PFF 2024 NFL Roster Rankings

[Rocky Landing]

12 hours ago, Buffalo716 said:

The author clearly doesn't follow the bills if he has will clapp as the bill center to start 

Not only that, he has Edwards as the starting LG, and McGovern not even on the starting roster.

[Royale with Cheese]

12 hours ago, Dr Krentist said:

https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-roster-rankings-all-32-teams-2024-strengths-weaknesses-x-factors

 

According to PFF, the Bills have a top 10 roster.

 

10. Buffalo Bills

Biggest strength in 2023: Cornerback

Cornerback being one of the Bills' strengths may come as a surprise to many, as long-time standout Tre’Davious White was one of many cap casualties this offseason. However, the Bills were quietly very deep at the position already and could afford to move on from White. Christian Benford, Rasul Douglas and Taron Johnson generated an 81.0-plus coverage grade and finished among the top 20 PFF-graded cornerbacks. The Jets were the only other team with three top-20 corners in 2023.

 

Biggest weakness in 2023: Wide Receiver

Perhaps no position was hit harder by the Bills’ need to become cap compliant than their wide receiver room, as not only did they let Gabe Davis walk in free agency, but they also traded star receiver Stefon Diggs to the Texans for a minimal return. The veterans in the receiver room currently feature Curtis Samuel, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Khalil Shakir, the latter of which came on late last season as a reliable slot option. The former two, however, are offseason additions entering their first year in offensive coordinator Joe Brady’s system and have never been more than complimentary pieces throughout their respective careers.

 

X-factor for 2024: WR Keon Coleman

With the lack of playmakers at wide receiver, one candidate to take charge over the No. 1 receiver role is rookie second-rounder Keon Coleman out of Florida State. Coleman was the biggest enigma of the draft process, as not only was his game tape inconsistent, but also his testing numbers were as well. Nowhere was this more clear than the discrepancies between his 40-yard dash time and his on-field sprint speed, as his 40 time was the slowest amongst wide receivers at 4.61 seconds yet he was the fastest player on the field during drills according to Next Gen Stats. Coleman seems about as boom or bust as any rookie in this year’s class but if he hits, the 6-foot-4, 215-pounder has a chance to be the focal point of this Bills offense.

 

Rookie to watch: C Sedrick Van Pran-Granger

It’s not often that a rookie fifth-rounder has the opportunity to start right away, but that’s the case with former Georgia Bulldogs center Sedrick Van Pran-Granger. As a three-year starter at Georgia, Van Pran-Granger was a model of consistency, never playing fewer than 850 snaps in a season nor posting a PFF grade below 71.0. This past year was his best work, as his 81.5 pass-blocking grade and 76.9 run-blocking grade culminated in a 79.7 PFF grade. While Will Clapp is currently penciled in as the starter at center, don’t be surprised to see Van Pran-Granger on the field before long.

 

Over/Under 10.5 win total: Under

As long as Josh Allen is under center for this team, they will always be amongst the class of the AFC. However, no team’s roster took a bigger hit this offseason due to cap casualties than the Bills. Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, Tre’Davious White, Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde were all shown the door so that the team could become cap-compliant. With the Dolphins nipping at their heels and the Jets on the rebound due to Aaron Rodgers‘s return, the Bills' stranglehold on the AFC East over the last four seasons is in jeopardy.

 

Projected starting lineup for 2024

 

OFFENSE                                 DEFENSE

QB Josh Allen (92.1)                DI Ed Oliver (65.6)

RB James Cook (71.7)             DI DaQuan Jones (82.9)

RB Ray Davis (87.5*)               Edge Von Miller (53.3)

WR Keon Coleman (70.3*)     Edge Greg Rousseau (87.1)

WR Curtis Samuel (69.7)        Edge A.J. Epenesa (75.8)

WR Khalil Shakir (76.7)           LB Matt Milano (70.9)

TE Dalton Kincaid (68.8)        LB Terrel Bernard (65.9)

LT Dion Dawkins (74.9)          CB Christian Benford (83.0)

LG David Edwards (90.2)       CB Rasul Douglas (81.0)

C Will Clapp (56.7)                  CB Taron Johnson (77.5)

RG O’Cyrus Torrence (54.9)   S Mike Edwards (56.9)

RT Spencer Brown (70.1)        S Taylor Rapp (56.4)

 

McGovern is backing up Edwards and Clapp??

[Rocky Landing]

I think it's been as recent as within the last couple weeks that Beane has mentioned that the "plan" was to move McGovern over to center, and put Edwards in at LG. But, I'll say this-- I don't think this is written in stone.

 

There's a lot to be said for continuity, IMO, and with Edwards playing as much as he did as a sixth lineman in Jumbo packages, the combo of C McGovern, and LG Edwards probably offers the most continuity. But, it's also to be expected that Kromer is going to play around with different combinations in TC. In that regard, I think there are several things that could very well happen.

 

Van Pran-Granger could excel in TC, and win the starting job. But, even if he doesn't, he could show up well enough that Kromer/McD would plan to have him groomed for the starting role later in the season a la Spencer Brown, as early as week three or four. In such a scenario, it probably makes more sense to play McG at center, and then move him back to LG. (I'm assuming McG is the better option at LG than Edwards, or Edwards would have held the position last season). But...

 

Don't sleep on Will Clapp. Watching the tape on Clapp's performance last season, he played competently on a wildly inconsistent IOL, and some really terrible coaching. It's hard to excel at center when your supporting cast isn't performing well, but Clapp held his own. He did end the season with an injury, but reports are that it shouldn't be an issue going forward. If Edwards appears to be a downgrade from McG at LG, Clapp could win the starting center job outright, or be used as a placeholder for VPG, if the above scenario occurs.

 

GO BILLS

 

 

Edited June 5 by Rocky Landing

[Big Turk]

The roster took a hit but I don't think replacing a lot of aging declining veterans is going to be be as much of a hit as many think. In fact, by the end of the year, they may be playing better than they did last year.

[Rocky Landing]

16 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

The roster took a hit but I don't think replacing a lot of aging declining veterans is going to be be as much of a hit as many think. In fact, by the end of the year, they may be playing better than they did last year.

I basically agree with this. But, I think the bigger concern on defense (where we lost all those aging veterans) is the lack of depth across the board. I also think that the loss of Leonard Floyd is a much bigger deal than is being talked about.

[billsfan89]

31 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

The roster took a hit but I don't think replacing a lot of aging declining veterans is going to be be as much of a hit as many think. In fact, by the end of the year, they may be playing better than they did last year.

 

If you go line by line, there are only 2 or maybe 3 "players of consequence" the Bills lost and possibly did not adequately replace. The Bills also, in most instances, got younger or found better fits for the players they lost, which should yield good results.

 

Starters or role players lost who were adequately replaced or didn't really need to be replaced:

 

1. **Tre White** - Was replaced in-season by Douglas, who proved to be a good replacement. Douglas is still here, so there is no effective loss.
2. **Jordan Poyer** - Is being replaced by a combination of Rapp and a 2nd round pick, Bishop. As good as Poyer was, he was no longer an "elite" safety at his age and had been banged up the last two seasons. I think the Bills should be able to get similar production from the Rapp/Bishop combo.
3. **Micah Hyde** - Is being replaced by a solid younger veteran, Edwards. Hyde, similar to Poyer, was no longer an elite safety but still a solid starter. I think Edwards can come in at a similar level.
4. **Jordan Phillips/Poon Ford/Tim Settle** - The back end of the DT rotation has been filled by a 3rd round pick, Carter, and comparable if not better vets like Austin Johnson and DeShawn Williams. At worst, it's a lateral move but with upside in Carter.
5. **Shaq Lawson** - Replaced by Smoot. Shaq didn't have the strongest season. It's a smarter bet by the Bills to expect Smoot to have a bounce-back season, being further removed from a late-season 2022 injury.
6. **Dane Jackson** - The Bills' depth at corner was better with Dane, but they still have Elam as the first boundary corner off the bench, along with adding Hardy and continuing to develop Ingram. This is the only player on this part of the list not fully replaced, but given the Bills still go 3-deep at outside corner and have a solid developmental option in Ingram, the slight hit to depth here seems marginal.
7. **Gabe Davis** - Bills signed Curtis Samuel, who should be able to produce at or better than Davis.
8. **Trent Sherfield** - Replaced by Hollins, who fills that ST ace role as well, if not better, with more receiving upside.
9. **Deonte Harty** - Replaced as a punt/kick returner by Deaquon Hardy and at WR by MVS, who is much better as a WR.
10. **Ryan Bates** - Bills replaced some of the offensive line depth by drafting SVPG (who will either stay on the bench or move Edwards back to the bench) and signing La'El Collins.
11. **Latavius Murray** - Replaced with a 4th round pick, Davis, who should be better or at least the same but with more upside.

 

Starters who may or may not be adequately replaced:

 

1. **Stefon Diggs** - The Bills used their top draft choice at WR to help replace Diggs by taking Keon Coleman 33rd overall. The Bills are likely going to have to find ways to have Kincaid, Shakir, Coleman, MVS, and possibly Claypool by committee soak up that production. Good news for the Bills is that Diggs didn't have the best back 60% of the season, so they may actually be better having more quantity than quality, so to speak.
2. **Leonard Floyd** - The Bills did sign Smoot, but he's more of a back-end rotation guy, and I think Solomon, who was a 5th round pick, is more likely to take minimal rotation snaps unless there is an injury. The Bills are likely banking on Von Miller snapping back, being further removed from that 2022 Thanksgiving ACL tear. While that's not an unreasonable bet, it's still a riskier one. However, Floyd was also not the greatest in the last 8 games of the season, so once again, the Bills are in a similar situation to replacing Diggs, as someone who was elite for only part of the previous season.
3. **Mitch Morse** - The Bills took an aging but still effective piece out of the starting 5 of the offensive line. They effectively replaced him either with Edwards moving from depth piece to starting guard or with an early 5th round pick, SVPG. I do have confidence that SVPG can take the starting spot, but it is a lot to ask of a 5th round pick to come in and take the starting center spot. Edwards was a competent starting guard on the Rams for a couple of seasons, including their Super Bowl run. So Edwards is not the worst option there.

 

TL;DR:
The Bills replaced all but maybe 2-3 lost players with just as good, if not better, players. If other pieces of the roster develop and the Bills maybe get a good mid-round find in SVPG and a bounce-back year from Von, then it's not much if anything lost other than Diggs, who didn't exactly have the greatest season last year.

 

[billsfan89]

10 minutes ago, Rocky Landing said:

I basically agree with this. But, I think the bigger concern on defense (where we lost all those aging veterans) is the lack of depth across the board. I also think that the loss of Leonard Floyd is a much bigger deal than is being talked about.

 

I think the Bills are banking on Von having a bounce back they also drafted Solomon but neither option is all that inspiring to replace Floyd. However, Floyd's back half of the season and playoffs was not that great. His sacks, pressures and QB hits were way down the last 8 games of the season compared to the first 9. He also didn't make too much noise in the playoffs. I think it is similar to the Bills replacing Diggs in a way. Because Diggs is a big name and had a big stat line last season. But if you breakdown the production there's a big fade down the stretch to their numbers and production. If they can get Von to be 85% of what he was in 2022 they should be fine but that's a lot to ask of a 35 year old 1 year 9 months removed from an ACL by September. 

[folz]

41 minutes ago, billsfan89 said:

3. **Mitch Morse** - The Bills took an aging but still effective piece out of the starting 5 of the offensive line. They effectively replaced him either with Edwards moving from depth piece to starting guard or with an early 5th round pick, SVPG. I do have confidence that SVPG can take the starting spot, but it is a lot to ask of a 5th round pick to come in and take the starting center spot. Edwards was a competent starting guard on the Rams for a couple of seasons, including their Super Bowl run. So Edwards is not the worst option there.

 

 

Of course, you can't always believe what a GM says at this time of year, but in the Beane interview for the Athletic last week, the interviewer asked him about the difference between how a player is seen by the media and fans vs. how they are viewed in the building. He brought up Spencer Brown and Terrell Bernard from last season. A lot of fans and media didn't think they could step up, but in the building they had confidence in those players. Regarding that, in relation to this year's team, he mentioned Connor McGovern moving to center.

 

So, at least at the moment, I do think they are planning to have McGovern at center (unless Van Pran Granger can come in and steal the spot from him).

 

As far as Clapp goes, in his first 5 years, he had 10 starts at center. Last year he had 11 starts at center for the Chargers (starting in game 4 due to their starting center having a season-ending health issue). He then got a knee injury in week 15 that ended his season. Not sure how well he played for the Chargers in those games.

 

The guys that write these articles don't have time to dig into each team too deeply, he looked at the roster and saw Clapp was the only player with a center designation (besides the rookie) and went with that. But I do think it is McGovern vs VPG for center, with Clapp just being Beane hedging his bets. 

Edited June 5 by folz

[Rocky Landing]

43 minutes ago, folz said:

 

Of course, you can't always believe what a GM says at this time of year, but in the Beane interview for the Athletic last week, the interviewer asked him about the difference between how a player is seen by the media and fans vs. how they are viewed in the building. He brought up Spencer Brown and Terrell Bernard from last season. A lot of fans and media didn't think they could step up, but in the building they had confidence in those players. Regarding that, in relation to this year's team, he mentioned Connor McGovern moving to center.

 

So, at least at the moment, I do think they are planning to have McGovern at center (unless Van Pran Granger can come in and steal the spot from him).

 

As far as Clapp goes, in his first 5 years, he had 10 starts at center. Last year he had 11 starts at center for the Chargers (starting in game 4 due to their starting center having a season-ending health issue). He then got a knee injury in week 15 that ended his season. Not sure how well he played for the Chargers in those games.

 

The guys that write these articles don't have time to dig into each team too deeply, he looked at the roster and saw Clapp was the only player with a center designation (besides the rookie) and went with that. But I do think it is McGovern vs VPG for center, with Clapp just being Beane hedging his bets. 

I watched quite a bit of tape on Clapp from last season, and to my eyes, I thought he played quite well, especially considering the inconsistency on that O-line, and being bracketed by very poor guard play. (Not to mention, an utterly crap coach). And from what I've read, the knee injury was minor, IR designation notwithstanding, and is not expected to be an issue going forward. Certainly not a frontrunner for the starting center position, but don't sleep on him. Solid depth, if nothing else.

[Captain Hindsight]

3 hours ago, zow2 said:

People that don't watch the Bills closely are so overestimating the loss of Gabe Davis.  He had his moments but so often was invisible or had dropsies, bad route communication w Allen, etc..  Of course he had a role in blocking but that can be replaced.  Losing (first 8 games) Diggs is one thing...but when they talk about our weak WR corp, they always include Davis who just wasn't what his reputation says he is.

Big game Gabe.

 

Agree though, If the had resigned Davis, I wouldn't have liked the move at all 

[msw2112]

This article is inaccurate in several ways:

 

• As already pointed out multiple times, Clapp is not the presumed starter at C.  It's McGovern.
• Davis is not the presumed starter at RB, Cook is.
• Samuel and Valdes-Scantling ("the former") are not both in their first year in Joe Brady's system.  Samuel played in Brady's system in Carolina, and this is likely a big reason the Bills acquired him.
• They did not trade Diggs for a "minimal return."  A 2nd round pick from Minnesota, a team that is not projected to finish very high next season, is a fairly high draft pick.  (I do realize there there were some low-to-mid round picks also part of the deal, but that 2nd round pick remains a high pick).

 

[Mat68]

Top 10 roster with a top 5 Qb.  Seems like Buffalo is fine.  I expect they win the AFC east and have matchup with Cincy or KC in the divisional round again. 

[scuba guy]

5 hours ago, thenorthremembers said:

What a surprise, rather than have an original thought, a journalist just regurgitates the same thought everyone else has.        Fails to mention Hyde and White weren't brought back because of serious injuries.   Fails to mention Gabe Davis' drops or Stefon Diggs decline in production.  Fails to mention Poyer's age. 

 

I thought last year was the year the Dolphins and Jets stole the division from the Bills?  Goes on to write as long as the Bills have Josh Allen they will be amongst the class of the AFC, then picks them to win less than 10.5 games.   Correct me if I am wrong, but are 9-10 win teams  considered the class of the conference?

 

More evidence that there is absolutely no reason to read anything about the NFL until the games are being played.  

What they also failed to due is learn how to count can't have 12 players on d and o 

[thenorthremembers]

18 minutes ago, scuba guy said:

What they also failed to due is learn how to count can't have 12 players on d and o 

Thats downright hilarious.   Cue the arguments at the fantasy drafts where the one guy insists "I saw it, Ray Davis is projected as the Bills lead back.  It was on PFF" 

[corta765]

I thought the article is pretty on point and those upset I think automatically assume that losses like Hyde/Poyer/Davis/Diggs/Morse are going to be replaced with equal or better production. The problem I have with that is when your only view of the unknown is equal or better you ignore it can also be worse. Previews like this are looking at years of production over time and what you could expect from that. There is a reason many people are saying this year and the prior 2 draft classes are big because you need a lot of these guys to turn into quality starters. Even with aging the Bills lost a bunch of quality starters that were part of many years of success. I still think the Bills will have a good team that wins 10-12 games, but I think those who expect things to hit the ground running may be in for a wakeup call.

[Chaos]

5 hours ago, zow2 said:

People that don't watch the Bills closely are so overestimating the loss of Gabe Davis.  He had his moments but so often was invisible or had dropsies, bad route communication w Allen, etc..  Of course he had a role in blocking but that can be replaced.  Losing (first 8 games) Diggs is one thing...but when they talk about our weak WR corp, they always include Davis who just wasn't what his reputation says he is.

I think the concern is that the Bills have shown no propensity to develop WRs despite having an all-world qb.  It is not really about Gabe Davis.  Personally I do not care about how the offense gets it done. They have been a top five offense for years now. Whatever blocks the bills from going further in the playoffs it’s not been the offense. 

[BigAl2526]

The biggest name change in the Bills' roster is the trade of Diggs.  PFF discusses it a bit in naming the receiver group as the biggest weakness of the Bills.  They note that the Bills traded Diggs and got little in return.  The author never thinks to ask why Beane made that trade.  To read the article, you might think it is simply a case of Beane got fleeced.  So, why did Beane do the trade?  He didn't have to.  He didn't do it to help the cap, at least not this year.  The trade forced the Bills to eat a bunch of dead cap dollars, though eating those dollars this season probably helps the Bills with respect to the cap next season.   There is no indication that Diggs demanded a trade.  Obviously, Beane thought that Diggs had become a distraction.  Whether his decline in production late in the season was due to Diggs himself or to the way that Brady was using him and calling the offense probably doesn't matter.  It probably was not going to change.  The Bills didn't need Diggs to continue with his cryptic online comments.  If he'd remained a Bill and his production continued to look like late 2023, there's not much doubt the Bills would have had to deal a lot more with Diggs' dark side.  We would have seen what a real Diggs distraction was like. 

 

It's true that the loss of Diggs means there is no guaranteed go to guy among the WRs, but Brady's offense doesn't seem like having one is a high priority.  There are lots of questions that need answering in the passing game, but the answers might not be all that depressing for Bills fans by the time we get deep into the season.

[L Ron Burgundy]

WTF is with that grade for Torrance??

 

Also, Josh should be 999 out of 100.

[zow2]

16 hours ago, Chaos said:

I think the concern is that the Bills have shown no propensity to develop WRs despite having an all-world qb.  It is not really about Gabe Davis.  Personally I do not care about how the offense gets it done. They have been a top five offense for years now. Whatever blocks the bills from going further in the playoffs it’s not been the offense. 

 

The All-World QB is so good, he just relies on himself in crunch time.  15 rushing TDs last year is sick.  Shakir made a few Wow plays last season.  The other WRs not so much.  And of course when we needed the biggest catch of the season, a perfect 66 yard heave...Diggs dropped it.