Buffalo Rumblings
If the Bills hope to continue their dominant ways, these players will be integral to success.
Every offseason, a group of Buffalo Bills content creators come together to work on a project about the franchise. The focus centers on the “10 most important Buffalo Bills” as it relates to the future of the club.
It’s always a pleasure to work on this project, as Joe Marino (no relation) from Locked On Bills brings the group together to share our rankings. Our respective picks are then tabulated, which are then released by Marino through two shows that featured the average of our collective rankings.
I’ll have a separate article that features the finished product of our work, but in the meantime here are my top 10 picks for the Bills.
Despite some of the uncertainty around Cook’s contract, he deserves a spot on this list. Cook has been the most effective offensive weapon for the Bills (outside of Josh Allen), and is still just 25 years old. I may be in the minority, but I expect general manager Brandon Beane to get a new contract done with Cook before Week 1 of the 2025 season.
When Buffalo chose not to make a significant investment at receiver in the draft, it appeared to be a vote of confidence in Keon Coleman. You can include me as a member of Bills Mafia who expects Coleman to take a step forward this season, adding a level of consistency to his game that he flashed prior to injury as a rookie.
Last year I had Dalton Kincaid in the number-two spot, expecting a huge breakout following the departure of wide receiver Stefon Diggs. It was a bit of a sophomore slump for Kincaid, thanks to some noted chemistry issues with Josh Allen last season. Assuming that this is something Joe Brady can work on with both Kincaid and Allen, I expect a nice bounce-back season for the former first rounder.
With Matt Milano having battled injuries over the past two seasons, we’ve seen Terrell Bernard blossom into the leader of the Bills’ defense. The only captain on the defensive side of the ball in 2024, Bernard has established himself as a playmaker for Buffalo since becoming a full-time starter. Bernard now has a new contract extension, keeping him with the Bills for the next five seasons.
Khalil Shakir continues his ascension for Buffalo’s offense, catching 76 passes for 821 yards in 2024. While the statistics are nice, it was clear that Shakir established himself as the most-effective passing option for the Bills last season. This was evident in the two games that Shakir missed (Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans), where Buffalo’s offense looked abysmal. Shakir also signed a four-year contract extension — keeping him in Buffalo for the foreseeable future.
Greg Rousseau also received a...
