Bills' offseason moves after AFC Championship loss to Chiefs

The AFC Championship was an all-too-familiar story for Buffalo Bills fans in recent seasons. Another hard-fought battle with the Kansas City Chiefs, another emotionally devastating loss featuring a singular moment in which you can actually watch Bills fans' hearts be ripped, still beating from their chests and smashed into a million tiny pieces (sorry Dalton Kincaid), and another stellar season ending without a Super Bowl appearance.

Now, they head into yet another offseason in a position they know all too well; trying to find a way to defeat Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, and the Chiefs' dynasty. But how can they do it? What needs to happen to get the Bills, the perennial bridesmaids in the AFC, over the hump? Let's break it down.

Find a pass rush: This is maybe the biggest thing Buffalo needs to do this offseason. The Bills' pass rush was ineffective at best in all three of their postseason games this year; they struggled to generate much of any push when they rushed four, and just by the nature of the defense, they don't blitz a ton, preferring to hold their coverages to try and generate pressure. The problem with that is, if that front four isn't getting penetration, things get messy.

The good news for Buffalo is that this draft is ripe with good pass rushers; going and getting a Jalon Walker or a Jordan Burch in the draft should be a top priority.

Get secondary help: The Bills ranked 27th in the NFL in yards after the catch, 24th in passing yards allowed and passing touchdowns, and 28th in air yards on the year. That means teams were gashing this team for deep plays while also turning shorter yardage plays in to big plays, neither of which are things you want. It felt like Kansas City were essentially moving the ball against them at will; even if they weren't breaking off big plays, they were picking up eight to 10 yards every time they threw the ball.

While this cornerback class isn't as deep as the defensive line figures to be, there will be plenty of opportunity to shore up what was one of the softest secondaries in the NFL this season.

Replace Amari Cooper: While his stat line may not look it, the 30-year-old Cooper was an incredibly valuable piece for Buffalo in his limited action this season. His phenomenal route running and ability to get separation against man defenses gave him a unique skill set among the Bills' receivers, a skill set that will likely be very missed next year.

Can Keon Coleman develop into a Cooper-esque receiver? It's possible, but between free agency and the Draft, finding at least one more good man-breaker wideout would be a very good plan.

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Bills' necessary offseason moves after AFC Championship loss to Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs

By Sam Westmoreland | Jan 27, 2025