The Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills will continue their rivalry in Week 14 of the 2023 season at Arrowhead Stadium.
Buffalo’s offseason began with a surprising decision from defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier to take a leave of absence for the 2023 season. Head coach Sean McDermott assumed the role and will pull double duty. The Bills were able to re-sign starting safeties Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde but lost Pro Bowl middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.
The Bills also added offensive guard Conner McGovern and outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, both of whom are expected to start. Running back Damien Harris jumped from the AFC East rival New England Patriots to Buffalo and will look to get back on track after an injury-riddled 2022 season.
Dalton Kincaid was selected 25th overall by the Bills in the 2023 NFL Draft. He is projected to make an instant impact and could develop into one of the top tight ends in the league. In the second round Buffalo took O’Cyrus Torrence, who is battling with Ryan Bates for the starting right guard job.
The Bills have been considered a Super Bowl-caliber team for the last few years but, instead, they have experienced some serious playoff heartbreak. They were completely outmatched in the AFC Championship game by the Chiefs in 2020 and have lost in the divisional round each of the last two years. Now that the other AFC East teams have seemingly caught up with Buffalo talent-wise, the pressure is on for the Bills to get over the hump.
Now, let’s take a look at some of the Bills’ top players and their outlooks heading into the 2023 NFL season:
Quarterback Josh Allen
2022 was another stellar season for Allen. While his passing yardage (4,283) and touchdowns (35) slightly dipped from 2021, Allen still finished in the top 10 among quarterbacks in both categories. He also rushed for over 700 yards for the second consecutive season and had seven rushing touchdowns. Allen earned his second Pro Bowl nod last season and is a former All-Pro.
He still has plenty of accolades to chase such as an MVP and a Super Bowl ring, which he should be consistently in the running for as long as he stays healthy. Allen will look to get the bad taste out of his mouth from last season’s divisional round playoff exit, in which he completed just 55 percent of his passes and didn’t throw a single touchdown.
Wide receiver Stefon Diggs
Diggs has had an incredibly productive three seasons with the Bills since signing with them in 2020. His 338 receptions are tied for the most in the NFL during that span and his 4,189 receiving yards are the fourth-most. In 2021 Diggs set a career-high with 10 touchdowns.
Pro Football Focus ranked Diggs as their fifth-best receiver in the league, touting his route-running skills and excellent hands. At 29 years old Diggs is still in his prime and will look to keep his connection with Josh Allen strong as he continues to pile up the stats.
Defensive end Von Miller
With eight sacks, Miller was having another great season in 2022 before tearing his ACL in a Thanksgiving Day game against the Detroit Lions. Injuries have become an issue for Miller over the past three seasons, missing six games last year, two in 2021, and the entire 2020 season for a total of 24 missed games of the last 50.
Miller is currently on the Bills’ physically unable to perform list but is striving to be available for the regular season opener. Until proven otherwise, Miller is still very productive when healthy. Over the past two seasons, he has 17.5 sacks, 29 tackles for loss and 29 quarterback hits in 26 games.
Safety Jordan Poyer
Poyer is entering his 11th NFL season and has come a long way since being drafted in the seventh round in 2013 by the Philadelphia Eagles. He hit his stride when he signed with the Bills in 2017, having picked off the fifth most passes in the league during that span.
Poyer was an All-Pro in 2021 and earned his first Pro Bowl nod in 2022. The Bills reward him with a with a two-year contract extension during the offseason. Pro Football Focus gave Poyer a 75.4 overall grade last season and ranked him as their No. 8 safety in the NFL.
Cornerback Tre'Davious White
White has had to battle through injuries the last few seasons. He tore his ACL and meniscus midway through the 2021 season and didn’t return to action until December of 2022. Naturally, he wasn’t quite himself after such a long layoff and rejoining the team so late in the season.
When healthy, however, White has been one of the best cornerbacks in the league. He has 22 career interceptions since being drafted in 2017 and has been named an All-Pro and a Pro Bowler twice. White is healthy again and will look to recapture his elite cornerback status in 2023.
