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The Buffalo Bills spent another offseason trying to improve Josh Allen's weapons.
ESPN thinks they got worse.
Bill Barnwell ranked the Bills' running backs, wide receivers and tight ends No. 29 in the NFL entering the 2026 season, one spot lower than Buffalo finished in his rankings a year ago despite returning an All-Pro running back, a Pro Bowl tight end and trading for veteran wide receiver D.J. Moore.
Only the Carolina Panthers, Washington Commanders and Miami Dolphins ranked lower.
James Cook was the clear exception.
Cook led the NFL with 1,621 rushing yards in 2025 and earned first-team All-Pro honors. The only drawback, Barnwell wrote, is ball security after Cook fumbled six times during the regular season and once more in the playoffs.
The bigger concern was Buffalo's receiving corps.
"Beyond Cook, it remains difficult to get excited about Buffalo's receiving corps, even after the addition of D.J. Moore," Barnwell wrote.
Moore is coming off the lowest receiving-yardage total of his career, and ESPN questioned whether the 29-year-old is still a true difference-maker.
"He profiles as one of the least imposing top wideouts in the league."
Khalil Shakir was described as a solid slot receiver, but Keon Coleman "has been a major disappointment." Dalton Kincaid made his first Pro Bowl in 2025, yet questions remain whether he can become the high-volume matchup problem Buffalo envisioned when it drafted him in the first round.
Ultimately, the criticism came down to one question:
"If Allen needs to throw for a first down to win a game, who should he trust to get open?"
"Every team ranked above the Bills has at least one receiver that fans would bring up as an obvious answer for their quarterback, Barnwell said. "The Bills still, somehow, do not."
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Bills offensive playmakers rank near bottom of NFL in ESPN rankings
Continue reading...
ESPN thinks they got worse.
Bill Barnwell ranked the Bills' running backs, wide receivers and tight ends No. 29 in the NFL entering the 2026 season, one spot lower than Buffalo finished in his rankings a year ago despite returning an All-Pro running back, a Pro Bowl tight end and trading for veteran wide receiver D.J. Moore.
Only the Carolina Panthers, Washington Commanders and Miami Dolphins ranked lower.
James Cook was the clear exception.
Cook led the NFL with 1,621 rushing yards in 2025 and earned first-team All-Pro honors. The only drawback, Barnwell wrote, is ball security after Cook fumbled six times during the regular season and once more in the playoffs.
The bigger concern was Buffalo's receiving corps.
"Beyond Cook, it remains difficult to get excited about Buffalo's receiving corps, even after the addition of D.J. Moore," Barnwell wrote.
Moore is coming off the lowest receiving-yardage total of his career, and ESPN questioned whether the 29-year-old is still a true difference-maker.
"He profiles as one of the least imposing top wideouts in the league."
Khalil Shakir was described as a solid slot receiver, but Keon Coleman "has been a major disappointment." Dalton Kincaid made his first Pro Bowl in 2025, yet questions remain whether he can become the high-volume matchup problem Buffalo envisioned when it drafted him in the first round.
Ultimately, the criticism came down to one question:
"If Allen needs to throw for a first down to win a game, who should he trust to get open?"
"Every team ranked above the Bills has at least one receiver that fans would bring up as an obvious answer for their quarterback, Barnwell said. "The Bills still, somehow, do not."
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Bills offensive playmakers rank near bottom of NFL in ESPN rankings
Continue reading...
