What Are Your Expectations For The 2023 Season?

[Rico]

Super Bowl Champs! 
 

Not a one of the 4 teams left are GREAT, they are very good though. IF the Bills make some necessary changes & tweaks (OL, WR, physicality, tackling, ATTITUDE), I see no reason why they finally can’t make it happen.

[Simon Says]

The OP was so long that I couldn't read it all the way through. 

When you talk about cutting players dont forget  about dead cap money.

There's always a chance Josh reworks his contract to free up cap space.

Hines' contract isn't guaranteed,is it? I'd try to renegotiate and if Singletary gets an offer the Bills won't match,draft a bigger back.

Brown was hurt and I think he can be serviceable. Morse is much more than "meh" but Bills need a plan in case he gets hurt again. Bates might be better off at LG and good riddance to Saffold.

Poyer, Hamlin and Hyde could ALL be gone. Benford to safety has been floated...could the Bills move to a 4-3 ,dump the nickel and try Taron at safety?

Edited January 29, 2023 by Herb Nightly
Hines

[BuffaloBaumer]

I fully expect one and done in the playoffs after narrowly beating out the Jets and Dolphins to win the division. The coaching this team has received in the last 3 years of playoffs is beyond unacceptable. Josh Allen will end being wasted even more than Andrew Luck when all is said and done. 

[BillsfaninChicago]

2 hours ago, AlCowlingsTaxiService said:

 He was a buffoon but the old coach Dickerson (is he still above ground?) 

Believe it or not he is since he was old like 30 years ago to me. Lol

[Success]

Lower expectations - but still winning the division.

 

Get in the playoffs & anything can happen. But I don't expect a SB berth like I did this past year. And that's probably not a bad thing.

 

[Beast]

If they fix the offense, I have SB expectations.

[Negan]

Wildcard loss is the ceiling with this team.  

[US Egg]

Hoping to start the season 0-0.

 

Then win as many as possible to make the playoffs.

 

Then win those and be content.

[Billz4ever]

3 hours ago, H2o said:

I know various FO personnel say the Salary Cap is a "myth", but you still have to navigate with care. One day it will catch up to you. So in light of that, and our situation, what do you all expect for 2023? 

 

QB: We have a top 3 QB and we need to build around him to get where we want to go.

 

RB: Cook could end up being our Alvin Kamara. He needs to add some strength in the lower body this off-season and Dorsey needs to use the guy goodness sake. It got better the last 4 or 5 games of the season, but they need to be more disciplined and creative with it this year. I don't think Hines will be kept at his current $$$ either. Cook will be the featured RB next year and then a guy they can get for $3.5M or less. Maybe D'Onta Foreman?

 

WR: Diggs, Davis, Shakir, McKenzie. Will this be a "run it back" scenario with a couple of cheap adds? I hope not, but I have a bad feeling they will. We could look to draft someone, but our highest WR was Zay Jones in the 2nd since 2017. Technically, yes, we spent a first on Diggs. But at some point the FO has to be able to evaluate and hit on the talent it drafts, so we have them on rookie deals. 

 

TE: Knox, Morris. Knox is solid. Morris is meh. We could use an upgrade, but I wouldn't expect $$$ or an early draft pick to be spent here. Probably a cheap FA pickup or UDFA. 

 

OL: This is the train wreck of a unit. Dawkins is decent, Morse is meh, Bates/Brown should both be backups, and Saffold should be washing dishes at Golden Corral. We need AT LEAST two starting quality adds. One at RT and one at LG. I wouldn't mind keeping Dawkins and replacing the rest. Hopefully, this unit sees some $$$ thrown its way in FA AND at least 2 of our first four draft picks. Beans has to get this right. If he doesn't, if he and McDermott can't get a legit OL together? It's gonna be a long season.

 

DL: Miller, Rousseau, Epenesa, Basham, D. Jones, Oliver. Many question marks here. Will they extend Oliver? Maybe. Depends on the $$$ he wants. I'm sure they'd love to lower his cap #. Rousseau looked a little better this year, but his pressures dropped when Von went down. Heck, the whole defensive front fell off when Von went down. Jones was a nice surprise in the middle. He was exactly what Star was supposed to be, but couldn't live up to. Von was being Von until the knee injury set him down. He would have had 12 sacks or more and the defense as a whole would have looked a lot better. Hopefully we get him back fully healthy by October. They need to figure out what to do with Basham. Do you let him get back in the 290's like he was at Wake and play DT or do you keep with the same failed experiment you tried with Epenesa? I would love to see us bring back both Lawson and Phillips. They are both solid players in this defense. The $$$ will have to be right though. I don't expect much movement here outside of Lawson and Phillips possibly coming back. Not enough $$$ to go around and I hope they're smart enough to spend our draft capital elsewhere. 

 

LB: Milano, Bernard, Spector. That's it. Our All-Pro and two 2022 draft picks. What direction will we go. A $20M Franchise Tag on Edmunds cannot be the decision. It will completely shut us down on all other fronts. I would hope we go a different route altogether. One thing is for certain, we need to add at least 3 LB's. Two for depth and one to start in the middle. I could see one of our first three picks being on a LB to replace Edmunds and another later for depth. Dodson wouldn't be a bad re-signing for depth either. I would love to see us add Trenton Simpson (Clemson), Drew Sanders (Arkansas), Jack Campbell (Iowa), or Dorian Williams (Tulane). Campbell or Williams are my personal preferences. Any of the four would start day 1 at the Mike here. 

 

CB: White, Benford, Elam, Johnson. Don't be surprised if Dane receives a "right of first refusal" tender of about $2.6M and they run it back. I don't see much change here at all. 

 

S: Hyde, Neal, Hamlin (if he ever plays again). This is another weak spot of the team now. I can't see us giving Poyer what he will get elsewhere. I wouldn't be shocked at a Benford move, but I think they like his long term prospects at CB. There may be a mid-level add in FA, possibly bring Marlowe back, but almost certainly there will be a draft pick. 

 

ST: Bass, Ferguson. I expect Martin to be brought back, but he could get more $$$ elsewhere. They will go the cheap route on a Punter. 

 

Overall, there is a ton of work to be done here if we want to compete for the AFC crown. The schedule looks really tough next year as well at the moment. Beane needs to shift a bunch of $$$ around, spend that $$$ on those who truly deserve it, and reshape this roster effectively. If we take a step back next year, a real possibility if they don't get things right through FA & the draft, then we may be looking at sweeping changes in 2024. 

I always, at a minimum, expect progress past the previous season.  If they can't get past the divisional round, it's a bust in my view.  

 

Accepting anything less is letting the current coaching staff and FO off the hook.  We've already had 2 straight years of getting bounced in the divisional round after reaching the AFCCG and this year's loss was particularly embarrassing.  If the divisional round continues to be this team's peak, McD should be on the hot seat after next season if we don't at least get back to the Conference Championship, IMO.

Edited January 29, 2023 by Billz4ever

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

3 hours ago, H2o said:

I know various FO personnel say the Salary Cap is a "myth", but you still have to navigate with care. One day it will catch up to you. So in light of that, and our situation, what do you all expect for 2023? 

 

QB: We have a top 3 QB and we need to build around him to get where we want to go.

 

RB: Cook could end up being our Alvin Kamara. He needs to add some strength in the lower body this off-season and Dorsey needs to use the guy goodness sake. It got better the last 4 or 5 games of the season, but they need to be more disciplined and creative with it this year. I don't think Hines will be kept at his current $$$ either. Cook will be the featured RB next year and then a guy they can get for $3.5M or less. Maybe D'Onta Foreman?

 

WR: Diggs, Davis, Shakir, McKenzie. Will this be a "run it back" scenario with a couple of cheap adds? I hope not, but I have a bad feeling they will. We could look to draft someone, but our highest WR was Zay Jones in the 2nd since 2017. Technically, yes, we spent a first on Diggs. But at some point the FO has to be able to evaluate and hit on the talent it drafts, so we have them on rookie deals. 

 

TE: Knox, Morris. Knox is solid. Morris is meh. We could use an upgrade, but I wouldn't expect $$$ or an early draft pick to be spent here. Probably a cheap FA pickup or UDFA. 

 

OL: This is the train wreck of a unit. Dawkins is decent, Morse is meh, Bates/Brown should both be backups, and Saffold should be washing dishes at Golden Corral. We need AT LEAST two starting quality adds. One at RT and one at LG. I wouldn't mind keeping Dawkins and replacing the rest. Hopefully, this unit sees some $$$ thrown its way in FA AND at least 2 of our first four draft picks. Beans has to get this right. If he doesn't, if he and McDermott can't get a legit OL together? It's gonna be a long season.

 

DL: Miller, Rousseau, Epenesa, Basham, D. Jones, Oliver. Many question marks here. Will they extend Oliver? Maybe. Depends on the $$$ he wants. I'm sure they'd love to lower his cap #. Rousseau looked a little better this year, but his pressures dropped when Von went down. Heck, the whole defensive front fell off when Von went down. Jones was a nice surprise in the middle. He was exactly what Star was supposed to be, but couldn't live up to. Von was being Von until the knee injury set him down. He would have had 12 sacks or more and the defense as a whole would have looked a lot better. Hopefully we get him back fully healthy by October. They need to figure out what to do with Basham. Do you let him get back in the 290's like he was at Wake and play DT or do you keep with the same failed experiment you tried with Epenesa? I would love to see us bring back both Lawson and Phillips. They are both solid players in this defense. The $$$ will have to be right though. I don't expect much movement here outside of Lawson and Phillips possibly coming back. Not enough $$$ to go around and I hope they're smart enough to spend our draft capital elsewhere. 

 

LB: Milano, Bernard, Spector. That's it. Our All-Pro and two 2022 draft picks. What direction will we go. A $20M Franchise Tag on Edmunds cannot be the decision. It will completely shut us down on all other fronts. I would hope we go a different route altogether. One thing is for certain, we need to add at least 3 LB's. Two for depth and one to start in the middle. I could see one of our first three picks being on a LB to replace Edmunds and another later for depth. Dodson wouldn't be a bad re-signing for depth either. I would love to see us add Trenton Simpson (Clemson), Drew Sanders (Arkansas), Jack Campbell (Iowa), or Dorian Williams (Tulane). Campbell or Williams are my personal preferences. Any of the four would start day 1 at the Mike here. 

 

CB: White, Benford, Elam, Johnson. Don't be surprised if Dane receives a "right of first refusal" tender of about $2.6M and they run it back. I don't see much change here at all. 

 

S: Hyde, Neal, Hamlin (if he ever plays again). This is another weak spot of the team now. I can't see us giving Poyer what he will get elsewhere. I wouldn't be shocked at a Benford move, but I think they like his long term prospects at CB. There may be a mid-level add in FA, possibly bring Marlowe back, but almost certainly there will be a draft pick. 

 

ST: Bass, Ferguson. I expect Martin to be brought back, but he could get more $$$ elsewhere. They will go the cheap route on a Punter. 

 

Overall, there is a ton of work to be done here if we want to compete for the AFC crown. The schedule looks really tough next year as well at the moment. Beane needs to shift a bunch of $$$ around, spend that $$$ on those who truly deserve it, and reshape this roster effectively. If we take a step back next year, a real possibility if they don't get things right through FA & the draft, then we may be looking at sweeping changes in 2024. 

No expectations except I expect a wildcard berth, and probably one and done. Teams just not good enough 

[Riverboat Ritchie]

We are in a real tough spot. While teams change each year, the schedule looks brutal and are just too soft up front, lack of innovative coaching, and really need a legit WR2. We might eek into playoffs and be one and done but could easily see the wheels come off 

 

Really shows how much 13 secs was such a blown opportunity.  That team was so red hot at the right time.  
 

Go Bills. 

[frostbitmic]

My expectations for 2023 ...

 

1. Bills will win the AFC East with a 12-5 record. At times they'll look like a Super Bowl contender, at times they'll look absolutely disinterested.

 

2. Bills will win a playoff game as a 3 seed then lose to the Bengals or Chiefs in the divisional round game giving up 40+ points.

 

3. I expect a lot of ******** on here about Dorsey, Frazier and McDermott, it's what we do.

[BillsFanSD]

I expect the Bills to win the AFC East in 2023, but that's by no means a sure thing.  Miami is a good team that should push us if they can keep their QB healthy (unlikely but still).  The Jets will also be good if they find a QB.  Right now, I'd say our odds of winning the division are about 50-50, or maybe 60-40.  

 

I think it's more likely that we miss the playoffs altogether than that we win a championship.  This team feels a lot more inclined to take a step backwards rather than forwards.

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

It's interesting that the Bills were the pre-season favorite to win the SB.  It's rare that a team that's never even made the SB is the pre-season favorite the following season.  KC had been the fav in the AFC the past couple of seasons, but not the favorite the year they won it, think NE was.  In the NFC last couple of years Tampa and Rams were favorites again, teams that have at least been there if not won it all. 

 

Not that it's an excuse but it may have been that caused them to be a bit over confident and felt they could just show up and win and slowed down any creativeness particularly on offense.

[BADOLBILZ]

 

I expect the Bills will go into the season as the co-betting favorite to win the SB in 2024.

 

But the talking heads will be very dismissive of them(for good reason).

 

How they actually perform, with a strangely lopsided schedule of easy home games and tough road games,  will LARGELY depend on how they handle this offseason.

 

I don't want to see another season with JA with another 150+ combined rushes and sacks taken.............that number needs to start getting under 100 every year like Mahomes or we will be looking for a new QB in 3-4 years, IMO.    

[PrimeTime101]

3 hours ago, John from Riverside said:

Let’s keep in mind that the bills were one of the top four teams in the league regardless
 

Those teams that are ahead of us are about to lose players just like we are

 

They’ve got cap problems just like we do

 

You just don’t know how was season is going to go we battled through some of the worst injuries I have seen in a long long time on this bills team and still won

 

Improvements need to be made but if you have a franchise QB, you’re always in it

Riverside I normally agree with your posts, but people that post the bolded give me the knee jerk reaction to want to kick someone in the nuts. (no offense to you)  

 

This team gets a ton of wins BECAUSE of Josh Allen and yes I agree, every team has their issues. BUT... Here is my issue.

 

Name a top 4 team with an offensive line anywhere near as ours (Barring Injuries) 

Name a top 4 team this is this average at the WR positions outside Diggs. 

Name a top 4 team (current) that struggles so much with their draft picks?

 

So, you MIGHT find a top 4 team in each of those categories that might have an issue but ALL 3?

 

Right now, I compare us to the old Indy Colts team. Great QB, Decent WR's and a horrible offensive line.

 

Again, just concerning the bolded... it's almost like your being nonchalant about it.

If all we do is put together a top 10 offensive line this year and nothing else? I think we can outscore every team and it won't matter who we play at defense and then, only then will I feel as nonchalant as you are right now.

 

Sorry River, this is not personal. Just how I feel right now. 

[Boatdrinks]

My expectations are for the Bills to improve the OL and WR position. I’d also expect them to solidify the S on defense and add a CB. I’d like them to make a major change to the D coaching staff , but I don’t expect it. I expect the Bills to win the AFC East and reach the AFC Championship game. Anything less would be a failure - as the 2022 season ultimately was- and a wholesale change to the coaching staff would be warranted. Just one AFC Championship appearance since Josh Allen emerged as an elite QB in 2020 is unacceptable.

[Albwan]

9-8. Serious falloff.

[KOKBILLS]

The Bills will need to adjust on Offense. The Offensive Line must improve...No more of that garbage. There's no excuse. We have a cheat code at QB and WR...They have to keep Josh cleaner, and they have to become more multi-scheme...More plays designed to get you 7-15...Cook should be prominent in that role. I think they need another young RB...And I think they need to at very least hit a solid double with a WR in this Draft. It's all do-able...Block better mostly.

 

On Defense, I have to admit I really agree with Louis Riddick's take. We need more disrupters on that D-Line...We don't have that quick-explosive type player outside of Von on that entire D-Line. They could have had that kind of player with Uche in 2020. I just think if they try to roll out the same basic Defense next year, it's trouble. Talent and scheme. 

 

They've got a lot of work to do...We'll know more in May...

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

2 hours ago, Rico said:

Super Bowl Champs! 
 

Not a one of the 4 teams left are GREAT, they are very good though. IF the Bills make some necessary changes & tweaks (OL, WR, physicality, tackling, ATTITUDE), I see no reason why they finally can’t make it happen.

How's that change happen? Bad cap situation, same coaches. Where do the changes come from