NFL 2018 power rankings countdown No. 28: Buffalo Bills

A preview of the Buffalo Bills ahead of the 2018 NFL season.

Check back every day for a new 2018 team preview in this year’s NFL power rankings countdown.

Today’s team is the Buffalo Bills.

28. Buffalo Bills

Keegan’s highest rated player: Micah Hyde, safety

Biggest strength: Secondary

Biggest weakness: Offensive line

Best offseason move: Drafting Tremaine Edmunds

Worst offseason move: Trading Tyrod Taylor

Game to circle on calendar: Week 10, at New York Jets

Breakout candidate: Zay Jones, wide receiver

Key players in contract years: Kelvin Benjamin, Jeremy Kerley, Nick O’Leary, Jordan Mills, John Miller, Marshall Newhouse, Kyle Williams, Lorenzo Alexander, Vontae Davis, Phillip Gaines and Colton Schmidt

Offensive preview

There is a lot to like about this Bills’ offense headed into this season (if one of their quarterbacks pans out). AJ McCarron will likely be the quarterback at the start of this season, but only for a short period of time (if the Bills planned for Josh Allen to sit out the entire season they would have just kept Tyrod Taylor).

The Bills will fortunately have a lot of skill position talent around Allen once he takes the reins. LeSean McCoy is still a top running back, Chris Ivory is a nice addition to the backfield, and the Bills also have a solid receiving corps.

The one thing that needs to be fixed with this offense is the offensive line. Adding Russell Bodine will certainly help the interior line, but the loss of Cordy Glenn will have a huge impact. It’s unfortunate that Josh Allen will likely start out his career with an average left tackle.

This offense hinges on Allen this season, and because of this I would temper your expectations, as Allen needs to work on his accuracy if he wants to be a good quarterback in this league. If his accuracy improves, watch out.

Defensive preview

The Bills’ defense has some potential this season. They have the best secondary in their division and a decent front seven.

There are still reasons to believe in Shaq Lawson, and of course there are veterans Kyle Williams and Star Lotulelei on their defensive line. This defensive line won’t wow you, but it should get the job done most games.

The Bills made a great decision when they drafted Tremaine Edmunds, who is a sleeper defensive rookie of the year candidate at the age of 20. Don’t underrate the fact that he will be in the same linebacking corps as Lorenzo Alexander, who is a former All-Pro.

The best part of this Bills team is their secondary. Tre’Davious White and Vontae Davis make for a nice cornerback duo, and the Bills obviously have a premier safety in Micah Hyde. Hyde and White both have Pro Bowl potential this season, and Hyde could be a back-to-back All-Pro if he repeats his 2017 performance. If Jordan Poyer continues to develop, this could be one of the best secondaries in the league.

Coaching staff/front office preview

This Bills’ coaching staff deserves a lot of respect, not just because of head coach Sean McDermott but for offensive coordinator Brian Daboll (former Alabama OC) and Leslie Frazier (former Minnesota Vikings head coach). This is a very impressive coaching staff.

This was Brandon Beane’s first time running a draft, so I can’t give a fair opinion on him as a general manager. He did have an impressive first draft though, especially his first two defensive draft picks (Tremaine Edmunds and Harrison Phillips). A lot of his legacy will obviously depend on how Josh Allen turns out.

Overall outlook for 2018

This Bills team would have been a playoff contender if they kept Tyrod Taylor. Unfortunately, they will likely be starting a rookie quarterback for the majority of the 2018 season. Starting Josh Allen won’t destroy their playoff hopes as they play in a terrible division, but this will put them behind most of the other AFC teams.

Previous teams:

29. New York Jets
30. Cincinnati Bengals
31. Miami Dolphins
32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers