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Overview of the Bills’ offensive weapons for 2022

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2 years ago

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Jamie Germano/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Breaking down the weapons at Josh Allen’s disposal

It’s no secret that the Bills have arguably the best offense in the league, with some of the most explosive playmakers in the league. And, with Josh Allen on the field, the Bills offense is a threat to score at any time. And as we’ve seen in the Wild Card Round against New England, they’re literally capable of scoring a touchdown every single drive.

Allen’s decision making, his cannon of an arm, and his ability to break any tackle and scamper for a first down makes him a unicorn at the position. In year five for Allen, it should be more of the same. The big difference for the Bills on offense is that Brian Daboll is out as offensive coordinator and Ken Dorsey is in. The key for the Bills is that Allen is now developed as a certified star QB that you can lean on, and he can figure out how to succeed in any offense. It helps to have some skill players that Allen is used to and even some new toys that can create a role for themselves in the offense.

The Bills have done a great job building an offense around Josh and giving him the weapons he needs in order to be successful. There isn’t going to be a shortage of playmakers at Allen’s disposal. Below, I’ll break down the outlook on the Bills offense this year, particularly with their skill positions, and what we can expect from the weapons on that side of the ball for the Super Bowl favorites.

Running back

Towards the end of last year, we really started to see some great strides from Devin Singletary as he stepped up to be a serviceable No. 1 RB. In both the receiving and rushing aspect, when Singletary gets into space he isn’t afraid to put his head down and run you over, or side step and make you miss. I think we will see Singletary take another big step this year in this offense.

James Cook is the newest weapon in the Buffalo backfield, as he was drafted with the Bills’ second-round pick out of Georgia. There is a good chance that Cook will be able to take after his big brother Dalvin in the offense at points throughout the year. He offers value in both the receiving and rushing game and has a similar play style to his brother: he’s fast, explosive and elusive in space. Rotating between Singletary and Cook will give this Bills offense a huge advantage and keep defenses on their toes as both RBs are capable of catching and rushing the ball, and making defenders miss.

We would all love to see Zack Moss get back on track this year. Hopefully he will be able to make the most of his limited opportunities this year. Duke Johnson will be a great third or fourth option for the Bills to come in on passing downs and provide pass protection as well as a solid check down option. The Bills will have some great depth at the RB position this year.

Tight end

Last year was a breakout year for Dawson Knox and this year he should continue to get better and better as he continues to familiarize himself and get comfortable with Allen, this offense and how to match up against opposing linebackers and cornerbacks. Knox is going to be a very vital part of this Bills offense going forward and he is a reliable target for Josh. For all you fantasy players out there, Knox will most likely be going in the top 5 for tight ends. He is really turning into one of the young elite TEs in the league, and it helps to be trusted by your quarterback.

The Bills also added a great depth piece with OJ Howard this offseason. Coming over from Tampa Bay after having played with Tom Brady for the last 2 years, he will now get Josh Allen as his new QB. Not a bad situation for Howard there. Howard, a former first-round pick, is a very talented TE, but unfortunately he has struggled with injuries throughout his whole career. But, if he is able to stay healthy, he is a tremendous depth piece at TE and secondary option for Allen. With the addition of Howard they are most likely going to be running more 2-TE sets which could be interesting to see how Dorsey utilizes the talents of Knox and Howard when they’re on the field together.

Rounding out the depth chart at tight end will be Tommy Sweeney. And, don’t forget about fullback/tight end Reggie Gilliam. Daboll liked to use Gilliam in multiple roles in the offense. It would be nice to see Sweeney develop as a solid contributor this year after dealing with health issues.

Wide receiver

This Bills WR corps is going to be one of the best in the league once again this year. The loss of Beasley in the slot is going to hurt, but GM Brandon Beane went out and signed Jamison Crowder to fill that position. Crowder has had some very solid years with the Jets, and given a fresh start in a new offense catching passes from Josh Allen instead of Zach Wilson, I think we will see a breakout year from Crowder as he has many traits that are going to be highly utilized in Buffalo’s pass-heavy offense.

Isaiah McKenzie has also shown great promise and that he is definitely up for the task of being a reliable WR and a staple of this Bills offense. In the Patriots game in Foxboro, Allen looked McKenzie’s way 12 times that game and showed amazing trust in him. Although mainly a ‘gadget guy’ in the Bills offense, he’s a tremendous asset to have, as he can step in and has great speed and rapport with Allen.

Stefon Diggs is once again going to be Allen’s No. 1 target as he continues to be one of the elite WRs in the league, and he got the bag this offseason to show for it.

Gabriel Davis is going to be a WR to watch this year. He is poised to breakout in year three and many people think he will. We saw what he was capable of in that Divisional Round game against the Chiefs last season. That is something that fans, the coaching staff and his quarterback believe he can bring to the table every week. Davis will be a stud in the offense and this year is going to be his coming out party. With Emmanuel Sanders now out of the picture (most likely retirement), Davis will be able to solely step into that WR #2 spot and take it and run with it.

I’m sure we’re all very excited to see what 5th-round rookie Khalil Shakir can bring to the table for this season. Shakir is the only WR in this year’s draft that had a WR grade of at least 85+ in each of the last 3 seasons. He led almost every receiving category in the Mountain West this year and many had projected him to go in the top 3 rounds. Buffalo was able to catch a diamond in the rough by drafting him in the 5th. He’ll be another player we have to keep our eye on as rookie camps and training camps progress. This is a guy who could be the slot receiver of the future, and he also has kick return ability.

There is your outlook for the 2022 Bills offense, which is once again going to be dynamic and explosive with no shortness of playmakers. A bolstered offensive line and a new young offensive mind, along with all the weapons at Allen’s disposal. This is certainly going to be a fun offense to watch week after week. Josh Allen’s 2022 MVP campaign loading…

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24 year old Bills fanatic and writer from Rochester, NY. Studied Business writing and Marketing at The College of Brockport and graduated May 2020. I've been a die hard Bills fan from a very young age and they remain a huge focal point of my life. I love writing, talking about the Bills, or sports in general.

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Buffalo Bills

No Diggs, No Problem for Bills in 2024

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2 weeks ago

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May 7, 2024

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Now that the shock of trading Stefon Diggs has subsided for most Bills fans and General Manager, Brandon Beane has filled the offensive roster (for the most part), let’s look at what a Diggs-less Bills offense will look like in 2024.

Stefon Diggs was a premier wide receiver in the league during his four-year tenure in Buffalo.  He was among the league leaders in catches and receiving yards each year and came up with many big plays. 

It’s clear that Diggs was Josh Allen’s number one guy and it wasn’t even close.

However, down the stretch in 2024 after Joe Brady took over as the offensive coordinator, Diggs was invisible and his numbers reflected that of a mediocre receiver who’s effort might not have been what Bills fans were used to seeing.

In the Bills final nine games, including two playoff games, Stefon Diggs caught 34 passes on 58 targets (58.6% catch percentage) with 388 yards (43 yards per game) and only 1 touchdown.

Did he attract teams’ number one cornerbacks?  Yes.  But this is no different than any other point in his Bills career.

Combine his decreased production with his salary drain and his off the field burden to the team (cryptic Twitter posts, inconsistent Bills camp attendance); the Bills brass were ready to take Diggs out of the equation.

So what are the Bills going to do without Stefon Diggs in 2024?

First and foremost, the presumed need for Josh Allen to throw to Diggs is gone.  In other words, the Bills won’t have to keep one person happy by force-feeding him the football and a more team-oriented less-ego driven offense will be showcased in 2024.

Here is a percentage breakdown of where all of Josh Allen’s passes were targeted after Joe Brady took over starting in week 11.

Stefon Diggs 26.7%
Dalton Kincaid   18.1%
Khalil Shakir      12.8%
James Cook        12.4%
Gabriel Davis      8.5%
Trent Sherfield  5.3%
Dawson Knox     5.0%
Latavius Murray 4.6%
Ty Johnson         3.6%
Deonte Hardy    1.8%
Quintin Morris   0.1%
Andy Isabella     0.01%

If you add up the departed pass catchers, 46.9% of the intended targets will be gone in 2024. 

Exiting in 2024 are Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, Trent Sherfield, Latavius Murray and Deonte Hardy.

Returning from 2023 is wide receiver, Khalil Shakir, tight ends Dawson Knox and Dalton Kincaid and running back James Cook. 

The Bills added wide receivers Curtis Samuel and Chase Claypool via free agency and Keon Coleman through the draft.  They also provided a bigger running back to spell James Cook with Ray Davis.

With a full offseason for Joe Brady to scheme and a few new weapons added to his arsenal, anticipate the Bills to run more 12 personnel (two tight end sets) than in 2023 and even utilize the ground game more.

It’s interesting to note the difference in play calling with Joe Brady versus Ken Dorsey last season.  Ken Dorsey called passing plays 57.1% of the time and run plays 42.9% of the time.  While Brady called 52.6% running plays and 47.7% passing plays.

With this information, here is a breakdown of the anticipated touches for each offensive player for the Bills in 2024 with their current roster.  This is based off 1092 total offensive plays, which is the same amount the Bills ran in 2023:

Running Game
Joe Brady’s offense ran the ball nearly 53% of the time last season and this should continue in 2024.  I’d anticipate that the Bills run the ball a total of 649 times with the running attempts going to the following players:

James Cook        225 attempts
In 2023, James Cook was the Bills featured back and he excelled most of the season but began to decline a bit later in the season and in the playoffs.  This may have been because his workload was more than DOUBLE that of any season since his first year at Georgia in 2018.

I’d anticipate James Cook’s workload going down a bit.  He carried the ball 237 times in 2023 and I’m predicting 225 rushes this season.

Ray Davis            173 attempts
The Bills didn’t use a 4th round draft pick on Ray Davis for him to ride the pine.  Unlike James Cook, his college workload was heavy and he carried the ball a lot.  Look for Ray Davis’s rush attempts to be slightly less than James Cooks and for him to be on the field often as he’s also an excellent pass catcher.

Although Sean McDermott has a history of being hesitant to give rookies playing time early in the season, Ray Davis will get the looks early and often.

Josh Allen           104 attempts
Remember when Bills Brass tried to contain Josh Allen and not allow him to freely run whenever he wanted last year?  Well, that didn’t work and once Joe Brady became the Bills new offensive coordinator, he gave Josh the keys to use his legs whenever he wanted—and the Bills went on a hot streak after that happened.

Look for Josh Allen’s rushing attempts to come down a bit in 2024 as Joe Brady has had an offseason to scheme up some plays to get other playmakers going. 

Ty Johnson         85 attempts
In five NFL seasons, Ty Johnson has had no more than 63 total rush attempts (2019 with Detroit). 

Look for Ty Johnson to spell James Cook and Ray Davis and be an important part of Joe Brady’s running attack.

Mitch Trubisky/Wide Receivers/Practice Squad Running Backs                  55 attempts
Kyle Allen had 13 neal downs in 2023, the Bills had 7 wide receiver rushing attempts and 35 practice squad running back rushes.  These are necessary.

Passing Game
Joe Brady’s offense threw the football 47.7% of the time in 2023, which wasn’t a typical Brian Daboll/Ken Dorsey-led offense; but under Joe Brady, I’d anticipate a similar outcome in 2024.

Brady is going to have to figure out how to redistribute the 241 targets vacated by Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis and it shouldn’t be too hard considering the Bills projected 2024 main receiving target options have excellent reception percentage and playmaking ability.

I’d anticipate the following player targets this coming season:

Dalton Kincaid  115 Targets
After getting 91 targets in 2023 and catching over 80% of the passes that came his way, look for Dalton Kincaid’s production to continue to climb and Josh Allen’s trust in him to be sky-high. 

Kincaid has what it takes to be an All-Pro level tight end and he’ll get his opportunity in 2024.

Khalil Shakir       98 Targets
Did you know that Khalil Shakir posted the highest EVER catch percentage for a wide receiver?  Well, it’s true and he did it in 2023.

Shakir is another pass catcher that has gained Josh Allen’s trust and look for his production to skyrocket in 2024.

Curtis Samuel    90 targets
Curtis Samuel has had 90+ targets in four consecutive healthy seasons in Carolina and Washington and there’s no reason why he wouldn’t again in 2024.

Keon Coleman  87 targets
It’s hard to predict what a rookie “X” receiver will do on a Sean McDermott-led team.  Some rookies see a lot of playing time (O’Cyrus Torrence, Dalton Kincaid) and some do not (James Cook, Khalil Shakir). 

However, the Bills didn’t draft Keon Coleman along with Josh Allen’s endorsement to not see the field.

James Cook        57 targets
James Cook had 54 targets in 2023.  He’ll have at least that many in 2024 I’d anticipate him getting more touches through the air and less on the ground with Ray Davis absorbing more rushing attempts.

Dawson Knox    54 targets
When he’s healthy, Dawson Knox gets between 50-60 targets a season.  However, last season he missed five games, and he now has a diminished role, being the TE2. 

It’ll be interesting to see Dawson’s role in the Bills 2024 offense.

Ray Davis            38 Targets
In 36 career college games, Ray Davis had a total of 86 receptions and was lauded for his great hands coming out of college.

Latavius Murray and Damien Harris combined for 29 targets last season and I could see Ray Davis getting at least that many in 2024.

Mack Hollins     13 Targets
Although he has had no less than 22 targets in his career and a career high 94 in 2022, there simply are too many hungry mouths to feed on the Buffalo offense this season.

Mack Hollins is an interesting case as many suspect he’ll be used for his blocking ability more than his receiving.

Justin Shorter, Ty Johnson, Quintin Morris, Reggie Gilliam, Chase Claypool, Practice Squid WR’s                                16 Targets
Justin Shorter is a wild card at this point.  He could be as high as the Bills WR5 or he could be as low as being a practice squad player or even cut.  Training Camp will tell us more about Shorter.

Ty Johnson had seven targets with the Bills last season in 10 games.  He may have more than that this year if he is the Bills true RB3.

The Bills love Quintin Morris for his special teams ability.  However, after having three targets in 2023, he probably won’t move the radar in 2024 for the Bills receiving offense either.

So many questions surround Chase Claypool.  If he’s the same receiver who played with Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburg, he could legitimately be a lot higher on this list and get 75+ targets.  If he’s the same guy who played in Chicago/Miami the past two seasons, he could very easily be cut.

Reggie Gilliam is good for a couple targets a season.  Like Quintin Morris he’ll make the 53-man squad as a special teams ace.

It’ll be interesting to see how the 2024 season plays out.  Joe Brady introduced a much more balanced offensive attack after he took the reins midway through the season.

Will we see a more run-heavy approach as we did down the stretch in 2023?

Or, with the fact that Josh Allen won’t feel the need to force-feed Stefon Diggs, will we see a Bills passing attack that will include a plethora of talented pass catchers?

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Buffalo Bills

Bills Sign Receiver Chase Claypool

Published

2 weeks ago

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May 3, 2024

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The Buffalo Bills announced the signing of veteran wide receiver, Chase Claypool today.

Claypool, a four-year veteran, played nine games with the Dolphins last season after being traded from the Bears to Miami.

In twelve total games in 2023, Claypool had 8 receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown with a 38.1% catch percentage—the lowest numbers of his career.

The Bills hope to capture the success of Chase Claypool’s first two seasons in the NFL where he career where he averaged 60 receptions for 866 yards and recorded 11 total receiving touchdowns. 

Claypool joins a Bills receiving room that includes rookie Keon Coleman and veterans Curtis Samuel, Khalil Shakir and Mack Hollins.

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Buffalo Bills

Bills Pick Up Greg Rousseau’s Fifth-Year Option

Published

3 weeks ago

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April 30, 2024

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Rich Barnes/GettyImages

The Buffalo Bills have picked up the fifth-year option for defensive end, Greg Rousseau. 

Greg Rousseau was an enticing 6’ 6”, 265 lbs defensive end out of the University of Miami. Rousseau was taken by the Bills in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft at pick 30, ever since then, Rousseau has been a large contributor in the Bills defense.

Rousseau will make $13.4 million in 2025, the fifth-year, and will make $2.3 million this upcoming season, which is a part of his four year rookie contract.

In the 2023 regular season, Rousseau played 16 games where he had 42 total tackles, 30 solo tackles, 5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 4 passes defended. In his three years with the Bills, Rousseau has 17 sacks and 129 tackles. Greg Rousseau was second in terms of tackles on the Bills defensive line last season. 

The Buffalo Bills current defensive ends consists of Greg Rousseau, Von Miller, AJ Epenesa, Javon Solomon, Casey Toohill, Kingsley Jonathan, and Kameron Cline. 

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