1. This is what Bills GM Brandon Beane had to say about vaccination thresholds
Bills general manager Brandon Beane spoke to media over Zoom on Monday and was asked about his level of concern with players meeting the vaccination threshold number. Beane pointed out that they are still not sure on what those exact numbers will be. During the meantime, he said the team continues to have respectful conversations regarding whether or not to get vaccine.
"We're trying to stay out in front of it and figure out what the thresholds are and also educate our guys on everything we can about the vaccines," Beane explained. "Whether it's medical people or other people who have had it in other sports. That's really all we can do is just educate and it's a personal decision. As I said earlier, where you lie on the fence, it is what it is. But what I can tell you is our locker room is very strong. It's together, and guys support each other whatever their decisions are. And Sean and I are going to be right there to support them.
"It's not going to impact our season negatively or anything like that. We're going to make the most of it, whatever the thresholds are and whatever restrictions we have to deal with."
Beane also added the team is moving forward and operating as if some COVID protocols will still be in place for the upcoming season.
2. Where does Josh Allen's supporting cast rank?
Bills quarterback Josh Allen took a huge jump forward in his career last season. The QB increased his statistics in several categories and set multiple single season records. Allen wouldn't have been able to accomplish all of this without his talented supporting cast. Bleacher Report looked at every starting QB and their weapons and ranked who has the best skill-position players in the NFL. The Bills came in at No. 6.
6. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
2020 Ranking: 8
The Buffalo Bills made it to last year's AFC title game thanks in no small part to a breakout year from quarterback Josh Allen. The Wyoming product had a career year, passing for 4,544 yards with 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 421 yards and eight scores.
With a strong supporting cast, Allen could be even better this season.
Buffalo's receiving corps was already fantastic before adding Emmanuel Sanders in free agency. Stefon Diggs led the NFL in both receiving yards (1,535) and receptions (127) last season. Cole Beasley had 967 receiving yards, while then-rookie Gabriel Davis contributed 599 receiving yards. Sanders replaces John Brown, who was fourth on the team with 458 receiving yards.
The only two real knocks against Allen's supporting cast are that Dawson Knox is a good, not great, receiving tight end, and the backfield has been inconsistent. Knox had just 288 receiving yards in 2020, while Zack Moss and Devin Singletary combined for just 1,168 rushing yards. Buffalo ranked 20th in rushing with 24 percent of its yards coming from Allen.
The Bills did add Matt Breida in the offseason, and he should help the offense be more balanced this season. Either way, this is a top-10 supporting cast, and the Bills should easily have a top-10 offense after ranking second in both points and yards last year.
3. How the Bills 2021 offensive line sizes up to other units in the NFL
Buffalo's free agency was exciting in many ways, but some of the most exciting news was finding out what players were sticking around. Two of these players, Jon Feliciano and Daryl Williams, who opted to stay in Buffalo, made up an offensive line that helped quarterback Josh Allen win 15 total games in 2020. The Bills helped their offensive line unit by doing more than just securing Feliciano and Williams, they continued to add talent in free agency and the draft.
Looking at this year's solid group, PFF ranked where the Buffalo Bills are in comparison to every other team's offensive line. The Bills came in at top 15 due to their depth at the position.
13. Buffalo Bills
The Bills finished 10th in our final 2020 rankings, and they've done a great job of rebuilding the trenches over the past few years.
The tackle tandem of Dion Dawkins and Daryl Williams is one of the league's best; they finished 14th and 22nd, respectively, in overall grade last season. Dawkins has been incredibly consistent in his four NFL seasons, especially in pass protection, where he's graded between 76.0 and 79.2 every year. Williams returns via free agency after playing well on a shrewd one-year deal. He's bounced around the offensive line during his six-year career, but his two best seasons came in 2017 and 2020 — both of which he played right tackle from start to finish.
On the interior, center Mitch Morse has graded at 67.3 and 63.3 in his two years as a starter in Buffalo, and much like the rest of his career, he's done his best work in pass protection. Bills guards earned a mere 60.7 grade as a unit last year, an area where the team must improve in 2020. Jon Feliciano returns as the starting right guard after posting the highest run-blocking grade on the team (76.1) but also the lowest pass-blocking grade (46.4). He's been a league-average starter over the past two years and could be pushed by Ike Boettger, Forrest Lamp and Jamil Douglas.
Cody Ford is expected to start at left guard, and it's a pivotal year for the 2019 second-rounder. He recorded just 50.3 and 53.8 grades in his first two seasons, so the Bills are hoping the common third-year breakout comes to fruition in 2021.
The Bills also did a fine job of adding depth, including two monster draft picks in Tommy Doyle and Spencer Brown. Both tackle prospects are at least 6-foot-8, serving as solid developmental options behind the starting duo of Dawkins and Williams.
Once again, the Bills have a solid offensive line unit and they continue to attack the position with volume. Their depth is strong, which should help them handle any injuries that pop up throughout the season.
