The Buffalo Bills have fallen just short of the Super Bowl, often despite the best efforts of quarterback Josh Allen.
After an offseason of big changes that saw a new coaching regime ushered in, the Bills are facing criticism for their approach to building the team around Allen. The Bills have been called out in the past for failing to bring sufficient pass-catching talent around Allen, and one NFL analyst is calling out the team for placing too heavy a burden on their former MVP quarterback.
Bills Leaning Too Heavily on Josh Allen
Bleacher Report’s Brett Sobleski gave grades to all 32 NFL teams for their offseason moves, giving the Bills one of the lowest, a C+. Sobleski wrote that the Bills have leaned too heavily on Allen to make up for a relative lack of talent around him.
While the Bills do have the NFL rushing leader in running back James Cook, they have lacked a true No. 1 receiver since trading Stefon Diggs prior to the 2024 season.
“Where there’s Josh Allen, there’s a way. The Buffalo Bills lean on that philosophy far too much, though,” Sobleski wrote.
Sobleski did give the Bills some points for adding the field-stretching DJ Moore, but questioned how much impact the aging wide receiver would have.
“To the Bills’ credit, the organization did add DJ Moore via trade with the Chicago Bears. Is Moore’s specific skill set what Buffalo needed at wide receiver? While that can be debated, the 29-year-old veteran will give Allen another viable threat to create after the catch,” Sobleski wrote.
Sobleski noted that the Bills have questions on the other side of the ball as well, lacking talent to fit into new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard’s scheme.
“Leonard brings a different philosophy, which will likely require some time to transition without all of the right pieces in place to fully integrate,” Sobleski wrote. “The front remains suspect, but the Bills did sink six of their initial eight draft picks into defensive prospects. Veterans Bradley Chubb, Dee Alford, Geno Stone and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson signed as free agents as well.”
Bills Facing High Bar for Next Season
The Bills fired longtime head coach Sean McDermott after last season’s playoff loss to the Denver Broncos, promoting offensive coordinator Joe Brady to the top post. ESPN analyst Ryan Clark wrote that Brady will face some unusually high pressure for a first-year head coach.
“For Joe Brady, he has to go win a Super Bowl because that’s the thing that Sean McDermott hasn’t done,” Clark stated. “He’s done everything else, he’s gotten them to AFC Championships, he’s gotten them to the playoffs for consecutive years, he’s had this team extremely competitive in the AFC East, winning it consecutively.”
“Let me tell you something about Joe Brady — Joe Brady is the right hire. Joe Brady should’ve been a head coach, in my opinion, before this year. … He has to understand, the only thing that’s different now to everyone is that Sean McDermott isn’t there. He has to be the difference between. Where the Buffalo Bills have been and where the Buffalo Bills are going — so it’s absolutely Super Bowl or bust for Joe Brady, Josh Allen, and this team.”
Bills Face Criticism for ‘Philosophy’ on QB Josh Allen