Buffalo Bills’ offseason storyline is being overblown going into 2024

The Buffalo Bills lost a lot of veteran talent this offseason but that’s not a reason to panic

The Buffalo Bills have been close so many times over the past four or so years but haven’t been able to get over the hump in the playoffs. Standing in their way have been the Kansas City Chiefs and no bigger example of that than this past season.

Kansas City went into Buffalo and beat the Bills in the AFC Divisional Playoffs, ending Josh Allen’s season en route to another Super Bowl title. Following the season, the Bills made some big moves including trading away Stefon Diggs and losing Gabe Davis in free agency.

Allen lost some weapons on offense and will face the tough task of getting the Buffalo Bills over the hump without two of his top weapons. But just how big is this storyline? One NFL writer doesn’t believe it’s that BIG of a deal.

Eric Edholm of NFL.com wrote on five overblown storylines and five that deserve more attention going into the season. Among the overblown storylines was the Bills’ offseason of unloading veterans:

It’s been easy to kick the Bills this offseason. They’re down — again — after having to shed big swaths of salary that arguably worsened four positions. It’s hard to claim that the Bills are better at receiver, offensive line, defensive line or in the secondary now than they were a year ago.

Khalil Shakir is the only receiver on the roster who has caught a pass from Josh Allen after the departures of Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, Deonte Harty and Trent Sherfield. But Allen won’t be looking around like confused Travolta. The tight ends project to carry a bigger share of the load. The upside of Shakir and Keon Coleman can’t be overlooked. And James Cook and Curtis Samuel figure to combine for more than 100 catches. If even one of the Mack Hollins/Chase Claypool/Marquez Valdes-Scantling trio does anything, Buffalo will be more than fine, I suspect.

Don’t panic, Buffalo Bills fans

The young talent in Buffalo is good enough to make up for lost production. The Buffalo Bills should also be good in the trenches on both sides of the football as well as Edholm points out.

The offensive and defensive lines both have a chance to be good units. I am worried about the depth in both spots, but the starting groups still have some strength to them. Good health would go a long way toward providing key stability.

There’s also the Josh Allen effect as well. The quarterback has proven that he is among the best in the league year after year despite not being able to get to the Super Bowl just yet. He’s a player that can carry a team due to his skillset:

But for me, what makes this more of an overblown story than it should be is the presence of Allen. He’s the obvious meal ticket, and it’s possible that there’s an addition-by-subtraction quotient at play here that’s being forgotten. No longer is there a need to force feed Diggs or issue targets to the maddeningly inconsistent Davis.

This will be Allen’s toughest task yet though, especially with the AFC East getting better as well.

Aaron Rodgers is entering this season healthy and the Miami Dolphins have already challenged the Bills for the top spot in the division despite falling short. Still, Buffalo has the experience to get into the playoffs and potentially make a run.