58.9M (Baltimore)
NFL low: $17.01M (Seattle)
NFL average: $33.82M
Buffalo Bills: $26.64M, 25th-highest
Special Teams (K, P, LS)
NFL high: $11.4M (Baltimore)
NFL low: $1.9M (Philadelphia)
NFL average: $5.49M
Buffalo Bills: $5.2M, 16th-highest