The Buffalo Bills are currently on the path to mediocrity when they’d be better served to simply go for broke and blow the whole thing up.
Mediocrity has been the name of the game for going on two full decades. We’re talking about a franchise that hasn’t seen the playoffs since the 1999 season. Since that time, the Bills have managed to win 10-plus games exactly zero times.
And let us never forget, this is a team which features a fan base that endured four straight Super Bowl losses in the early 1990s. No wonder Bills Mafia is absolutely crazy.
Not surprisingly, the Pegula family fired Rex Ryan before the end of last season after two years of (more) mediocrity. It was somewhat surprising that general manager Doug Whaley remained on board heading into the offseason. Then he too was fired after the 2017 NFL Draft, which was puzzling timing. But better late than never, right?
In place of Ryan and Whaley, the Bills are now being led by head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane. McDermott immediately got busy attempting to bring some order into the house, while Beane has begun dismantling the roster to a certain degree.
Over past month, Bills now have traded LB Reggie Ragland, WR Sammy Watkins, CB Ronald Darby, QB Cardale Jones. Picks piling up in Buffalo.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 28, 2017
Due to the maneuvering Beane has done with his trades, Buffalo enters the 2018 NFL Draft with six picks in the first three rounds. That’s good. The problem is that it just isn’t enough to fully get this ship turned around.
What good does another 6-10 season do the franchise? What good does it do long term to feature a team that is just competitive enough to hang tough but which ultimately will fizzle out?
The Bills have more assets they can use to complete the job and truly rebuild for the future.
Get rid of Marcell Dareus. Get rid of LeSean McCoy. Get rid of Cordy Glenn and Richie Incognito. Heck, start Nathan Peterman this year and keep Tyrod Taylor on the bench or trade him, too. It’s not like he’s done anything to warrant keeping his job this summer, anyway.
The Bills need to start truly hoarding draft picks while cutting out veterans who won’t be a part of the future.
The Bills are at least two or three years away from really being able to compete in the AFC East even if we’re being optimistic. Better to build up the roster from the ground up. It’s the strategy Sashi Brown has utilized building up the Cleveland Browns, and it’s what the New York Jets are clearly doing as well.
The bottom line here is that the Bills cannot afford to bungle this rebuilding project. It’s time to blow things up, clean up the mess and then paint a new future with a clean slate.