PhillyBirds
Mentor
2023 Buffalo Bills "Pre"view
A 13-3 Buffalo squad led by the talented Josh Allen impressed fans throughout the season in 2022. A defeat at the hands of Joe Burrow's Cincinnati in the divisional round has them looking for redemption in 2023. The year started weirdly with a loss to New York, but they seem to have bounced back well in week two, dismantling Las Vegas in convincing fashion. Starters and rostered guys are currently a push from last season.
Total White players on 53-man roster: 17*
Total White starters: 6
Starters listed in bold.
OFFENSE
QB: Josh Allen, Kyle Allen
TE: Dawson Knox, Dalton Kincaid
C: Mitch Morse, Ryan Bates
G: Connor McGovern, David Edwards, Alec Anderson
T: Spencer Brown, Ryan Van Demark
DEFENSE
LB: Matt Milano, Tyler Matakevich
S: Taylor Rapp*
SPECIALISTS
K: Tyler Bass
P: Sam Martin
LS: Reid Ferguson
RESERVE/INJURED
QB: Matt Barkley
TE: Zach Davidson
T: Tommy Doyle
LB: Baylon Spector
PRACTICE SQUAD
QB: Shane Buechele
OL: Kevin Jarvis, Greg Mancz
TE: Joel Wilson
A couple star players and a solid O-line are really all that separates this year's Buffalo squad from the other standard caste fare in the NFL; missing is the defensive depth from their 2021 squad (a CF favorite).
Josh Allen spent 2022 continuing to show what a proper athletic quarterback is capable of - 4,283 passing yards, 762 rushing yards, 42 combined touchdowns and a 13-3 regular season record. The former "project QB" from the University of Wyoming is the main attraction in Buffalo and the driving force behind their success. His development path is still the envy of most NFL teams who have ever selected the dreaded "toolsy" quarterback in the first round - especially when they keep drafting our favorite running quarterbacks from Ohio State. As he transitions into the dating-movie-stars-phase of his career, here's hoping he can finally get Buffalo over the Burrow and Mahomes-sized humps and back to the Super Bowl. The unrelated Kyle is in his sixth season and serves as the backup.
Knox and Kincaid form one of the more athletic tight end rooms in football. The dependable Knox was a first-time Pro Bowl selection in 2022, despite coming off a year that he logged only 10 yards per reception; hopefully he can regain some of his form from 2021. Former FCS transfer Dalton Kincaid was a first round selection in the draft, having logged 890 receiving yards and 8 TDs in only twelve games at Utah last year. There's tremendous potential for this to be one of the best TE tandems in the game this year.
Experience abounds on the offensive line, where veterans lead the way for Josh Allen. Texas native Mitch Morse has started all 109 games he's played in his NFL career, with Bates having spent the past five seasons in Buffalo as a swingman and backup. Connor McGovern was a former draft pick of Dallas, but battled injuries in his time there. He signed a three-year deal to anchor a spot on Buffalo's line, health permitting. Edwards and Anderson are solid depth at guard. Third-year man Spencer Brown out of Northern Iowa starts at the right tackle spot.
Buffalo's admirable white defensive depth is mostly a thing of the past. However, their second star player happens to play on this side of the ball. Long Island's own Matt Milano finally received some of the recognition he's long been due, being named All-Pro and a Pro Bowler in 2022. A rangy athlete in coverage and stout against the run, he's a complete linebacker and one of the best at his position in the NFL. A fifth-round steal back in 2017, he's turned into a consistent ~100 tackle man when healthy. Tyler Matakevich is somehow entering his ninth NFL season with a whopping one (1) start to his name. The all-time leader in tackles at Temple University and former Bronco Nagurski Trophy and Chuck Bednarik Award winner has almost literally only ever played special teams. Taylor Rapp gets an honorary/technical mention as one of our guys by virtue of his ubiquitous presence on the post-TD "perp cam" - it must be awfully hard for those cameramen to discern who's fully white when they have to zoom in on a defensive back in a hurry.
Veteran Matt Barkley has stuck around for 11 seasons, but begins this one injured. Practice squad is what it is for most teams; O-line depth and a tight end.
A 13-3 Buffalo squad led by the talented Josh Allen impressed fans throughout the season in 2022. A defeat at the hands of Joe Burrow's Cincinnati in the divisional round has them looking for redemption in 2023. The year started weirdly with a loss to New York, but they seem to have bounced back well in week two, dismantling Las Vegas in convincing fashion. Starters and rostered guys are currently a push from last season.
Total White players on 53-man roster: 17*
Total White starters: 6
Starters listed in bold.
OFFENSE
QB: Josh Allen, Kyle Allen
TE: Dawson Knox, Dalton Kincaid
C: Mitch Morse, Ryan Bates
G: Connor McGovern, David Edwards, Alec Anderson
T: Spencer Brown, Ryan Van Demark
DEFENSE
LB: Matt Milano, Tyler Matakevich
S: Taylor Rapp*
SPECIALISTS
K: Tyler Bass
P: Sam Martin
LS: Reid Ferguson
RESERVE/INJURED
QB: Matt Barkley
TE: Zach Davidson
T: Tommy Doyle
LB: Baylon Spector
PRACTICE SQUAD
QB: Shane Buechele
OL: Kevin Jarvis, Greg Mancz
TE: Joel Wilson
A couple star players and a solid O-line are really all that separates this year's Buffalo squad from the other standard caste fare in the NFL; missing is the defensive depth from their 2021 squad (a CF favorite).
Josh Allen spent 2022 continuing to show what a proper athletic quarterback is capable of - 4,283 passing yards, 762 rushing yards, 42 combined touchdowns and a 13-3 regular season record. The former "project QB" from the University of Wyoming is the main attraction in Buffalo and the driving force behind their success. His development path is still the envy of most NFL teams who have ever selected the dreaded "toolsy" quarterback in the first round - especially when they keep drafting our favorite running quarterbacks from Ohio State. As he transitions into the dating-movie-stars-phase of his career, here's hoping he can finally get Buffalo over the Burrow and Mahomes-sized humps and back to the Super Bowl. The unrelated Kyle is in his sixth season and serves as the backup.
Knox and Kincaid form one of the more athletic tight end rooms in football. The dependable Knox was a first-time Pro Bowl selection in 2022, despite coming off a year that he logged only 10 yards per reception; hopefully he can regain some of his form from 2021. Former FCS transfer Dalton Kincaid was a first round selection in the draft, having logged 890 receiving yards and 8 TDs in only twelve games at Utah last year. There's tremendous potential for this to be one of the best TE tandems in the game this year.
Experience abounds on the offensive line, where veterans lead the way for Josh Allen. Texas native Mitch Morse has started all 109 games he's played in his NFL career, with Bates having spent the past five seasons in Buffalo as a swingman and backup. Connor McGovern was a former draft pick of Dallas, but battled injuries in his time there. He signed a three-year deal to anchor a spot on Buffalo's line, health permitting. Edwards and Anderson are solid depth at guard. Third-year man Spencer Brown out of Northern Iowa starts at the right tackle spot.
Buffalo's admirable white defensive depth is mostly a thing of the past. However, their second star player happens to play on this side of the ball. Long Island's own Matt Milano finally received some of the recognition he's long been due, being named All-Pro and a Pro Bowler in 2022. A rangy athlete in coverage and stout against the run, he's a complete linebacker and one of the best at his position in the NFL. A fifth-round steal back in 2017, he's turned into a consistent ~100 tackle man when healthy. Tyler Matakevich is somehow entering his ninth NFL season with a whopping one (1) start to his name. The all-time leader in tackles at Temple University and former Bronco Nagurski Trophy and Chuck Bednarik Award winner has almost literally only ever played special teams. Taylor Rapp gets an honorary/technical mention as one of our guys by virtue of his ubiquitous presence on the post-TD "perp cam" - it must be awfully hard for those cameramen to discern who's fully white when they have to zoom in on a defensive back in a hurry.
Veteran Matt Barkley has stuck around for 11 seasons, but begins this one injured. Practice squad is what it is for most teams; O-line depth and a tight end.
Last edited: