1. Christian Wade is excited for Efe Obada to join the Bills family
The NFL's International Player Pathway Program was started to help increase the number of non-American players in the league. Running back Christian Wade is still in the program with the Bills in his third year with the team. Wade will still be given a roster exemption as an international player for the 2021 season. Free agent signing Efe Obada joins the Bills after starting in the IPP program in 2017 with the Carolina Panthers. Wade was on the latest episode of the Bills Pod Squad and talked with host Maddy Glab and fellow running back Zack Moss about why he is excited about Obada playing for Buffalo this upcoming season.
"I'm really looking forward to him coming into our environment here with a great facility, great coaches, and great teammates," Wade said. "I'm really excited to see what he could put out there on the field. I know at Carolina he was balling now because he sacked some big names last year. So, I'm really looking forward to him coming here and just balling out and doing even better he did at Carolina."
For the full interview and previous Bills Pod Squad episodes, find them on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and YouTube.
2. Bleacher Report thinks this is the reason the Bills should be looking forward to the 2021 season
The 2021 NFL season will be the biggest one ever. With the additions the Bills made through free agency and the draft, there are many reasons to look forward to this season. Bleacher Report NFL writer Kristopher Knox listed every team’s biggest reason to look forward to the 2021 season. For the Bills, his reason is the rise of Josh Allen and how we will all get to see another exciting chapter from the blossoming quarterback's NFL career.
Buffalo Bills: The Rise of Josh Allen
We've already touched on the 2020 jump made by Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, but it is remarkable. The former Wyoming product was a borderline MVP candidate a year after being one of the more inconsistent signal-callers in the league.
In 2019, Allen completed 58.8 percent of his passes while posting a quarterback rating of 85.3. Last season, he completed 69.2 percent of his passes and had a rating of 107.2. Allen's touchdown passes rose from 20 to 37, and he tossed just one more interception.
Allen benefited from the addition of wideout Stefon Diggs tremendously, but his growth as a signal-caller was nonetheless impressive. The idea that he could be even better in 2021 should have the Bills and their fans absolutely pumped.
After all, Allen is still learning how to be a franchise quarterback in the NFL. If he hasn't hit his ceiling just yet, he could join the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers in the ranks of the elite this season.
The Bills have Super Bowl aspirations, to be sure. At least, they should after reaching the AFC title game in 2020. However, it's Allen's potential that should be the most fun to watch. Regardless of how Buffalo finishes the season, its 24-year-old quarterback should be around for a long, long time.
3. NFL Network's Cynthia Frelund projects Buffalo will have top 5 offense in 2021
In 2020, the Bills offense set new franchise records for most points (501), touchdowns (60), first downs (240) and total yards gained (6,343) in a single season. NFL Network analytics expert Cynthia Frelund projected the top 10 offenses heading into the 2021 season and had the Bills ranked at number five. Ahead of the Bills were the Cowboys, Packers, Chiefs and Buccaneers but Frelund still has the Bills with the second-highest win total in the AFC.
#5 Buffalo Bills
PROJECTED WIN SHARE: 6.0
Unlike the Falcons (or Cowboys just below), the Bills' offensive ranking takes a little dip in win share because of the balance with the defense. I have 11.1 wins projected for Buffalo, so 5.1 for defense and special teams. It's better to be more complementary like this, which is why I'm high on this team overall. The Bills are playoff-bound in my projections, with the second-highest overall win total in the AFC.
My favorite notes from the Bills' offense? They project to remain top four in passing yards per attempt (they ranked fourth last year at 7.8), top three in third-down conversion rate (they were No. 1 last year at 49.7 percent) and top five in first downs per game (they were tied with K.C. for the most with 24.8). Along with improvements to Buffalo's defense, it's likely we see the masterful Brian Daboll keep a very efficient offensive game plan, but it looks like they're going to control the pace a little more with increased concentration on the ground game. Bringing in Matt Breida -- and having six backs on the roster right now -- seems to indicate a focus in this area.
