Credit: Jeffrey T. Barnes, AP
|
Thursday, April 26, 2018 | BataviasBest.org
It was a long journey, but the Buffalo Bills finally ended the drought and made the playoffs in 2017-2018. Despite the excitement that came as a result of their recent trip to the promise land, however, with success comes a level of expectation which hasn’t been bestowed on the Bills in quite some time.
For GM Brandon Beane, those expectations fall right at his feet – beginning tonight with the NFL Draft:
Get the Quarterback
For too long the Bills’ fan base has had to wait for the chosen one, their leader, the one who can force them out of the depths of being one of the NFL’s laughing stocks, and back to becoming a perennial Super Bowl contender. They’ve struggled through countless General Managers, all of which were futile when it came to evaluating a difference maker under center.
That streak has to end this year with Beane and the rest of his front office staff. What I’m asking for is simple: identify the right quarterback, make the move into position to take the right quarterback, and take the right quarterback.
The job is laid out for this regime. Will they be the group which finally gets the job done?
They damn well better be.
Rebuild the Offensive Line
With the retirement of Richie Incognito, Eric Wood’s forced retirement, and the trade of Cordy Glenn, the Bills offensive line is in a state of flux as they head into a year where they expect to repeat as a playoff contender. Aside from obtaining a franchise quarterback, identifying a couple of quality OL prospects should be focus 1A, at least in my mind.
If you do indeed happen to acquire the franchise QB you’ve been looking for, his ability to succeed will be severely hampered if the team doesn’t put a solid unit in front of him.
Find a Wide Receiver
Kelvin Benjamin, Zay Jones, Andre Holmes, Jeremy Kerley, Rod Streater, Brandon Reily, Malachi Dupre, Quan Bray.
That stable of wide receivers is not playoff caliber.
It might not even be regular season caliber.
I would look in the mid-to-late rounds for wide receiver help, as the past has proven that you can find talent even as the draft moves into Day 3.
Obtain a Pass Rush
Finally, after parting ways with Mario Williams years ago, and then Marcell Dareus last season, the Bills pass rush has been on a steady decline and in need of a major overhaul. This year, I would like to see the front office identify a few pass rushers in the later rounds who can develop into contributors over the next few seasons.
It all kicks off tonight at 8 pm on various networks. Be sure to reach out @BataviasBest on Twitter throughout the night.
