By: Ivan Mulinder

The Buffalo Bills have fallen just short of the Super Bowl for the last 3 years and have been very active in Free Agency to try and get them there this season. They have tried to fill all their holes so they could go into the Draft picking the best player available at their turns. They have been particularly busy in the trenches and are one of the favourites in the AFC to reach the Super Bowl this season. However, they have one glaring hole which could end up being their achilles heel, which we will get to shortly.

Defense

We have to start with the big money splash on DE Von Miller. He has a 6 year $120 million $51.5 million guaranteed contract. Last season he had a PFF grade of 88.7, had 9 sacks, 17 QB hits, 19 tackles for loss and 33 solo tackles. His Run Defense grade was 85.9 and after 2013 he has finished every season with at least 8 sacks. With Gregg Rousseau, Jerry Hughes and Shaq Lawson opposite him the Bills have substantially improved their Edge Room. Jerry Hughes’s PFF pass-rush grade last season was 81.1. The only question mark over Miller is his age, at 33, but the Bills are in win-now mode and this is an excellent addition to their roster.

The Bills have added depth to their interior Defensive Line with Tim Settle, DaQuan Jones and Jordan Phillips brought in to join Ed Oliver. PFF said of Settle that he was one of the best under-the-radar signings of Free Agency with a pass-rush grade of 72+ for the last two seasons. Over the last 4 seasons, he’s played 63 games, had 54 tackles, and got 7 sacks. He’s certainly a solid piece, and DaQuan Jones, Jordan Phillips are similar players being more pass rushers than run blockers. The Bills Defense was the No 1 Defense in the NFL last season and led the League in:

• Total yards allowed per play (4.6)
• Passing yards per play (4.6)
• First downs allowed per game (16)
• Third down conversion rate (30.8%)
• Fewest points allowed (289)
• Fewest yards allowed (4,637)

The Bills have outstanding depth at Safety and haven’t felt the need to address this Room in Free Agency with Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde their starting Safeties. Poyer had a PFF coverage grade of 89.2 last season and Hyde’s was 88.3 with an overall grade of 82.0. Even the backups are quality players with Damar Hamlin receiving an overall grade of 82.4. This is a very strong defensive unit with one glaring hole- the Corner Back Room.  The Bills have lost their No 2 CB for the last 4 seasons, Levi Wallace, to the Steelers. In that time he recorded 219 tackles and 6 interceptions. What’s more their No 1 CB Tre’Davious White is returning from an ACL injury. This leaves Dane Jackson and Cam Lewis currently as their CB Room. I’m presuming the Bills have a plan of action for this hole unless they’re confident these two players are going to have a breakout season.

Offense

On to the Offensive side of the ball and the Bills have brought in/back some targets for Josh Allen to hit. They have 2 Slot Wide Receivers in Isaiah McKenzie and Jamison Crowder who replace Cole Beasley. McKenzie was re-signed on a 2 year $44 million deal and had a very good 2020 season with a PFF receiving grade of 78.8. Jamison Crowder is an ex-Bills player and has been brought back for depth on a 1 year contract. Stefon Diggs is their WR1 and a very good player being 6th in the League last season for receiving touchdowns and 7th in the League for receiving yards (1,225). Is Emmanuel Sanders going to retire? No concerns the Bills have Gabriel Davis ready to fill the void who, according to the football analytics outlet, was the second best 2nd year WR against man coverage.

This depth meant the Bills hit the TE market in Free Agency and brought in TE OJ Howard on a 1 year contract worth $3.5 million. He will pair with Dawson Knox who got 9 touchdowns last season which was first amongst Tight Ends and 15th in receiving yards with 587. Howard has 3x 400+ yard seasons so will strengthen this Room. The Bills have been active in Free Agency and secured two Running Backs in Duke Johnson and Taiwan Jones, both on 1 year deals to support Devin Singletary. I really like the signing of Johnson who had 4.6 yards/carry last season which was 14th in the League. In Cleveland, over 4 seasons he caught 235 passes for 2,170 yards and 8 touchdowns with 4.3 yards per carry. He can run and he can catch, my only surprise is that he didn’t receive a slightly longer contract. Taiwan Jones graded well in 2019, but he is 34, and re-signed with the Bills so they’re clearly comfortable with him. Duke Johnson is the receiving threat to Singletary’s running threat.

The Offensive Line was targeted with the Bills adding Guard Rodger Saffold and re-signing Ryan Bates and Ike Boettger. Bates received a 4-year deal so will be a starting Guard and is a good run blocker with a PFF grade of 74.5 last season, and Boettger was a good run blocker too grading 72.2 before tearing his achilles. Saffold graded 76.1 at run blocking so Duke and Devin should have a lot of success running behind these Guards, LT Dion Dawkins, C Mitch Morse, and RT Spencer Brown. Finally, the Bills have added 2 Quarterbacks in Matt Barkley and Case Keenum who replace Mitch Trubisky who joined the Steelers to be their No 1 QB. 

The Bills are an all-around very strong team with only one weakness. Bills fans will be expecting another deep run into the postseason, and with Hill leaving the Chiefs, a visit to the AFC Championship game is firmly in their sights. Will the Bengals repeat their success of last season or will teams scheme successfully against Ja’Marr Chase? Will the Browns get Watson back early enough to pick up speed? Will the Broncos under Wilson be a significant threat now? The AFC is loaded with talented teams and the Bills march to the Championship gets tougher each year, but they have the talent and the coaching staff and might well be the favourites in 2022.

The post The Bills expectations after Free Agency appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Ian Evans

The Chicago Bears had themselves quite an interesting 2020-2021 NFL season. They started the season 5-1 through the first six weeks. However, that changed in rather quickly as they immediately went on a six-game losing streak and quickly dropped to 5-7. The Bears would end up finishing the regular season at 8-8 and just barely clinching playoff birth as a wildcard. 

Their one and playoff game last season was all too fitting for Chicago. There were dropped passes, missed opportunities, and costly penalties which ultimately ended their season as they lost to the New Orleans Saints 21-9 in the Wild Card round. Did I mention that they also lost on Nickelodeon? That can’t be fun. 

However, there are some bright spots for the Bears in 2021. They finally moved on from Mitch Trubisky and signed Andy Dalton to start at quarterback. Chicago fans had to be elated when they drafted sensational Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields with the 11^th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. And made some subtle moves during the offseason adding Damien Williams, the speedy Marquise Goodwin, extended their consistent kicker Cairo Santos, and adding Desmond Trufant to replace Kyle Fuller who they released this past March.

For Chicago, this upcoming season has some promise, and if the correct pieces fall in line they could find themselves in the playoffs in 2021. Although they have the third most difficult strength of schedule, there are some positives for Bears fans to look forward to this season, especially after having quite possibly the best draft in 2021. From aspects such as their division to their stout defense, these are the three reasons why the Chicago Bears could get back to the playoffs.

1. The Current State of the NFC North

It’s no secret that the Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers have a relationship to repair. There is some speculation that the reigning NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers could end up leaving the Packers for a variety of reasons. But one of the main reasons why the Bears have had trouble winning the NFC North (besides 2018) is because of him. In his entire career, Aaron Rodgers is 22-5 against Chicago. For a team that’s trying to get back to the Super Bowl for the first time in 15 years, they would love to see him go.

If Rodgers does end his tenure in Green Bay, this opens up the door for the Bears immediately. Why? Because the rest of the division is rather weak. The Lions are rebuilding after trading long-time Detroit Lion Matthew Stafford to the Rams and now have Jared Goff as their quarterback of the future. The Lions are not in “win-now mode” and most likely won’t be a threat in the 2021 NFL season. 

The only roadblock for the Bears if Rodgers does leave is the Minnesota Vikings. This team is led by Dalvin Cook, Adam Theilen, and their emerging star Justin Jefferson in an offense that ranked fourth in yards (6,292) and yards per game (393.3). However, there are still some questions surrounding Kirk Cousins and his ability to lead as the starting quarterback. They had a great draft and even added veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson to their secondary, but their defense did rank 29^th in team defense last season. I think it’s safe to say their defense won’t have a major jump this upcoming season.

If everything falls in place with Rodgers leaving, the Vikings remaining inconsistent, and the Lions playing for draft picks, then the Chicago Bears should find themselves in the driver seat to win the division and in the playoffs for the second straight year. 

2. A Potential Top-10 Defense (Or Better)

This defense deserves a lot of credit for how they have played in recent years. If it wasn’t for this defense the Bears would never have made it to the playoffs. Why? They were ranked in the top half of the league in yards allowed per game (344.9, ranked 11^th), passing yards allowed per game (231.6, ranked 12^th), rushing yards per game (113.4, ranked 15^th), and points allowed per game (23.1, ranked 14^th). 

This defense is only getting better even without the presence of Kyle Fuller. Khalil Mack has an incredible supporting cast around him with, Roquan Smith and Akiem Hicks helping him on the defensive line. The secondary consists of Desmond Trufant, Eddie Jackson, and the recently signed Artie Burns. In the pass rush and pass defense, this team has the potential to wreak havoc and cause problems for opposing offenses. 

This defensive roster has the potential to be in the top ten instead of just barely scraping the top 15. If this defense plays as good as they are on paper, they should be able to compete with anyone in the league.

3. Plenty of Young and Improving Offensive Talent 

The young talent for the Chicago Bears, especially on the offensive side of the ball is impressive and they’re only getting better. The future could potentially look extremely bright with the offensive talent they have drafted and improved. 

As I previously mentioned, the team drafted Justin Fields from Ohio State who could potentially be their quarterback of the future. If Andy Dalton fails to play well, Fields could not only see the field but also find a way to win the starting job. Having a former college sensation under center would raise the level of excitement in Chicago.

Besides Fields, there are other prospects that can make an immediate impact this year. Darnell Mooney out of Tulane University is a player with crisp route running and speed who is only improving. He broke the Bears’ receiving record for a rookie, and his expectations for his sophomore season are high. Cole Kmet has the potential to be a consistent tight end for them and Anthony Miller could be motivated to play well as has a lot to prove after it has been reported that he’s on the team’s “bubble.”

Then there are the two talented offensive tackles Chicago drafted in Tevin Jenkins from Oklahoma State and Larry Borom from the University of Missouri to help boost their pass protection (which they desperately needed). This gives Dalton the time to throw to the reliable hands of Allen Robinson and time for David Montgomery and Damien Williams to actually produce in the ground game. These young guys could be carrying this offense in 2021.

If the young talent can improve their game with consistent quarterback play from either Dalton or Fields and their running back and receiving core boost their level of play from last year, this offense has the potential to be sneaky good. Granted, it depends on a lot of moving pieces and other aspects, but the potential is there. The young talent in Chicago is another major reason the Bears make the playoffs in the upcoming 2021 NFL season.

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