Bills top offseason power rankings

The Bills are the trendy Super Bowl pick after free agency’s first wave

The Buffalo Bills are one of a host of AFC teams that has retooled its squad this offseason. The difference between Buffalo and most of those teams, however, is that the Bills are the team that others are trying to catch rather than the team trying to catch most of the others.

After an 11-win season that ended with a devastating playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round, the Bills have retooled their defensive line, reshaped their wide receiver group, and tweaked their offensive line. They still have a rather large hole at cornerback, one that looks especially egregious given the Miami Dolphins’ acquisition of superstar Tyreek Hill on Wednesday in a trade with those same Chiefs.

Despite big moves from the Dolphins, the Los Angeles Chargers, the Cincinnati Bengals, the Denver Broncos, and the Las Vegas Raiders, among other teams in the conference, the Bills have remained at or near the top of most offseason power rankings lists thus far. Sure, there aren’t exactly a lot of publications doing those kinds of list in the dead of March, but hey, it is March.

Dalton Miller at Pro Football Network has Buffalo ranked No. 1 after the first wave of free agency. Miller is high on the Bills thanks to the additions they made to the league’s top 2021 defense, starting with edge Von Miller. The Bills signed the future Hall of Fame pass rusher to a six-year, $120 million contract, but they also added three defensive tackles (Tim Settle, DaQuan Jones, and Jordan Phillips), as well as defensive end Shaq Lawson. Combine that with tight end O.J. Howard and guard Roger Saffold, and Miller believes that the Bills should be the Super Bowl favorite heading into next season.

Matt Johnson at Sportsnaut has the Bills at No. 1, as well. He writes that the Bills are a Super Bowl contender thanks to quarterback Josh Allen—even without offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who left to take the head coaching job with the New York Football Giants. Like most other power rankings lists, this one was made after Von Miller signed but before Jameson Crowder came on board, so many of the same players are discussed.

Dan Hanzus at NFL.com has the Bills at No. 1, noting that the Von Miller signing was a sign of desperation…but the good kind. He writes that it shows that the Bills know they’re “right there” as it relates to winning a title, and Miller is the pass rusher the team has lacked over the last few seasons. Hanzus notes that Miller’s contract could cause some financial woes down the line given his age (Miller is 33), but if it ends with a parade through downtown Buffalo, then the “bloat” will have been well worth it.

Jason Lieser at the Chicago Sun-Times also has Buffalo ranked No. 1, writing that they check every box for a “champion-in-waiting.” Lieser writes that the Bills have “an MVP-caliber quarterback in Josh Allen, their defense was the NFL’s best last season and they’ve paid their dues in hard-fought playoff losses.”

The staff at The Score also has the Bills at No. 1, writing that the Miller signing signals to the rest of the league that the Bills think they’re ready to win it all. They write that the Bills “are coming for everybody in 2022.”

Finally, Jeff Kerr at CBS Sports also has Buffalo ranked No. 1 at the moment. He writes that the Bills have an “incredibly deep” roster with an open window to snag the number-one seed in the conference.