Outside the Nest: Buffalo Bills beat writers Katherine Fitzgerald, Jay Skurski offer view from the other side

The NFL season has arrived. Every week, PHNX Sports will bring you a greater variety and volume of Arizona Cardinals content than you’ll get from any other independent media outlet in town.

With the Cardinals kicking off against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, we’re unveiling one of our weekly features: Outside the nest.

Each week, a beat writer or beat writers covering the Cardinals opponent will provide our readers with news, insight and analysis of that team.

This week, we caught up with the Buffalo News’ Katherine Fitzgerald, who used to cover the Cardinals for azcentral, and her Buffalo News co-beat writer Jay Skurski.

---

1. How much should be expected from the Bills’ revamped receiving corps?

Fitzgerald: It will be a work in progress to start the season. Of the five wide receivers, only Khalil Shakir has caught a pass from quarterback Josh Allen in an NFL game.

I say give rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman some time to meet expectations in the NFL. I think he’ll eventually be a big part of this offense, but that may take some ramping up. 

Curtis Samuel should be a fun piece as the Bills move him all around. Marquez Valdes-Scantling looked to have built some solid chemistry with Allen during camp. Mack Hollins has endeared himself to teammates and may be the loudest player on the Bills right now. He’s a glue guy, but that glue is important.

The good news is that the Bills don’t have to rely solely on their wideouts. Tight end Dalton Kincaid’s 73 catches last season were second-most on the Bills. I expect him to see an uptick in production, but more so to be used more in the red zone. Running back James Cook will be used in the pass game, too.

The Bills will get creative with the offense, and that removes some pressure from the wide receiving corps. But also, these guys are catching passes from Allen. Playing with a quarterback of his caliber raises the expectations for the group a bit. The ball will get spread around plenty; he just needs guys to catch it.

---

2. What were the most impactful offseason additions and losses?

Fitzgerald: Let’s start with additions. We’ve covered the wide receiver additions some already, and I think Coleman is going to be a lot of fun to watch. Look for the veteran free agent additions — Samuel, Hollins and Valdes-Scantling — to get into the mix as well, though not with any ridiculous numbers.

I think defensive end Dawuane Smoot is a sneaky important addition. The eight-year veteran impressed coaches and teammates during training camp. Defensive tackle Austin Johnson should see some important reps as well.

For roster subtractions, safety stands out. The longstanding tandem of Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde is no more. The two joined the Bills in 2017 and were a key part of building a foundation in Buffalo for years to come. Poyer is on to the Miami Dolphins, and Hyde is still mulling retirement. With cornerback Tre’Davious White also gone and with the Rams, there has been some major turnover in the secondary. The Bills will need to find ways to make up for those guys both from a football standpoint and from a leadership perspective.

And of course, the Bills are now moving on without Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. Those two combined for 152 catches last season — 107 from Diggs and 45 from Davis. There are plenty of targets up for grabs now. I think moving on from Davis was fine, but the Diggs trade will only hold up if that addition by subtraction pans out. 

---

3. How much of a concern are kicker Tyler Bass’ struggles?

Fitzgerald: They’re a bigger concern than the team will admit. 

In his three preseason games, Bass was 6 of 7, but only one of those attempts was longer than 31 yards. He had some shaky days at training camp practices as well. It’s not that he’s abysmal, but he’s not automatic like he used to be.

General manager Brandon Beane was asked if the team considered bringing in another kicker for the practice squad. The general manager understood the underlying question.

“T-Bass, I get the question, I do, I understand,” Beane said. “If he had a short history here, probably would have. But if you look at his career, I know what’s fresh in everybody’s mind. I get it. We’re all human. What have you done for me lately? At the end of the season, he’d be the first to tell you, it was not the way it should go, or he wanted to go. But we’re confident in him, his teammates are confident in him.”

The Bills still believe in Bass, and they’re paying him enough to talk themselves into that belief. Still, Buffalo doesn’t offer the easiest conditions to kick in, and any hesitation on Bass’ end is going to be a problem. Perhaps he locks in once real game action starts, but it is unfortunate for the Bills that one of their previously most consistent players is now sorting through some questions.

---

4. How will the rash of camp/preseason injuries impact the Bills?

Skurski: The Bills’ injury report looks a lot better heading into Sunday’s game than it did just a couple weeks ago. The only player on the active roster who looks in danger of missing the game is rookie edge rusher Javon Solomon, who is dealing with a calf injury. The loss of All-Pro linebacker Matt Milano, who is on injured reserve, hurts the defense, but the Bills played most of last season without him. Dorian Williams, a former third-round draft pick, will be tasked with filling in for Milano. He’s got terrific athleticism, but needs to marry his mental processing to his on-field speed. 

The Bills lost safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer this offseason — two respected team leaders. In their place, Mike Edwards was signed in free agency and Cole Bishop was drafted in the second round. However, both of them missed most of training camp because of injuries, leading to Damar Hamlin being named a starter opposite Taylor Rapp at safety. Until proven otherwise, that’s a position of concern. 

Backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky may not be ready for Week 1 because of a knee injury, which would lead to Mike White being promoted from the practice squad to work behind Josh Allen.

---

5. Is beating Patrick Mahomes the final validation for Josh Allen?

Skurski: It’s the validation the entire organization needs — not just Allen. By and large, it’s been the Bills’ defense, not Allen, that has failed in the postseason. Allen has generally been excellent in the biggest moments, but that hasn’t been quite enough to overcome the team’s deficiencies in other areas. 

Buffalo finally got Kansas City at home in the playoffs last year, but the result was the same — more heartbreak. The Bills have played the Chiefs better than any other team in the league in recent years, winning multiple times in the regular season, but they haven’t been able to solve the Kansas City riddle in the playoffs. It’s not unfair at all to say that Allen’s résumé is missing that signature win. The lack of it helps explain why he was recently voted the most overrated quarterback in the NFL by an anonymous survey of players. 

Whether you agree with those players isn’t the point here. What that vote shows is the way Allen is viewed, which is as a supremely talented, yet flawed quarterback. Unless and until Allen and the Bills find a way to get past Mahomes and the Chiefs, that view is not going to change.

---

6. Is Buffalo a Super Bowl team?

Skurski: No. They haven’t been the past four years, advancing to just one AFC Championship Game in that time, and losing in the divisional round the past three years. It’s hard to find a reason to pick them to become that this year — especially considering all the changes the team went through in the offseason. 

Six captains from last year’s team are gone, including All-Pros or Pro Bowlers in wide receiver Stefon Diggs, center Mitch Morse and Hyde and Poyer. That’s a lot of talent to try and replace. 

The Bills’ depth is not as good as it has been in recent years. The team is eating more than $60 million in dead money this season. It feels very much like a transitional year. Allen is good enough to will this team to the playoffs, and perhaps even a fifth straight AFC East title, but it’s hard to see this team advancing out of the loaded AFC to make it to the Super Bowl. In fact, they might be more likely to miss the playoffs entirely, given their difficult schedule, than they are to make a championship run. That makes getting off to a good start Sunday even more of a top priority.

Top photo of Bills fans honoring QB Josh Allen via Getty Images

Follow Craig Morgan on Twitter