Bills General Manager Brandon Beane's end of the season Zoom call with the media lasted just over an hour.

As you can imagine, Beane touched on an incredible amount of topics, ranging from losing in the AFC Championship game to Josh Allen's growth all the way down to Dane Jackson's potential starting bid next season.

Let's hit the highlights.

Not a Super Bowl Team Yet

Beane said that when you lose your last game in the playoffs, it usually shows where a team needs to improve.

The loss to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game did that for the Bills GM.

While the Chiefs are what Beane calls the "gold standard," he cautioned tweaking the Bills roster just with sights set on beating Kansas City. He reiterated that the first priority every season is the win the AFC East, which means beating the Dolphins, Patriots, and Jets.

Beane added that there may not be anyone in the NFL that can guard the speed of Tyreek Hill, who he referred to as a "unicorn." 

Scheme can also be a way to try and beat the Chiefs.

Beane also said that with the Bills current cap situation, he does not expect a blockbuster move. The focus will be more on trying to retain the team's free agents and filling potential holes left by their departure, with the draft once again a critical piece to continuing successful roster building.

Run Game Woes

Beane believes the Bills do need to run the ball better moving forward, but did add that he doesn't feel that means they need to run it more. 

A lot of the criticism has been pointed at Devin Singletary and, at times, Zack Moss. Beane made it clear he doesn't share those same feelings, calling it unfair to place blame on the running backs alone.

Light Up Front

As for the DL, Beane noted that no preseason hurt that groups ability to get in sync with all the new pieces brought in during the offseason. 

Another piece to the troubles were the losses of Jordan Phillips and Star Lotulelei. While the Bills prepared themselves for not being able to bring back Phillips in free agency, the Lotulelei opt-out put them in an unexpected bind. Beane feels the DL as a whole was "light" and definitely missed Lotulelei's ability to take up space and blockers, freeing up others up front as well as the linebackers.

While Beane saw improvement from the DL as the season moved along, it definitely is one of the areas that can use improvement.

Ed Oliver is one player he was specifically asked about. Beane said that Oliver's stats don't tell the true story. He notes that for the majority of the season Oliver was disruptive even without the sack numbers to show for it. Beane also added how Oliver faced a lot of double-teams. He feels the Oliver took steps forward during his second season in the NFL.

Another was A.J. Epenesa. Beane said that the rookie actually dropped more weight than they would have liked and had a little trouble putting it back on during the season. Still, there were moments Epenesa flashed and Beane believes with a full offseason to properly get his body to where they'd like, he can make a bigger impact in his second season.

Potential Allen Extension

Beane politely maintained his usual stance of not commenting on player contract situations when I asked about a potential new deal for Josh Allen this offseason.

The Bills GM did say he believes Allen has not yet reached his ceiling and still has room to grow off of an MVP-caliber season. A few areas Beane saw growth in year three from Allen were against press coverage as well as adjusting to taking what's open underneath when the deep ball was taken away. Overall, there was a better understanding of defenses as well as game plan.

However, just like a year ago following the playoff loss in Houston, Beane said Allen led their exit interview with things he feels he can improve upon. 

Linebacker Talk

The biggest free agent to be on the Bills is Matt Milano.

Beane believes Milano has improved greatly since being drafted in 2017 and he would love to bring Milano back. That said, Beane believes the LB has earned the right to hit free agency and understands the challenges this team is facing knowing the salary cap will drop this offseason due to COVID, although what that exact number will be remains to be seen.

One issue Beane pointed out with Milano is the need for him to show he can play a full season without getting hurt.

As for the other Bills LB, criticism was thrown Tremaine Edmunds way this season. Even with earning his 2nd-straight Pro Bowl selection, some believed it was a step back for the former 1st round pick.

Beane said he thinks the shoulder injury Edmunds suffered early in the season played a role in some of his struggles, but that Edmunds finished strong and did indeed take steps forward during his third season.

The team must decide this offseason whether or not they'll be picking up Edmunds 5th year option.

Tight End Troubles

As good as the Bills were passing the ball this season, Beane wasn't completely pleased with the team's tight end play.

He called it up and down, noting the inconsistent second season by Dawson Knox.

In the end, Beane flat out said he felt opposing defenses were never concerned about the threat of the Bills TEs.

Tyler Kroft is a free agent. Lee Smith has one year left on his deal. Knox and Tommy Sweeney are the others currently on the roster in 2021.

Rookie Report Cards

​Beane ran through his thoughts on the Bills 2020 rookie class.

We already touched on Epenesa.

Moss showed Beane that he could be the physical back they had hoped, highlighted by the final drive against the Steelers. Beane also noted Moss' ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. He felt like Moss or Singletary could be the starter, with the team riding the hot hand most of the season.

Beane doesn't want to put the pressure on Gabriel Davis by saying he could be the team's #2 WR next season. The Bills GM did echo what we've heard from so many this season, that Davis is incredibly smart and knew all the WR positions well enough to slide in at any of them.

Beane added he doesn't feel Davis is anywhere close to his ceiling.

Jake Fromm's rookie season was far from normal as the Bills COVID quarantine QB, but Beane was very pleased with Fromm's sacrifice and work ethic from afar.

Beane liked how Tyler Bass worked his way through a tough beginning to his rookie season. Showed what the Bills saw in their evaluations of him, that nothing is ever too big for Bass. Beane made sure to point out that Bass never made excuses, something the Bills GM called rare in kickers.

Finally, Beane said Dane Jackson played so well that the Bills would have loved to bring him up from the practice squad more if able. Felt he too showed the moment wasn't too big. Beane believes Jackson not only will have a good shot to earn a spot on the Bills 53-man roster out of training camp next season, but even potentially push to start opposite Tre'Davious White.