With rosters across the league largely set until training camp, the fine folks at Pro Football Focus have been spending the past few days ranking the top units at every position. According to the PFF grade, the Buffalo Bills have the fourth-best group of receivers in the league and a bottom-15 stable of running backs.
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PFF: Buffalo Bills Have Great Receivers, Pedestrian Running Backs
Receiving Options Ranked Fourth-Best In NFL
Josh Allen broke out in a major way last year, and Buffalo’s fantastic receiving room was a big reason for the success. Stefon Diggs is obviously the best guy on the depth chart, and PFF’s Steve Palazzolo points out that the reigning All-Pro finished the season with the second-highest receiving grade in the league. Cole Beasley, meanwhile, is one of the best slot options in football. By PFF’s charting, Beasley has been open on 70.2% of his targets against single coverage since 2018, the best mark in the league.
Deep ball. Josh Allen to Stefon Diggs. Follow-up tweet is Davis Webb to Tanner gentry pic.twitter.com/3A2W7aCXBM
— Sal Capaccio 🏈 (@SalSports) June 2, 2021
Of course, this list is about more than just having elite talent at the depth chart. Buffalo has one of the deepest receiver rooms in the league, with Gabriel Davis and Emmanuel Sanders battling for the third spot in this offense. Palazzolo also notes that the Bills used four-receiver sets at the second-highest rate in the league, so both players should have a role in the 2021 offense. Palazzolo’s list does include tight ends, and this is where Buffalo falls short. Dawson Knox has the potential to turn into something, but he hasn’t displayed it on a consistent basis yet.
Personally, this ranking sounds about right. Stefon Diggs is a top-five receiver in football, and Cole Beasley is one of the most consistent slot options in the league. That said, the depth behind those two is good-but-not-great and can’t match up against teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Dallas Cowboys. Additionally, the lack of options at tight end does put a ceiling on how high Buffalo could be on this list.
Running Backs Ranked 21st In NFL
Zack Moss and Devin Singletary are not active liabilities by any stretch of the imagination, but they’re not big-play threats. While you could certainly do worse, you can also do a lot better. While many expected Buffalo to invest in a running back at some point during the 2021 NFL Draft, Buffalo decided to make do with their current stable of runners.
For what it’s worth, Moss and Singletary both excel at breaking tackles. According to PFF, the duo ranked in the 62nd and 89th percentile for missed tackles per attempt, respectively. This is obviously a good thing and shows that both runners are capable of picking up more than what is blocked. While he probably won’t break off too many big plays, Moss has the potential to turn into a three-down threat as a receiver and goal-line back.
Zack Moss' first career NFL reception and touchdown. A thing of beauty. #NYJvsBUF | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/xZ7LNZWNWg
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) September 13, 2020
Interestingly enough, PFF didn’t mention running back Matt Breida in their analysis. While he is clearly third in the pecking order, the former Miami Dolphin possesses breakneck speed and the ability to churn out a big play on any given moment. While most expect him to only see the field in emergency situations, he could easily play a role in this carousel.
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