Predicting Players Who Will Have Break Out Season for Bills

While I’m loathe to predict wins and losses for the Buffalo Bills during any given season, I’m much more comfortable predicting who I think is set up to have a big year. So many unknown factors regarding injuries can derail any season, so predicting wins and losses seems like a pointless exercise.

However, examining how any given player may fare in an upcoming season is fun because each player brings a different set of circumstances to the team each year. Rookie draftee, second-year player, vet, UDFA… they all bring their own resume. They also bring an individualized track record of development based on a variety of physiological and psychosocial factors.

So, who sticks out in my mind as players to keep an eye on this year as we get ready for training camp at St. John Fisher University at the end of July?

Here are a few players I’ll be watching closely… from afar… because sadly those of us living far from camp don’t have access to training camp tickets.

Keon Coleman

OK, let’s start with the most obvious player who NEEDS to have a big jump in his second season. I believe there’s been too much negativity about Coleman’s rookie season. Those who rag on about Coleman’s inconsistency aren’t considering he is three years younger than Dalton Kincaid… and that players emotional maturity may be different in terms of how they develop during their rookie season. Some players can absorb it all, others take more time to adjust to a new playbook, city… life.

Coleman was blunt in his assessment of his rookie season. From all accounts he came to OTAs and minicamp in great shape and ready to roll. I remember when Marv Levy was blunt with Eric Moulds after his rookie year and told him he could be great if he dedicated himself to the playbook… and we saw the results. The same thing sets up nicely for the game to slow down for Coleman and for him to be able to play the aggressive style for which he is suited to excel.

Dorian Williams

The elder Dorian is going into his third year after a strong performance last season. He’s become a tackling machine and is continuing to grow his game in coverage. Williams is one of the most athletic players on the team. I’m not sure how the coaches can keep him on the bench. It would not surprise me to see Buffalo play more of a base 4-3 in the season opener against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football. Dorian should see more playing time, as we always hold our breath for Matt Milano to stay healthy. Williams is his heir apparent after the season when Milano becomes a free agent. He’s one of my favorite players on the team and I see big things in store for Dorian this season.

Jackson Hawes

Quintin Morris was an underrated TE3 in the Bills’ offense. He was a decent blocker with good hands and a sneaky target of Josh Allen’s when Josh was scrambling around looking for someone open. But Quintin found a home in Jacksonville, so Buffalo drafted Hawes in the fifth round this year to replace him. Though Zach Davidson always seems to make a push in training camp, I think the Bills may have struck gold again in the fifth round. Hawes was drafted as one of the best blocking TEs in the draft, but OTAs and minicamp revealed the dude has some underrated hands. Jackson also has some swagger to him and will likely contribute more than people think on offense.

O’Cyrus Torrence

This might seem like an odd player to add to this list because O’Cyrus has done nothing but ‘break out’ since he strapped on his pads in a Buffalo Bills uniform. However, Torrence is in need of a contract extension and I expect that will cost the Bills a pretty penny. It might explain why McGovern has not been extended. Buffalo may not be able to afford to pay McGovern AND Torrence. It’s intriguing that Sedrick Van Pran-Granger took first team snaps during minicamp. Suggests McDermott and Beane may be considering moving Van Pran-Granger into the starting center position next season. I expect Torrence will once again excel and make his bag after the season. Dude has a great personality for fitting in with this crew on offense.

Ed Oliver

After drafting 340 pound DT1T hunk of burning love in Deone Walker as well as signing Larry Ogunjobi, Ed Oliver will finally have his day in the sun. Oliver’s inconsistency may be somewhat attributed to the lack of a sizable partner next to him. DaQuan Jones returned and can be a good rotational piece, but his best days are behind him. Oliver is in his prime and with better talent next to him I believe his sack numbers will improve. He also will have a field day forcing turnovers, an underrated part of his game. The defensive line as a whole with the additional coaching staff should be vastly improved and Oliver may be one its greatest beneficiaries.

Cole Bishop

It might be wishful thinking to include Bishop on this list, but Bishop needs a break out year as much as Keon Coleman does. After moving up and taking Cole in the second round, Bishop is expected to make a big leap in his performance. In fairness to Cole, he came from a very different defensive scheme at the University of Utah. Additionally, safeties play a large role in a McDermott defense, so it seems appropriate to give Bishop a little grace period… especially since Bishop lost valuable time in training camp due to injury last season. Cole benefitted from having Micah Hyde to help coach him up at the end of last season and his game was just starting to take shape. Let’s hope he can stay healthy and begin to show why the Bills moved up in the draft to select him.

We hope the moves Buffalo made during the off season will make a significant difference on offense, but especially defense. The Bills have a Super Bowl level of talent on their roster as they head into training camp in a few weeks. If they can stay reasonably healthy and these players do have a break out season, there’s no reason to think they can’t win a championship. Lord knows it’s time.

Editor’s babble: Honorable Mention: LB Joe Andreesson. You can also find me blabbing on Xwitter @RobynMundyWYO.