The Bills offense really had nowhere to go but up after their lackluster 2018 production.

It was a unit Brandon Beane heavily overhauled last offseason, resulting in nine new starters to open the 2019 campaign. 

Monday I touched on Josh Allen's second season, so the focus today will be on the rest of the offensive group, looking back at what they did and giving my thoughts on what can be done moving forward.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Dion Dawkins was one of those two holdover starters from a year ago. He bounced back well from a 2018 season which admittedly was a step back from a solid rookie year. Quinton Spain was as reliable as they come at left guard, playing every snap in all but one game this season. Mitch Morse overcame a concussion suffered in training camp to be a solid upgrade at center. Jon Feliciano may have been the biggest surprise of any of the additions on offense, holding down the fort well with his nasty style at right guard, while showing valuable flexibility by sliding to center in relief duty for Morse a few times. Right tackle was a rotation most of the season between Cody Ford and Ty Nsekhe, with the rookie Ford taking the full load for five-straight games near the end of the season with Nsekhe battling an ankle injury. Ford had his moments, but you saw him have issues at times with speed rushers, concerns that were heard throughout the pre-draft process. 

The numbers suggest this unit was minimally better than the year before, allowing 40 sacks on 513 pass attempts compared to the 41 allowed on 499 pass attempts in 2018. That being said, I don't think it's even a question that the group was better than what was assembled in 2018.

Moving forward, the question is whether or not the Bills will re-sign Spain? He said at locker cleanout that his preference is to stay with the Bills, but that may be hinge on the team's decision on where Ford will play next season. Beane would not committ one way or the other when asked about it at his end-of-season press conference, just referencing how they like Ford's flexibility. To me, Ford is better suited at guard, which would force Spain out of their plans for next season. That would give Nsekhe the right tackle job full-time, although open up a need for a reliable back-up to overcome Nsekhe's age and injury history.

RUNNING BACK

Josh Allen led the Bills in rushing yards in 2018, so, again, there was only one place to go but up at this position. It took some time for Devin Singletary to be unleashed, but once he was, the rookie running with the lead back role. In total, Singletary gaining 775 yards on the ground. His 5.1 yards per carry tied for fifth-most in the NFL. The key number for Singletary was double-digit carries. He got that load in eight games, gaining an average of 77.4 yards in those contests. Frank Gore was effective early, but the production drastically slowed as the season went on. In total, Gore finished with 599 yards, but averaged only 3.6 YPC. While his workload decreased with Singletary's emergance, there still were critical moments Gore saw the field over Singletary, especially in the loss to Houston. 

Looking ahead, I expect Singletary's workload to be consistantly around 15+ carries a game in 2020. A big need will be finding a younger compliment to Singletary. T.J. Yeldon was surprisingly active for six games (I thought it was 1 or 2) and is signed for next season, but I don't see him as the answer. There is a solid free agent crop to choose from plus top end talent in the draft. As for the Christian Wade fan club, I think it will be another fun training camp to see the progress the former rugby star has made transitioning to football, but doubt he'll be in the mix to help out offensively next season.

WIDE RECEIVER

The additions of John Brown and Cole Beasley did exactly what the Bills hoped. Brown set career highs with 72 receptions and 1,060 receiving yards, becoming the team's first 1,000+ yard receiver since Sammy Watkins in 2015. He added six receiving touchdowns. The consistancy was there out the gate, setting a franchise record with at least four catches and 50 yards receiving in 10-straight games to begin the season. The stats showed that Brown is a number one target and he himself showcased the ability to be much more of a well-rounded WR rather than the just the deep-threat believed to be upon signing. Beasley finished with the second-best season of his career (67 catches for 778 yards), setting a career-best with six TDs. Those 778 yards are the most by a Bills second-WR since Lee Evans in 2004. From there, Isaiah McKenzie was more of a gadget guy used on jet sweeps. Robert Foster followed his breakout second half last season (27 catches for 541 yards and 3 TDs) with just three receptions for 64 yards in 2019. Duke Williams had his moments, but was active for only four games. 

The next step at WR is to find a true, game-changing number one option. While Brown and Beasley were very good, they are not players who can completely take over a game. The best place the Bills will likely find that type of player will be in the draft. The timing works out well, with the 2020 WR draft class widely regarded as one that will rival the highly touted and successful 2014 WR group that produced Odell Beckham Jr., Mike Evans, Jarvis Landry, Davante Adams, and as we all know, Sammy Watkins.

TIGHT END

This position was completely reworked for 2019. Jason Croom led the team the year before with 22 catches for 259 yards and a TD. He was on injured reserve this entire season. Dawson Knox was the top target with the rookie finishing with 28 receptions, 388 yards, and two touchdowns. He flashed with one-handed grabs and physical, trucking run after the catch. On the other hand, we saw Knox have issues with drops. That's an area Knox needs to improve upon to become the reliable playmaker the Bills have lacked at the position for quite some time. Tyler Kroft was signed in the offseason to be that guy, but injuries derailed his first season with the team. In the end, Kroft played 11 games, catching just 6 passes for 71 yards, but his one TD was the game-winner in Pittsburgh that clinched a playoff berth. Lee Smith was the veteran presence in the room, but penalties piled up too frequently. 

I think this is another spot the Bills could look to add top tier talent. Knox was impressive at times, but pairing him with a more established, big-body TE would be a great addition to the passing game. The key to it all with be Kroft's future, with him carrying a $6.4 million cap hit, but will only cost $800,000 in dead cap if released after June 1st. 

Overall, I believe the Bills have reworked the offensive personnel well enough to where they now can shift attention to more upgrading with top-end talent rather than filling holes. Even if minimal moves are made, I think the talent level is good enough to allow the offense to once again take steps forward based on Josh Allen's growth and another year under Brian Daboll. Still, game-changers is what can swing things instantly, so the the shopping should be limited, but at the higher end of the store. I think RB and TE can be addressed in free agency, while WR is best to be boosted through the draft.