BUFFALO, N.Y. — Bills kicker Tyler Bass sat on the bench, his helmet still on, after missing a 44-yard field goal. As the clock wound down and a 6-minute, 40-second drive full of missed chances came to an end, the Kansas City Chiefs continued to advance the ball. Bass cradled his helmet in his hands.
When the timeouts expired, the Chiefs’ sideline erupted in celebration, while fans at Highmark Stadium threw snowballs at the bench occupied by red-clad Chiefs players.
The Bills’ 2023 season concluded with a 27-24 defeat to the Chiefs in the divisional round, marking a familiar outcome.
Though the Bills had to travel to Kansas City for the playoffs again this year, the result was the same as in previous years.
As Bass exited the field, quarterback Josh Allen noticed him and paused to offer a handshake and an embrace, a gesture symbolizing hope for the future.
The team that departed the field that day will be different when the Bills take the field against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1 on September 8.
The Bills enter the 2024 season following a transformative offseason geared towards future success. Their goal is to remain highly competitive and leverage the performance of Josh Allen, now in his seventh year. Buffalo will count on its star quarterback to further develop as a leader while newer and younger players step up both on and off the field. The aim is to secure a fifth consecutive division title and build a team capable of achieving their long-term objectives.
The 2024 Bills have undergone more changes than just new players. They’ve brought in two new full-time coordinators, Joe Brady and Bobby Babich, who have been well-received by the team for their enthusiasm. This positive energy has also influenced other areas like the strength and conditioning, medical, and sports science departments, all of which are exploring ways to enhance performance, as noted by McDermott this spring.
There are still uncertainties about how new center Connor McGovern and the largely revamped wide receiver group, with only Khalil Shakir returning, will perform, as well as questions surrounding the safety position.
Overall, the level of change is fairly typical for an NFL team, according to Elias Sports Bureau, though the significance of the departing players is notable. As of August 28, the Bills had 24 players who were not on the Week 1 roster last year, ranking them 12th in the league for roster turnover. Despite parting ways with some veterans, the current roster’s average age is 26.8 years, only slightly younger than last year’s average of 27.1 years, according to Elias.
Last year, before the same scenario played out again, the Bills surprised everyone by turning their season around from a 6-6 record to winning the division, despite only having a 4% chance of achieving that, according to ESPN Analytics, after Week 13.
This year, the Bills may need some time to find their rhythm, as several new players missed much of training camp due to injuries.
“We’re confident in the team we have,” Beane stated. “We might have preferred to get more offensive playtime, but circumstances forced us to handle things differently. We won’t be a finished product right away, but we aim to start strong and keep improving.”
Beane expressed strong confidence in both the coaches and the 53-man roster, looking forward to the season ahead.
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