On the latest episode of the Billieve Podcast, host John Boccacino and co-host Jamie D’Amico explore the rare position the Buffalo Bills find themselves in these days: with a legitimate shot at appearing in (and hopefully winning) a Super Bowl.
General manager Brandon Beane and Buffalo’s front office along with head coach Sean McDermott and the entire coaching staff have guided the Bills to two playoff appearances in the last three years following a 17-year playoff drought. But more needed to happen to lift the Bills into the realm of legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
Thanks to smart money management and shrewd talent acquisition, Buffalo entered this offseason with 80+ million in salary cap space—ample money to address its needs. Through the initial wave of free agency, the Bills have already shored up many of their holes, trading for Stefon Diggs, a top-flight wide receiver for quarterback Josh Allen.
Now, there are no more excuses for Allen and the offense, as Buffalo has three of the best route-running receivers out there in Diggs, John Brown, and Cole Beasley. The offense no longer is a liability.
Second-year running back Devin Singletary is an explosive weapon as a dual-threat out of the backfield, while Dawson Knox showed enough glimpses of his potential to make Buffalo think it has finally found a solution at tight end. The offensive line has the continuity that comes from returning the same five starters for 2020, and with more depth than ever before.
A defense that was tenacious in 2019 gets a boost from the signing of edge rusher Mario Addison and fellow defensive linemen Quinton Jefferson and Vernon Butler to go with emerging star Ed Oliver and veterans Jerry Hughes, Trent Murphy, and Star Lotulelei.
Newly signed linebacker A.J. Klein will try and replace Lorenzo Alexander in a linebacker room that already includes stud Tremaine Edmunds and the talented Matt Milano.
The safety tandem of Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer is among the best in the NFL, while Buffalo is banking on former Pro Bowler Josh Norman returning to form and joining Pro Bowler Tre’Davious White to give Buffalo an outstanding cornerback duo.
Sure, the Bills still have work to do—Buffalo could use upgrades at backup running back and backup quarterback while searching for an improvement at punter—but for the first time since the last of the Bills’ four straight Super Bowl appearances, Buffalo has legitimate dreams of a Super Bowl.
We dive into how the Bills have positioned themselves for a deep playoff run, then explore the Buffalo-Carolina connection, which has seen the Bills sign 21 former Carolina Panthers’ players over the last three years, and why the team’s bringing in so many former Panthers could bode well for the 2020 season.
Check out the latest Billieve Podcast for answers to these questions, then leave your thoughts on what else Beane needs to do to get this team to the Super Bowl in the comments section below.
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