Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane have done a great job of putting a talented roster together for the 2022 season. The Bills' roster features many star players but also has key-depth players behind them.
Pro Football Focus released their player rankings for every position ahead of the 2022 season. The list has many players from the Bills in the top ten of their respective positions.
QUARTERBACK
TIER B: SHOOTING STARS — THE BEST UNDER THE AGE OF 30
1. PATRICK MAHOMES, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
2. JOSH ALLEN, BUFFALO BILLS
The gap between these two top-tier quarterbacks shrunk a bit in 2020 after Allen exploded into an MVP candidate after two poor years to start his career in Buffalo. The gap shrunk again once Allen continued to play at an elite level in 2021 while Mahomes suffered the worst season of his career. Mahomes' 80.4 grade in 2021 was his lowest in a full season by just about 10 points. Allen has now posted back-to-back elite 90-plus-graded seasons while Mahomes posted three straight from 2018-2020.
WIDE RECEIVER
TIER 1: ELITE
4. STEFON DIGGS, BUFFALO BILLS
Diggs is one of the best route-runners in the game, but he is also one of the league's best at the catch point. Since joining Buffalo in 2020, Diggs ranks seventh or higher in separation rate against single coverage, contested-catch grade and grade versus man coverage.
An underrated aspect of his game is how good Diggs is when the play starts to break. There's no quit — he finds a way to get open and gives quarterback Josh Allen an opportunity to make a play. Diggs' 26 receptions on plays outside of the structure of the offense since 2020 are six more than any other pass-catcher in the NFL.
LINEBACKER
TIER 5: BEST OF THE REST
10. MATT MILANO, BUFFALO BILLS
SAFETY
ALL-AROUND TIER
3. MICAH HYDE, BUFFALO BILLS
4. JORDAN POYER, BUFFALO BILLS
Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer each fit into this category for the Buffalo Bills and together may form the best safety duo in the league. Each can line up anywhere they are needed within the scheme and playing next to one another is clearly a force multiplier for their success. Buffalo runs a scheme that puts them in position to succeed, but they take advantage of it extremely well on their own.
SLOT CORNER
4. TARON JOHNSON, BUFFALO BILLS
Johnson has shown immense growth these last couple of years. Since 2020, he owns a top-10 slot coverage grade and ranks third with 25 passing stops. The 5-foot-11, 192-pound corner is a smooth operator in zone coverage, playing with good balance and sure-fire tackling. He also owns the third-lowest missed tackle rate in zone from the slot over the last two seasons — just five misses on 76 attempts.
His play led to a much-deserved contract extension at the beginning of the 2021 season, giving Buffalo one of the top slot corners for the next few years.
OUTSIDE CORNER
8. TRE'DAVIOUS WHITE, BUFFALO BILLS
White is eying a bounce-back 2022 season after tearing his ACL during Buffalo's Week 12 Thanksgiving game in 2021. Before his injury, the 5-foot-11, 192-pounder had been nothing but stingy in coverage. He ranks third among qualifying cornerbacks in yards per coverage snap allowed since entering the NFL in 2017 (0.87). White can get overly physical from time to time, but he consistently stays glued to his opposition and doesn't often let up freebies.
