ESPN article ranking the top NFL rosters

[BADOLBILZ]

Article is part of ESPN+ https://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/story/_/id/37892244/2023-season-roster-rankings-starting-lineups-all-32-nfl-teams

 

1. Chiefs

2. Eagles

3. Buffalo Bills

 

Strongest unit: Safety. Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer have been nothing short of elite since teaming up in Buffalo in 2017. Both are 32 years old and missed substantial time in 2022, so perhaps a slip in play could be in store. But Buffalo will have a healthy Damar Hamlin and newcomer Taylor Rapp (who played 90% of the Rams' defensive snaps in 2022) as quality depth. -- Clay

 

Weakest unit: Wide receiver depth. Stefon Diggs is elite, but No. 2 WR Gabe Davis was limited to a situational deep-threat role for most of 2022. Davis is back, but Cole Beasley, Isaiah McKenzie and Jamison Crowder are gone and will be "replaced" by journeymen Deonte Harty and Trent Sherfield and Day 3 fliers Khalil Shakir and Justin Shorter. Buffalo will need a big rookie season from versatile tight end Dalton Kincaid. -- Clay

 

X factor for 2023: Safeties Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde. Two years ago they fueled the league's best defense, but in 2022 they combined for just 14 games played. Both are up in there in age, but do they have one more strong season left in them? -- Walder

 

Nonstarter to know: WR Deonte Harty. In 2021, Harty was efficient with a 30% target rate and a 2.9 yards per route run that trailed only those of Cooper Kupp, Deebo Samuel and Davante Adams. Injuries limited him in 2022, but those numbers still have me intrigued. -- Walder

 

4. Dolphins

Edited June 29, 2023 by BADOLBILZ

[GoBills808]

when it's put that way i feel way less confident in this upcoming season lol

[BADOLBILZ]

14 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

Yea I wonder if Poyer/Hyde can remain healthy… and what a shock, more questions about the WR depth… everywhere but this message board.😅

 

Yeah some of the takes about the WR corps have been pretty comical.    The objections to calling Harty and Sherfield "journeymen" was amusing.   They are the very definition of such.

 

Getting a proven WR2 who can run a full route tree started the offseason as the one position that could improve the team the most.    Instead all our Bills WR takes gotta' end with "hopefully this TE can play WR at a very high level as a rookie".  

[Jauronimo]

7 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

Yeah some of the takes about the WR corps have been pretty comical.    The objections to calling Harty and Sherfield "journeymen" was amusing.   They are the very definition of such.

 

Getting a proven WR2 who can run a full route tree started the offseason as the one position that could improve the team the most.    Instead all our Bills WR takes gotta' end with "hopefully this TE can play WR at a very high level as a rookie".  

One man's journeyman is another man's franchise #5 WR.  The other man is John from Hemet.

[boyst]

11 minutes ago, Jauronimo said:

One man's journeyman is another man's franchise #5 WR.  The other man is John from Hemet.

...I need to call 911 to report a murder... ***** brutal. 🤣

[BuffaloBillyG]

13 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

Yeah some of the takes about the WR corps have been pretty comical.    The objections to calling Harty and Sherfield "journeymen" was amusing.   They are the very definition of such.

 

Getting a proven WR2 who can run a full route tree started the offseason as the one position that could improve the team the most.    Instead all our Bills WR takes gotta' end with "hopefully this TE can play WR at a very high level as a rookie".  

No objections for that. They are. Harty is on his 2nd team. Sherfield his fourth. But I don't see that as a negative.

 

By that definition Beasley (Bills were his 2md team), John Brown (Bills were his 3rd in his first run), Crowder (Bills 3rd team) were journeymen as well. In fact, more players then not in this day and age would fall under "journeymen" label.

[FireChans]

11 minutes ago, BuffaloBillyG said:

No objections for that. They are. Harty is on his 2nd team. Sherfield his fourth. But I don't see that as a negative.

 

By that definition Beasley (Bills were his 2md team), John Brown (Bills were his 3rd in his first run), Crowder (Bills 3rd team) were journeymen as well. In fact, more players then not in this day and age would fall under "journeymen" label.

oh god dude. I don't have enough eyeroll emojis.

[LABILLBACKER]

49 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

Yea I wonder if Poyer/Hyde can remain healthy… and what a shock, more questions about the WR depth… everywhere but this message board.😅

The lack of a bona-fide #2 wr absolutely kills this team. I think it's also effects the recent Diggs behavior.  Teams know after Stefon we're vulnerable.  That's why Diggs is getting doubled more than ever.  This year's team will have to depend more on Knox, Kincaid, Harty & Sherfield for support.  I personally have closed the book on Gabe. Whatever he contributes will be supplemental.  If Hyde,  Von and Tre can return healthy this defense will compete.  But once we enter the playoffs,  we must absolutely have a strong secondary target besides Diggs.

[FireChans]

Just now, LABILLBACKER said:

The lack of a bona-fide #2 wr absolutely kills this team. I think it's also effects the recent Diggs behavior.  Teams know after Stefon we're vulnerable.  That's why Diggs is getting doubled more than ever.  This year's team will have to depend more on Knox, Kincaid, Harty & Sherfield for support.  I personally have closed the book on Gabe. Whatever he contributes will be supplemental.  If Hyde,  Von and Tre can return healthy this defense will compete.  But once we enter the playoffs,  we must absolutely have a strong secondary target besides Diggs.

Every year we do less for #2 WR's! It's actually insane.

[GoBills808]

Just can't shake the feeling that we are relying on 3 players in Hyde/Poyer/Miller...all coming off significant injuries whose combined age is 98 years old

 

throw in White who I don't expect to every really regain his form and there's an argument that the defense is in big trouble

[billsfan89]

Top to bottom the Bills roster is among the top 4-5 in the league and arguably top 3. The Bills boast a defensive unit with only one glaring hole (MLB) and 10 other starters of high quality, a D-line that is very deep, a great LB in Milano, a CB group that is deep and talented and a good safety combo that while older has better depth behind it. The ST unit top to bottom is very good, Bass is one of the best kickers in the league, Martin a top 10 punter, Hines/Harty a great returner duo and a solid cast of specialists. The offensive talent is also very good. Josh is one of the best QB's in the league, Knox/Kincaid are a top 5 TE duo, the RB core while not having a superstar RB is a solid group of 4, the O-line is massively improved with the additions of Cyrus and McGovern at guard and at WR Diggs is a stud and Davis and the rest of the WR group aren't bad. 

 

Yes on defense I would like to see the team have a better MLB and yes on offense I would like a better WR2 and a true backup swing LT/RT but to look up and down a roster and see only 2 major holes and one glaring depth hole is pretty solid. Esp given the fact that the Bills outside of about three areas actually have quality depth on top of a good front-line talent in most areas. 

 

Hopefully the Bills can add D-Hop and a true backup for Dawkins before camp starts and maybe in season if MLB is a glaring need make a trade to sure that up. 

[SWATeam]

3 minutes ago, GoBills808 said:

Just can't shake the feeling that we are relying on 3 players in Hyde/Poyer/Miller...all coming off significant injuries whose combined age is 98 years old

 

throw in White who I don't expect to every really regain his form and there's an argument that the defense is in big trouble

We've hedged those issues a bit with the signing of Rapp and Floyd.

 

I expect Tre to be much better this year.

[GoBills808]

Just now, billsfan89 said:

Top to bottom the Bills roster is among the top 4-5 in the league and arguably top 3. The Bills boast a defensive unit with only one glaring hole (MLB) and 10 other starters of high quality, a D-line that is very deep, a great LB in Milano, a CB group that is deep and talented and a good safety combo that while older has better depth behind it. The ST unit top to bottom is very good, Bass is one of the best kickers in the league, Martin a top 10 punter, Hines/Harty a great returner duo and a solid cast of specialists. The offensive talent is also very good. Josh is one of the best QB's in the league, Knox/Kincaid are a top 5 TE duo, the RB core while not having a superstar RB is a solid group of 4, the O-line is massively improved with the additions of Cyrus and McGovern at guard and at WR Diggs is a stud and Davis and the rest of the WR group aren't bad. 

 

Yes on defense I would like to see the team have a better MLB and yes on offense I would like a better WR2 and a true backup swing LT/RT but to look up and down a roster and see only 2 major holes and one glaring depth hole is pretty solid. Esp given the fact that the Bills outside of about three areas actually have quality depth on top of a good front-line talent in most areas. 

 

Hopefully the Bills can add D-Hop and a true backup for Dawkins before camp starts and maybe in season if MLB is a glaring need make a trade to sure that up. 

I think this is wildly optimistic

 

There is zero chance absolutely zero that Knox Kincaid can be credibly called a top5 TE duo at this moment

 

Ditto oline massive improvement

 

 

1 minute ago, SWATeam said:

We've hedged those issues a bit with the signing of Rapp and Floyd.

 

I expect Tre to be much better this year.

He can't be much worse

 

i love tre white as much as the next guy but he was a liability last year and getting better just means he'd be on the lower end of what you'd like your best CB to be

[SWATeam]

3 minutes ago, GoBills808 said:

 

He can't be much worse

 

i love tre white as much as the next guy but he was a liability last year and getting better just means he'd be on the lower end of what you'd like your best CB to be

I'll be surprised if he's not elite again.  It's not like he ever won on pure athleticism anyways.

 

Looks to me like we have 4 legitimate outside corners which is a great problem to have.

[FireChans]

Just now, SWATeam said:

I'll be surprised if he's not elite again.  It's not like he ever won on pure athleticism anyways.

 

Looks to me like we have 4 legitimate outside corners which is a great problem to have.

I think I'd rather have 1 star and 1 solid starter than 4 solid starters in today's NFL.

[D. L. Hot-Flamethrower]

Still say this team should do everything they can to bring in Hopkins. The lack of a bonafide #2 is so obvious as to how much it would help this team. I can't help but feel like its a blind spot for the current regime some how.

[billsfan89]

8 minutes ago, GoBills808 said:

I think this is wildly optimistic

 

There is zero chance absolutely zero that Knox Kincaid can be credibly called a top5 TE duo at this moment

 

Ditto oline massive improvement

 

 

 

I would say the TE projection is optimistic but not "wildly" optimistic. I think Knox is just outside the top 10 at TE (look at most lists and he is usually ranked at around 11-13 and rarely cracks the top 10) and Kincaid was the best tight end in the draft. Adding them together and it could easily be a top TE duo. There aren't many teams that pack a combo at TE so having a solid player in Knox and a great draft prospect in Kincaid and it is clear that the potential is there for that duo to be among the leagues best. 

[SWATeam]

1 minute ago, billsfan89 said:

 

I would say the TE projection is optimistic but not "wildly" optimistic. I think Knox is just outside the top 10 at TE (look at most lists and he is usually ranked at around 11-13 and rarely cracks the top 10) and Kincaid was the best tight end in the draft. Adding them together and it could easily be a top TE duo. There aren't many teams that pack a combo at TE so having a solid player in Knox and a great draft prospect in Kincaid and it is clear that the potential is there for that duo to be among the leagues best. 

Yeah, I'd say a borderline top 10 TE and a first round pick at the position SHOULD be a top 5 duo.

[billsfan89]

8 minutes ago, FireChans said:

I think I'd rather have 1 star and 1 solid starter than 4 solid starters in today's NFL.

 

Given the volatility of injuries in the NFL I would rather not have 1-star player and very little depth behind them generally speaking. 

[BuffaloBillyG]

31 minutes ago, FireChans said:

oh god dude. I don't have enough eyeroll emojis.

Cool story. Next time add explosions and maybe a nice car chase. Adds to the excitement.