5 Changes the Bills Must Make in NFL Offseason After Playoff Loss vs. Chiefs

5 Changes the Bills Must Make in NFL Offseason After Playoff Loss vs. Chiefs0 of 5

Bills head coach Sean McDermottPerry Knotts/Getty Images

The Buffalo Bills lost another postseason heartbreaker on Sunday, falling 27-24 to the Kansas City Chiefs. Once again, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs got the better of Buffalo in the playoffs. Once again, the game was lost by the narrowest of margins.

The Bills had a chance to tie it inside the two-minute warning, but in a cruel twist for Buffalo fans, kicker Tyler Bass missed it wide right.

It was a disheartening end to a season that had its fair share of ups and downs but was looking very positive entering the playoffs. Buffalo managed to overcome numerous defensive injuries—plus the in-season firing of offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey—to win its final five games and claim the AFC’s No. 2 seed.

That meant in the third-ever postseason matchup between Mahomes and Josh Allen, the Bills had home-field advantage. Ultimately, though, that wasn’t enough.

Now, Buffalo heads into the 2024 offseason facing some difficult decisions and perhaps in need of a few changes.

Look to Get Younger and Cheaper Where Possible1 of 5

Bills C Mitch MorseBryan Bennett/Getty Images

A year ago, Bills general manager Brandon Beane largely focused on keeping the proverbial band together.

Buffalo’s big moves in 2023 included restructuring the contracts of Allen, Stefon Diggs and Von Miller. That allowed the Bills to re-sign players like safety Jordan Poyer, edge-rusher Shaq Lawson, guard David Quessenberry and punter Sam Martin.

This offseason, though, Beane and the Bills have to change their approach. The Bills are looking at a $43.6 million projected cap deficit, and they have key contributors like safety Micah Hyde, defensive tackle DaQuan Jones, pass-rusher A.J. Epenesa and wideout Gabe Davis slated to hit the market.

The Bills might have to let many of their impending free agents walk and consider cutting a few veterans to create cap space.

Releasing 31-year-old center Mitch Morse, for example, would save $8.5 million in cap space. Releasing the 32-year-old Poyer would save $5.5 million in cap room. Parting with running back Nyheim Hines—who missed the entire year with a torn ACL—would save $5 million in cap space.

The Bills should want to keep the core of their playoff-caliber roster intact, but it’s time to get younger and cheaper at certain positions. The salary cap makes it necessary, and Buffalo has needs to address.

Invest in a Quality No. 2 Receiver2 of 5

Bills WR Gabe DavisRyan Kang/Getty Images

Many of Buffalo’s roster needs can be addressed by getting healthy. The defense played valiantly against Kansas City and for most of the season. However, with players like Matt Milano and Tre’Davious White on injured reserve—linebacker Christain Benford also missed Sunday’s game—it wasn’t quite a championship-caliber unit at the end.

Getting healthy won’t fix the Bills’ need for a reliable No. 2 receiver, however.

Gabe Davis missed Sunday’s game with a knee injury, and perhaps he would have made a difference against Kansas City. However, he hasn’t been a truly dependable option week in and week out. He appeared in all 17 regular-season games but had seven different outings with one or no receptions.

The depth behind Diggs and Davis was also lackluster. Players like Khalil Shakir and Trent Sherfield had occasional flashes, but Diggs was the only player on the roster to top 750 receiving yards in the regular season.

Buffalo is set at tight end with Dawson Knox and Dalton Kincaid, but it needs to find a high-end perimeter target. If the Bills can find the cap space, a veteran like Tee Higgins or Marquise Brown would make plenty of sense in free agency.

The Bills should also consider top prospects like LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr. and Oregon’s Troy Franklin in the draft. Sherfield and Davis are both set to be free agents in March, so Buffalo will need to reload the position anyway.

As great as Allen can be, the Bills can still do a better job with his supporting cast.

Reevaluate Stefon Diggs3 of 5

Bills WR Stefon DiggsPerry Knotts/Getty Images

The Bills stuck by Diggs last offseason after he skipped practice during mandatory minicamp and quickly made it a non-issue. He’s the best receiver on Buffalo’s roster, and the 2020 trade to acquire him coincided with Allen’s rise as an upper-echelon quarterback.

However, Buffalo needs to reevaluate Diggs’ role and future this offseason. He’s 30 years old, and while he’s still a capable playmaker, he saw a diminished role in the offense during the Bills’ late-season surge.

During Buffalo’s five-game winning streak to end the season, Diggs had games of 24, 48, 29, 26 and 87 yards. He had just three catches for 21 yards against Kansas City and also had a fumble and a critical dropped pass midway through the fourth quarter.

Buffalo must face the reality that Diggs may no longer be a top-tier No. 1 receiver at this stage in his career.

If the Bills believe they can find a new No. 1 receiver, they may have to consider trading or releasing Diggs. Doing so with a post-June 1 designation would save $19 million in 2024 cap space.

If Buffalo isn’t ready to move off of Diggs just yet, it may have to consider moving him into a No. 2 receiver role. Doing so would require a big swing at receiver in free agency or the draft, but the Bills need to plan for replacing Diggs long-term. He’ll turn 31 in November, and he’s set to carry cap hits north of $27 million in each of the next three seasons.

Hire Joe Brady as Offensive Coordinator4 of 5

Bills interim OC Joe BradyPerry Knotts/Getty Images

Buffalo fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey after a stunning home loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 10. Joe Brady was promoted to fill the interim coordinator role, and the Bills offense took off almost immediately.

The 34-year-old did a tremendous job of spreading the football around, opening up the running game and getting running back James Cook more involved in the passing game.

After Brady took over, the Bills lost only once—in overtime against the Eagles in Philadelphia—and Allen played a more efficient brand of football. The Bills offense gave Kansas City everything it could handle on Sunday, and if not for drops, fumbles and a missed kick, Buffalo might still be alive.

Brady has done enough to earn the coordinator job on a full-time basis, and the Bills need to make it happen. To do it, Buffalo may have to act quickly and possibly augment the promotion with an assistant head coaching role.

The Atlanta Falcons recently interviewed Brady for their head coaching vacancy. If the Bills drag their feet on a decision, Brady could quickly land elsewhere.

That would mean starting the offense over with a new coordinator in 2024, something Buffalo desperately needs to avoid.

Find a New Kicker5 of 5

Bills K Tyler BassKevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Kicker Tyler Bass is going to bear much of the blame for Buffalo’s latest loss, both because of the spotlight moment and its parallels to Scott Norwood’s infamous miss in Super Bowl XXV. However, he isn’t the reason the Bills lost.

Between penalties (five for 28 yards), dropped passes and a few questionable decisions—head coach Sean McDermott’s call for a fake punt early in the fourth quarter is still a bit baffling—Buffalo simply made too many mistakes.

However, that doesn’t mean that the Bills shouldn’t be on the search for a new kicker all offseason.

Bass missed a pair of field goals against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card Round. He also made only 82.8 percent of his field goals in the regular season, which ranked 23rd in the league.

For a team with Super Bowl aspirations, Bass isn’t dependable enough. Now, the free-agent market isn’t loaded with talent—Ka’imi Fairbairn, Will Lutz and Greg Zuerlein top the list—but the Bills have to examine all options. They could consider prospects like Arkansas’ Cam Little and Alabama’s Will Reichard in the draft, too.

Not every game will come down to a field goal, but Sunday’s did. The Bills need to be confident that the next time they’re in that situation, getting into field-goal range will be enough.