Which team was the biggest winner of Tom Brady signing with the Bucs? Obviously, Tampa Bay but a close second is the Buffalo Bills as they got Brady out of their AFC East Division. Buffalo now has a real shot at winning a division crown for the first time since 1995. Here’s an overview of the Buffalo Bills and their NFL Odds as it stands.
Buffalo Bills Odds After Free Agency Week 1
2019 recap
Buffalo finished 10-6 last year, two behind the Patriots in the AFC East but it was good enough for a Wild-Card spot. The Bills visited the Houston Texans in that round and lost 22-19 in overtime – Buffalo led 16-0 late in the third quarter. Both teams punted on their first possessions of overtime — the first extra period in an AFC wild-card game since January 2012. On Houston’s next drive, Deshaun Watson evaded a sack by wriggling away from one defender and bouncing off another before rolling out to find Taiwan Jones for a 34-yard reception to set up first-and-goal. That set up the winning field goal.
It extended Buffalo’s postseason losing streak to six games, with their most recent playoff win coming in 1995. QB Josh Allen threw for 264 yards, ran for 92 and caught a touchdown pass on a trick play in the first quarter, but often looked rattled late in his playoff debut. The Bills were driving early in the fourth quarter when Allen was sacked by Whitney Mercilus and fumbled, and it was recovered by Jacob Martin at the Buffalo 47.
Buffalo Bills offseason moves
The Bills’ biggest move thus far has been trading for Minnesota receiver Stefon Diggs. It was costly as Buffalo parted with its first-round pick along with a fifth and sixth-round pick this year and a fourth-round pick in 2021 in exchange for Diggs and a 2020 seventh-round pick.
Just 26, Diggs is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons for Minnesota, including a career-high 1,130 this past season. Over the last three years, Diggs has 23 touchdown receptions tied for fifth-most in the league over that span (2017-2019) with players like Kansas City’s Travis Kelce and New Orleans Michael Thomas.
Diggs is one of the NFL’s top deep threat, leading the league with 624 yards on deep passes (20-plus air yards). In 2019. He had 20 receptions of 20-plus yards, and four of his six touchdowns were 45 yards or longer. Diggs is also known for probably the most famous play in Vikings history, as he was on the receiving end of the “Minneapolis Miracle” in a January 2018 playoff game vs. New Orleans.
Buffalo also reportedly was negotiating with former Chargers Pro Bowl running back Melvin Gordon but lost out on him to the Denver Broncos.
Buffalo did upgrade the defense with the signings of end Mario Addison, tackles Vernon Butler Quinton Jefferson, and cornerback Josh Norman. Norman appeared in 12 games last season for Washington, making eight starts. Norman had 40 tackles, six pass breakups, an interception, a forced fumble and a sack in 2019. Bills head coach was Norman’s former defensive coordinator in Carolina.
When the Bills watched Shaq Lawson come to terms on a new three-year contract with the Miami Dolphins on the first day of the legal tampering period, general manager Brandon Beane had to find his replacement and did so with Addison, who spent the past seven season rushing the passer in Carolina. Addison is a premium pass rusher who has notched at least 9 sacks in each of the last four seasons.
As for Butler, the 2016 first-round pick spent his first four years in the NFL with the Panthers, although the organization declined his fifth-year option for 2020. Butler served as mostly a rotational defensive lineman during the first three seasons of his career. In 2019, he started a career-high nine games, finishing with 32 tackles, six sacks, and three forced fumbles.
Jefferson emerged as a two-year starter for the Seahawks after a quiet start to his career, ultimately compiling 3.5 sacks and 26 tackles across 14 games last year. Buffalo did lose defensive tackle Jordan Phillips to Arizona. He had a career-high 9.5 sacks in 2019.
2020 opponents
- Home: Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks.
- Away: Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans.
Buffalo Bills Odds to win Super Bowl 55
Buffalo is +2000 to win the first Super Bowl title in franchise history next February in Tampa.
