- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 440,164
- Reaction score
- 44
Just because the Buffalo Bills set a franchise record with 525 points in 2024 doesn’t mean their offense can’t use a little tweaking here and there on their depth chart.
Granted, the needs are somewhat minimal, especially when you have the reigning NFL MVP running the show and you’re returning your top three running backs, three of the five top receivers, the top two tight ends, and the entire offensive line plus its backups.
By adding wide receiver Josh Palmer in free agency, general manager Brandon Beane provided Josh Allen with a replacement for the departed Amari Cooper, leaving his primary focus on offense in the NFL Draft to finding a better and faster version of Mack Hollins who walked - probably bare-footed - in free agency to AFC East rival New England.
Beyond that, a running back, a tight end and an offensive lineman would be ways to create more depth and competition, and though it seems unlikely any of those potential prospects would contribute much to the 2025 team, the draft is never about just the upcoming season.
“You’ve got to hit on the draft picks, and those are key aspects of building it the right way,” coach Sean McDermott said. “If you’re drafting the right players you can fill most of those voids. You can only have so many ‘A’ level players on your team. Guys need to step up from the bottom third of your roster and develop.”
Here’s a look at the Bills offensive depth chart heading into the draft:
There has been some talk about the Bills picking a QB on Day 3 to develop him as the long-term backup to Allen. But there’s no pressing reason to do that in 2025, not with Mitch Trubisky and Mike White on the final years of their contracts and locked in as the game-day backup and practice squad QB. This can wait until 2026.
➤ Depth chart: Josh Allen, Mitch Trubisky, Mike White, Shane Buechele.
➤ Potential draft spot: None.
Cook is entering the final year of his original rookie contract and his offseason chirping about a rich extension may have soured the Bills on doing something. I would let Cook play 2025 and then re-evaluate his situation at the end of the year when the Bills could still get something done, or simply move on. Doing this, they obviously increase the odds that Cook tests the market, but that’s a risk worth taking.
We may get an indication of their plan in this draft if they pick a running back somewhere in the middle. I don’t think Ray Davis or Ty Johnson is an RB1 like Cook, so they may try to find Cook’s heir apparent. If they don’t pick one, they could do it in the 2026 draft when they’d still have Davis and Johnson under contract to lean on if the rookie starts slowly.
➤ Depth chart: James Cook, Ray Davis, Ty Johnson, Darrynton Evans, Frank Gore Jr.
➤ Potential draft spot: Fourth or fifth round.
➤ Names to watch in that range: Cam Skatteboo (Arizona State), Brashard Smith (SMU), RJ Harvey (Central Florida), Bhayshul Tuten (Virginia Tech).
The Bills could line up today with their current group now that they’ve added Palmer and Allen would be perfectly satisfied, but adding to the room is still necessary because they need to replace Hollins, and no one knows what to make of Keon Coleman and Curtis Samuel as they enter year two with the team.
You can’t stay the same in the NFL, you must evolve. Defenses will be wiser to Buffalo’s passing game and Beane should look to add a dynamic, field-stretching component to help a downfield attack that lagged in 2024.
➤ Depth chart: Khalil Shakir, Josh Palmer, Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel, Laviska Shenault, Tyrell Shavers, Jalen Virgil, KJ Hamler.
➤ Potential draft spot: To get an impact player, rounds 1 or 2, but they could get lucky on Day 3.
➤ Names to watch in that range: Late in the first, Matthew Golden of Texas would be the dream but that’s unlikely. Luther Burden III (Missouri) and Emeka Egbuka (Ohio State) could be there at No. 30. In the second round, Jaylin Noel (Iowa State), Jayden Higgins (Iowa State), Jalen Royals (Utah State), Tre Harris (Mississippi). And if they wait, three burners who could be in the fourth- or fifth-round neighborhood are Jaylin Lane (Virginia Tech), Tai Felton (Maryland) and Arian Smith (Georgia).
Quintin Morris was not tendered a qualifying offer so he became an unrestricted free agent, but since he has not been signed it’s still possible that the Bills bring him back and the position group looks the same as it did the previous two years.
If Morris is not returning, Davidson - who showed some promise last summer - appears to be the third-string option, but finding someone in the draft seems like a good idea, if for no other reason to push Davidson.
➤ Depth chart: Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox, Zach Davidson.
➤ Potential draft spot: Fifth round
➤ Names to watch in that range: Oronde Gadsden II (Syracuse), Mitchell Evans (Notre Dame), Molokai Matavao (UCLA), CJ Dippre (Alabama).
I thought a Connor McGovern contract extension was coming as a way to free up cap space and that could still happen, but for now Beane has found other ways to massage the numbers, so McGovern is entering the last year of his contract. Given how well he has played, the Bills should get him on a new deal and not risk losing him in free agency.
O’Cyrus Torrence still has two years left on his rookie deal, but with the way guard money is growing, the Bills may want to consider locking him up, if not now then in the offseason. David Edwards enters the final year of his contract but he’s not a priority negotiation.
At tackle, Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown are pillars who are signed through 2027 and 2028, respectively.
Behind the starting five, the Bills have several young players in the pipeline - all 13 players on the current depth chart were with the team in 2024 - so it isn’t necessary to make a pick in this area, but my guess is Beane believes you can never have enough competition when it comes to big men so I won’t be surprised if they pick someone at an interior position with versatility to play all three spots.
➤ Depth chart: Dion Dawkins (LT), Spencer Brown (RT), Connor McGovern (C), O’Cyrus Torrence (RG), David Edwards (LG), Alec Anderson (G-C), Ryan Van Demark (T), Sedrick Van Pran-Granger (G-C), Tylan Grable (T), Mike Edwards (G), Richard Gouraige (T), Kendrick Green (G-C), Travis Clayton (T).
➤ Potential draft spot: Somewhere on Day 3, rounds 4-6
➤ Names to watch in that range: Seth McLaughlin (C, Ohio State), Joe Huber (G, Wisconsin), Caleb Rogers (G, Texas Tech), Jalen Rivers (G, Miami), Myles Hinton (T, Michigan), Charles Grant (T, William & Mary), Cameron Williams (T, Texas).
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades including 35 years as the full-time beat writer for the D&C, he has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at [email protected], and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social. Sign up for his Bills Blast newsletter here: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Buffalo Bills depth chart 2025 prior to NFL Draft: The offense
Continue reading...
Granted, the needs are somewhat minimal, especially when you have the reigning NFL MVP running the show and you’re returning your top three running backs, three of the five top receivers, the top two tight ends, and the entire offensive line plus its backups.
By adding wide receiver Josh Palmer in free agency, general manager Brandon Beane provided Josh Allen with a replacement for the departed Amari Cooper, leaving his primary focus on offense in the NFL Draft to finding a better and faster version of Mack Hollins who walked - probably bare-footed - in free agency to AFC East rival New England.
Beyond that, a running back, a tight end and an offensive lineman would be ways to create more depth and competition, and though it seems unlikely any of those potential prospects would contribute much to the 2025 team, the draft is never about just the upcoming season.
“You’ve got to hit on the draft picks, and those are key aspects of building it the right way,” coach Sean McDermott said. “If you’re drafting the right players you can fill most of those voids. You can only have so many ‘A’ level players on your team. Guys need to step up from the bottom third of your roster and develop.”
Here’s a look at the Bills offensive depth chart heading into the draft:
Buffalo Bills depth chart: Quarterback
There has been some talk about the Bills picking a QB on Day 3 to develop him as the long-term backup to Allen. But there’s no pressing reason to do that in 2025, not with Mitch Trubisky and Mike White on the final years of their contracts and locked in as the game-day backup and practice squad QB. This can wait until 2026.
➤ Depth chart: Josh Allen, Mitch Trubisky, Mike White, Shane Buechele.
➤ Potential draft spot: None.
Buffalo Bills depth chart: Running back
Cook is entering the final year of his original rookie contract and his offseason chirping about a rich extension may have soured the Bills on doing something. I would let Cook play 2025 and then re-evaluate his situation at the end of the year when the Bills could still get something done, or simply move on. Doing this, they obviously increase the odds that Cook tests the market, but that’s a risk worth taking.
We may get an indication of their plan in this draft if they pick a running back somewhere in the middle. I don’t think Ray Davis or Ty Johnson is an RB1 like Cook, so they may try to find Cook’s heir apparent. If they don’t pick one, they could do it in the 2026 draft when they’d still have Davis and Johnson under contract to lean on if the rookie starts slowly.
➤ Depth chart: James Cook, Ray Davis, Ty Johnson, Darrynton Evans, Frank Gore Jr.
➤ Potential draft spot: Fourth or fifth round.
➤ Names to watch in that range: Cam Skatteboo (Arizona State), Brashard Smith (SMU), RJ Harvey (Central Florida), Bhayshul Tuten (Virginia Tech).
Buffalo Bills depth chart: Wide receiver
The Bills could line up today with their current group now that they’ve added Palmer and Allen would be perfectly satisfied, but adding to the room is still necessary because they need to replace Hollins, and no one knows what to make of Keon Coleman and Curtis Samuel as they enter year two with the team.
You can’t stay the same in the NFL, you must evolve. Defenses will be wiser to Buffalo’s passing game and Beane should look to add a dynamic, field-stretching component to help a downfield attack that lagged in 2024.
➤ Depth chart: Khalil Shakir, Josh Palmer, Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel, Laviska Shenault, Tyrell Shavers, Jalen Virgil, KJ Hamler.
➤ Potential draft spot: To get an impact player, rounds 1 or 2, but they could get lucky on Day 3.
➤ Names to watch in that range: Late in the first, Matthew Golden of Texas would be the dream but that’s unlikely. Luther Burden III (Missouri) and Emeka Egbuka (Ohio State) could be there at No. 30. In the second round, Jaylin Noel (Iowa State), Jayden Higgins (Iowa State), Jalen Royals (Utah State), Tre Harris (Mississippi). And if they wait, three burners who could be in the fourth- or fifth-round neighborhood are Jaylin Lane (Virginia Tech), Tai Felton (Maryland) and Arian Smith (Georgia).
Buffalo Bills depth chart: Tight end
You must be registered for see images attach
Quintin Morris was not tendered a qualifying offer so he became an unrestricted free agent, but since he has not been signed it’s still possible that the Bills bring him back and the position group looks the same as it did the previous two years.
If Morris is not returning, Davidson - who showed some promise last summer - appears to be the third-string option, but finding someone in the draft seems like a good idea, if for no other reason to push Davidson.
➤ Depth chart: Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox, Zach Davidson.
➤ Potential draft spot: Fifth round
➤ Names to watch in that range: Oronde Gadsden II (Syracuse), Mitchell Evans (Notre Dame), Molokai Matavao (UCLA), CJ Dippre (Alabama).
Buffalo Bills depth chart: Offensive line
You must be registered for see images attach
I thought a Connor McGovern contract extension was coming as a way to free up cap space and that could still happen, but for now Beane has found other ways to massage the numbers, so McGovern is entering the last year of his contract. Given how well he has played, the Bills should get him on a new deal and not risk losing him in free agency.
O’Cyrus Torrence still has two years left on his rookie deal, but with the way guard money is growing, the Bills may want to consider locking him up, if not now then in the offseason. David Edwards enters the final year of his contract but he’s not a priority negotiation.
At tackle, Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown are pillars who are signed through 2027 and 2028, respectively.
Behind the starting five, the Bills have several young players in the pipeline - all 13 players on the current depth chart were with the team in 2024 - so it isn’t necessary to make a pick in this area, but my guess is Beane believes you can never have enough competition when it comes to big men so I won’t be surprised if they pick someone at an interior position with versatility to play all three spots.
➤ Depth chart: Dion Dawkins (LT), Spencer Brown (RT), Connor McGovern (C), O’Cyrus Torrence (RG), David Edwards (LG), Alec Anderson (G-C), Ryan Van Demark (T), Sedrick Van Pran-Granger (G-C), Tylan Grable (T), Mike Edwards (G), Richard Gouraige (T), Kendrick Green (G-C), Travis Clayton (T).
➤ Potential draft spot: Somewhere on Day 3, rounds 4-6
➤ Names to watch in that range: Seth McLaughlin (C, Ohio State), Joe Huber (G, Wisconsin), Caleb Rogers (G, Texas Tech), Jalen Rivers (G, Miami), Myles Hinton (T, Michigan), Charles Grant (T, William & Mary), Cameron Williams (T, Texas).
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades including 35 years as the full-time beat writer for the D&C, he has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at [email protected], and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social. Sign up for his Bills Blast newsletter here: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Buffalo Bills depth chart 2025 prior to NFL Draft: The offense
Continue reading...
