The 10 Best Bills Players of All Time, Ranked

The Buffalo Bills aren’t as decorated a franchise as the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, or Pittsburgh Steelers. But that doesn’t mean they haven’t had their fair share of success and all-time great players.

Most of the franchise’s best players were on the field decades ago. Let’s take a look at the 10 best Bills players of all time, starting with No. 10.

*Note: All titles, awards and stats listed below are from each player’s tenure with the Bills only. All stats are from Pro Football Reference unless otherwise credited.

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10. Joe DeLamielleure, OL/G

• Years as a Bill: 1973-1979, 1985
• Championships & awards:
  • 3-time First-Team All Pro
  • 5-time Pro Bowler
  • NFL 1970s All-Decade Team
  • Buffalo Bills 50th Anniversary Team
  • Pro Football Hall of Fame selection (2003)
• Career regular season stats:
  • 112 games (105 starts)
• Career postseason stats:
  • 1 game

Joe DeLamielleure was the first offensive lineman ever to block for a 2,000-yard rusher and a 4,000-yard passer. He played a hand in O.J. Simpson’s Hall of Fame career and blocked for Terry Miller during his only 1,000-yard season in 1978. DeLamielleure never missed a game during his first stint with Buffalo. He was named the NFLPA Offensive Lineman of the Year in 1975, and received the Forrest Gregg Award for being the NFL’s top offensive lineman in 1977.

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9. Tom Sestak, DT

• Years as a Bill: 1962-1968
• Championships & awards:
  • 3-time First-Team All AFL
  • 4-time AFL All Star
  • 2-time AFL Champion
  • AFL sacks leader (1964)
  • AFL All-Time Team
  • Buffalo Bills 50th Anniversary Team
• Career regular season stats:
  • 96 games (90 starts)
  • 52 sacks
  • 3 touchdowns
  • 2 interceptions
  • 2 fumble recoveries
• Career postseason stats:
  • 4 sacks
• Iconic performance: November 14, 1965 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
  • 4 sacks
  • 1 interception
  • 1 touchdown

Tom Sestak was one of the most dominant pass rushers in the AFL during the 1960s. His durability was evident as he missed just two games during his seven-year career, and he played a big hand in the Bills being AFL champions in 1964 and 1965. He is unofficially sixth all-time in franchise history in sacks.

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8. Cornelius Bennett, LB

• Years as a Bill: 1987-1995
• Championships & awards:
  • First-Team All Pro (1988)
  • 5-time Pro Bowler (1988, 1990-1993)
  • NFL 1990s All-Decade Team
  • PFWA All-Rookie Team (1987)
• Career regular season stats:
  • 129 games (128 starts)
  • 793 tackles
  • 52.5 sacks
  • 22 forced fumbles
  • 19 fumble recoveries
  • 6 interceptions
  • 3 touchdowns
• Career postseason stats:
  • 17 games/starts
  • 38 tackles
  • 1.5 sacks
• Iconic performance: December 27, 1987 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
  • 4 sacks

Cornelius Bennett‘s ability as a pass rusher and centerpiece of the defense has gone unmatched during the Bills’ existence. His 52.5 sacks during his time in Buffalo ranked fifth all-time in franchise history, and his stats across the board show how he could wreak havoc in multiple ways. Simply put, Bennett was a big play waiting to happen, which is exceptional when considering the position he played. He had a big hand in Buffalo making four-straight Super Bowl appearances during the early 1990s.

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7. Darryl Talley, LB

• Years as a Bill: 1983-1994
• Championships & awards:
  • 2-time Pro Bowler
  • Buffalo Bills 50th Anniversary Team
• Career regular season stats:
  • 188 games (160 starts)
  • 1,128 tackles
  • 38.5 sacks
  • 14 forced fumbles
  • 12 fumble recoveries
  • 11 interceptions
• Career postseason stats:
  • 15 games/starts
  • 22 tackles
  • 6.5 sacks
• Iconic performance: 1990 AFC Championship vs. Oakland Raiders
  • 2 interceptions
  • 1 touchdown

Darryl Talley‘s career numbers don’t pop off the page. But his 1,095 tackles during his time with the Bills is a franchise record, making him worthy of being on this list. He made an impact on defense in a variety of ways and was one of the driving forces of Buffalo’s elite defenses during the late 1980s and early 1990s. His missed only four games during his 12-year tenure in Buffalo.

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6. O.J. Simpson, RB

• Years as a Bill: 1969-1977
• Championships & awards:
  • 5-time First-Team All Pro
  • 5-time Pro Bowler
  • 4-time NFL rushing yards leader
  • 2-time NFL rushing touchdowns leader
  • NFL scoring leader (1975)
  • NFL Most Valuable Player (1973)
  • NFL Offensive Player of the Year (1973)
  • NFL 1970s All-Decade Team
  • NFL 75th Anniversary Team
  • NFL 100th Anniversary Team
  • Pro Football Hall of Fame selection (1985)
• Career regular season stats:
  • 112 games (111 starts)
  • 10,183 yards
  • 57 touchdowns
  • 1,924 receiving yards
  • 69 touchdowns
• Career postseason stats:
  • 49 yards
  • 37 receiving yards
  • 1 touchdown
• Iconic performance: November 25, 1996 vs. Detroit Lions
  • 273 yards
  • 2 touchdowns
  • 9.4 yards per carry

O.J. Simpson was one of the most electric running backs of his era. His elite speed, agility, and tackle-breaking ability made him a home run threat on any given play. He’s second all-time in Bills history in rushing yards (10,183) and rushing touchdowns (57), and his 4.8 YPC career average speaks greatly to his efficiency on the ground. Simpson was the first player to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season, doing so in 1973 in 14 games.

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5. Josh Allen, QB

• Years as a Bill: 2018-present
• Championships & awards:
  • 2-time Pro Bowler
  • 2nd-Team All Pro (2020)
• Career regular season stats:
  • 99 games (98 starts)
  • 23,648 yards
  • 175 touchdowns
  • 78 interceptions
  • 3,771 rushing yards
  • 55 touchdowns
• Career postseason stats:
  • 10 games/starts
  • 2,723 yards
  • 21 touchdowns
  • 4 interceptions
  • 563 rushing yards
  • 5 touchdowns
• Iconic performance: 2021 AFC Wild Card Round vs. New England Patriots
  • 84% completion percentage
  • 308 yards
  • 5 touchdowns
  • 66 rushing yards

Josh Allen‘s career has been overshadowed by players like Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes. But what shouldn’t be overlooked is that he’s one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks of all-time. Allen has four seasons in which he has combined for over 40 total touchdowns and is tied for the NFL record for most rushing touchdowns by a QB in a single season (15). He doesn’t have a Super Bowl win or even appearance under his belt, but he does hold the highest passer rating in a single postseason in NFL history (149.0 in 2021). His career is far from over, which means he will continue to climb the ranks of the best QBs to ever play in the NFL.

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4. Andre Reed, WR

• Years as a Bill: 1985-1999
• Championships & awards:
  • 2-time Second-Team All Pro
  • 7-time Pro Bowler
  • Buffalo Bills 50th Anniversary Team
• Career regular season stats:
  • 221 games (217 starts)
  • 941 receptions
  • 13,095 yards
  • 86 touchdowns
• Career postseason stats:
  • 21 games/starts
  • 85 receptions
  • 1,229 yards
  • 9 touchdowns
• Iconic performance: November 20, 1994 vs. Green Bay Packers
  • 15 receptions
  • 191 yards
  • 2 touchdowns

Andre Reed is by far the best Bills receiver of all-time. He leads the franchise in career receiving yards (13,095), which is 3,999 yards more than second place (9,096, Eric Moulds). Reed is also the franchise leader in receptions (941) and receiving touchdowns (86) by a long shot. He had over 900 receiving yards in a single season seven times during his NFL career and had over 1,000 yards four times.

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3. Thurman Thomas, RB

• Years as a Bill: 1988-1999
• Championships & awards:
  • 2-time First-Team All Pro
  • 5-time Pro Bowler
  • NFL Most Valuable Player (1991)
  • NFL Offensive Player of the Year (1991)
  • NFL 1990s All-Decade Team
  • Buffalo Bills 50th Anniversary Team
  • Pro Football Hall of Fame selection (2007)
• Career regular season stats:
  • 173 games (160 starts)
  • 11,938 yards
  • 65 touchdowns
  • 4,341 receiving yards
  • 22 touchdowns
• Career postseason stats:
  • 21 games (19 starts)
  • 1,442 yards
  • 16 touchdowns
  • 672 receiving yards
  • 5 touchdowns
• Iconic performance: September 24, 1990 vs. New York Jets
  • 214 rushing yards

Thurman Thomas is Buffalo’s franchise leader in career rushing yards (11,938) and rushing touchdowns (65). He had eight straight 1,000-yard seasons (1989-1996), which speaks to his elite-level consistency during the late 1980s and 1990s. His 390 rushing yards — an average of 130 rushing yards per game — and 4 rushing touchdowns during the 1990 playoffs was truly exceptional and one of the more dominant rushing performances in NFL postseason history.

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2. Jim Kelly, QB

• Years as a Bill: 1986-1996
• Championships & awards:
  • First-Team All Pro (1991)
  • 5-time Pro Bowler
  • NFL passing touchdowns leader (1991)
  • NFL passer rating leader (1990)
  • NFL completion percentage leader (1990)
  • Buffalo Bills 50th Anniversary Team
  • Pro Football Hall of Fame selection (2002)
• Career regular season stats:
  • 160 games/starts
  • 35,467 yards
  • 237 touchdowns
  • 175 interceptions
  • 10,49 rushing yards
  • 7 touchdowns
• Career postseason stats:
  • 17 games/starts
  • 3,863 yards
  • 21 touchdowns
  • 28 interceptions
• Iconic performance: September 8, 1991 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
  • 363 yards
  • 6 touchdowns

Jim Kelly is the Bills’ all-time leader in passing yards (35,467) and passing touchdowns (237). He also holds the franchise record for most wins by a quarterback (101). He was never able to gain a Super Bowl victory despite making four straight Super Bowl appearances from 1991-1994. However, the fact that he was able to make it to four straight championships speaks to his high level of play during the 1990s.

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1. Bruce Smith, DE

• Years as a Bill: 1985-1999
• Championships & awards:
  • 9-Time First-Team All Pro
  • 11-time Pro Bowler
  • 2-time Forced Fumbles Co-leader
  • 2-time Defensive Player of the Year
  • NFL 1980s All-Decade Team
  • NFL 1990s All-Decade Team
  • NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team
  • Buffalo Bills 50th Anniversary Team
  • Pro Football Hall of Fame selection (2009)
• Career regular season stats:
  • 217 games (213 starts)
  • 1,054 tackles
  • 171.0 sacks
  • 35 forced fumbles
  • 5 tackles for loss
  • 14 fumble recoveries
• Career postseason stats:
  • 20 games/starts
  • 14.5 sacks
• Iconic performance: December 9, 1990 vs. Indianapolis Colts
  • 4 sacks

I only need one stat explain Bruce Smith‘s standing as the best Bill of all time: He’s the NFL’s all-time leader in sacks with 200 — more than legendary pass rush Reggie White (198) — and 171 of those came with the Bills. As the No. 1 overall pick of Buffalo in 1985, Smith is one of if not the most dominant pass rusher the NFL has ever has ever seen, so there’s no hesitation in calling him the best Bill ever.

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