Just the luck of the Buffalo Bills, right?
After seemingly waiting longer than any team in the entire NFL to land a star quarterback and talented roster–it feels like every other good team is starting to get… a little closer to home.
Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson join top-flight teams in the AFC via the Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns, respectively. Even Matt Ryan will now suit up for the Indianapolis Colts.
Then every young, blossoming QB, such as the Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow appears to also be in the conference.
While the Bills still might be considered the favorite in the AFC, it’s not an easy path.
Even Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott had to admit it.
“Someone used the term ‘arms race,’ is there an arms race in the AFC? I guess I can’t disagree at this point by the moves that have been made,” McDermott said at the NFL owners meetings.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane echoed that.
“You’ve got, I don’t know, seven or eight elite quarterbacks in the AFC? Usually you have three or four on one side,” Beane said.
But that’s just the reality the Bills have to face. Buffalo has mostly accepted it. Beane added an important point regarding that.
The Bills cannot do anything about whatever other AFC teams do. All they can do is focus on themselves, and in doing so, find a way to put their best foot forward.
“Where’s the next competitive advantage?” Beane said. “That’s of the–fun part, the challenging part, of the chess match.”
If actions speak louder than words, look no further than the defensive line.
Buffalo has fortified this area. The addition of Von Miller might not be in direct correlation to the rest of the conference moving pieces and quarterbacks around, but it sure combats that a bit.
We’ll see such decisions will be checkmate for the Bills.