GM Brandon Beane has operated with intent in building roster consistency around QB Josh Allen.
Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane has made a point to prioritize roster building from within in recent seasons. Beane has made certain to reward those who continue developing within the system in place by head coach Sean McDemott.
One of the wrinkles in the McDermott-Beane “Process” play book fosters the idea of running it back in place of massive roster overhaul every 12 months. One Bills Drive deviated from that mantra a bit during the offseason between the 2023 and 2024 campaigns — moving on from a lot of tenured veterans. This year however, it seems like it’s back to the “run it back” mentality.
Heading into the 2025 NFL season, the Bills return 84.2% of the players from last season’s roster, excluding people who were on the practice squad. That percentage is good for third overall in the NFL, and only behind the Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers.
This figure excludes cornerback Tre’Davious White who spent a season away from the Buffalo before returning this spring in free agency. The team with the least amount of roster continuity is the New York Jets (58%), which makes sense given a new general manager and head coach.
The looming question: Is this roster good enough to get over the hump? Returning the whole offensive line was definitely necessary as the group was dominant all last season and kept Josh Allen on his feet. After an up-and-down wide receiver room in 2024, the team decided to add Joshua Palmer and Elijah Moore. However, they seem to be holding out hope that young players like tight end Dalton Kincaid and wide receiver Keon Coleman develop into multi-contract cornerstones.
Where the Bills did look in a different direction was at defensive line. Whether it was in free agency or the draft Beane sought out players in an attempt to change things up following a postseason run where the d-line was manhandled at times.
Do you have faith in Buffalo’s returning players?