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…