Buffalo Bills key to staying in Super Bowl race

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When you think about the Buffalo Bills heading into the 2024 NFL season, a few things immediately come to mind. There’s Josh Allen and how far he can take the Bills this upcoming year; there’s the receivers now that Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis are gone; and there’s the defense that lost key contributors from the past like Jordan Poyer, (likely) Micah Hyde and Tre’Davious White. But there’s one area of ​​the team that needs to be discussed, and it’s a reason why they’ll likely continue to be a playoff team in 2024: the offensive line.

Some people think the offensive line is at the bottom of the list. I’m not one of those people. I actually believe they’re talented enough to be among the best, even after letting Mitch Morse go.

But why should the Bills’ offensive line be praised more? Why should it be considered one of the NFL’s top 10 units?

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Let’s start with the tackle position. Left tackle Dion Dawkins is as stable as it gets for Allen and the Bills. Pro Football Focus ranks the three-time Pro Bowler as the 22nd-best tackle in the league, and while that’s not impressive for a franchise left tackle, watching Dawkins on the field shows his value to the team. He’s the obvious anchor of this offensive line and can move with the best of them. When you watch him on the field, you see someone who’s going to make every play, whether it’s in the run or the pass game. While he sometimes misses his blocks, it’s obvious from watching him that the line would be much worse off without him than it was with him.

On the other hand, Spencer Brown proved his worth last year when he was finally healthy after dealing with back injuries. He had no problem stopping star right tackles like Maxx Crosby. Crosby, in particular, had zero pressure on the quarterback against the Bills when he was going up against Brown. Overall, Brown allowed just five quarterback hits and 32 total pressures in 17 games last year, compared to the 42 he allowed in just 14 games in 2022. If this trajectory continues, we could see the Bills have the best right tackle in the NFL by the end of the season.

On the interior side, things could be a bit more complicated. With Morse gone, Connor McGovern is expected to be the starting center this season. He seems like a natural fit at the position and the Bills shouldn’t see a drop-off in his performance at the position. The left guard position could be a concern for some, but not too much.

David Edwards is expected to enter the year as a starter after being a backup last season. Edwards has experience as a starter, having started all 17 regular-season games and all four playoff games during the Los Angeles Rams’ 2021 Super Bowl-winning season. He lost his starting job in 2022 with Los Angeles due to an injury he suffered in Week 6. After a full year of good health, he appears ready to step up and become a key player again on a team with championship aspirations.

Finally, let’s look at last year’s second-round pick, O’Cyrus Torrence, who showed a lot of promise as a rookie. With another offseason under his belt and the confidence of knowing he can perform at the NFL level, there seems to be no doubt that Torrence will be even better in year two. He may have been ranked as the 54th overall point guard by Pro Football Focus, but I’m confident he’ll end up being ranked higher after this year.

So when you look at the Bills and think about how they’re going to perform this year, it’s easy to look at the most interesting areas of the roster and think they’re no longer the best team in the AFC East. However, when you actually look at the team, it’s clear that there’s still a contender in Buffalo that the league should keep an eye on.