2023 Pre-Season Rank Unranked.  Peak Period: 2019-23

Dion Dawkins is currently on a three-year streak of Pro Bowls, during which time he has an Approximate Value of at least 12.  If he can keep that up over the next three seasons, his Hall of Fame chances will skyrocket. 

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists and consistently look to update them when necessary and based on necessity. As such, we are delighted to present our post-2023 revision of our top 50 Buffalo Bills.

As for all of our top 50 players in football, we look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Football League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the Bills again made it to the playoffs but again fell short, having been knocked off by Kansas City in the second round.  The year gave us one new entrant and two elevations.

As always, we present our top five, which saw no changes:

1. Bruce Smith
2. Thurman Thomas
3. O.J. Simpson
4. Jim Kelly
5. Andre Reed

You can find the entire list here.

Quarterback Josh Allen rose to #22 from #30. 

Wide Receiver Stefon Diggs rocketed to #29 from #45.  He is now with the Houston Texans.

The only new entrant is three-time Offensive Tackle Dion Dawkins, who first appears at #39.

Notably, Tremaine Edmunds has been dropped off the list.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

As of this writing, Dion Dawkins has played the entirety of his NFL career with the Buffalo Bills, earning the starting job at Left Tackle as a rookie in 2017. 

Becoming an important protector of Quarterback Josh Allen, Dawkins came into his own in 2021, where he started a three-year run of consecutive Pro Bowls, all of which saw him exceed 10 in Approximate Value.  A fourth Pro Bowl in 2024 will jump him up this list next year.

Kyle Williams has been referred to as the “heart and soul” of the Buffalo Bills throughout his lengthy tenure in Western New York and while that is certainly a compliment there are many who are unaware of his talent as the Bills were not exactly potent during his playing days.

A mid round pick from LSU, Kyle Williams joined Buffalo in the 2006 season and this would be the only team he would ever play for over his 13 year NFL career.  The Defensive Tackle always left it all on the gridiron where he was not just the aforementioned heart of the team but was their anchor.  He quietly was chosen for six Pro Bowls and he played 183 Games recording 48.5 Quarterback Sacks with 611 Tackles.

The term “Mountain of a Man” is often misused, but for the 375-pound Ted Washington, that was accurate.

“Mount Washington” was San Francisco’s late First Round Pick in 1991, and became their starting Nose Tackle in his second season.  Traded to the Denver Broncos in 1994, Washington signed with the Buffalo Bills in 1995 where he had the best run of his career.  With Buffalo, Washington went to three of his four Pro Bowls and became known as one of the best rush defenders in football.  With his immense size, it was an arduous task, and once he got a hand on you, chances were that you were going to hit the dirt.

Washington’s best season was in 2001, his first of two seasons with Chicago where he was a First Team All-Pro and finished in the top ten in Approximate Value.  He later was with New England, where he won a Super Bowl (XXXVIII) and closed out his career with two seasons each in Oakland and Cleveland.  Considering his immense stature, the durability to last until 38 is a testament to Washington’s physical presence. 

One of Football’s great Nose Tackles, Fred Smerlas began his pro career with the Buffalo Bills after he was chosen in the Second Round of the 1979 Draft.

The Boston College product was an instant defensive star for the Bills, and his blue-collar look and style fit perfectly with the rust belt fans of Western New York.  Smerlas was a punishing interior defender and went to four straight Pro Bowls (1980-83), which coincidentally saw the Bills go from playoff to contenders to cellar dwellers.   As the Bills rebuilt through the rest of the 1980s, the constant was Smerlas, who was still there when the team rebuilt themselves to eventual Super Bowl contenders, though he was not there when they finally reached one as Smerlas played his last game in Buffalo in 1989.  He finished his career as a veteran depth player with a year in San Francisco and two in New England.

Smerlas was named to the Bills Wall of Fame, and his tenacity and leadership were forever remembered by those who saw him play.

One of the most successful Cornerbacks in Ohio State history, Antoine Winfield was an All-American who won both the Jim Thorpe Award and Jack Tatum Trophy in 1998, which propelled him to a First Round Pick where he landed in nearby Buffalo.

The Bills used him as the third Corner as a rookie, but he was a starter thereafter and showcased his elite tackling and man-to-man coverage skills over the next four seasons.  Winfield started as a Bill, but it was in Minnesota purple that he became a star.  He signed with the Vikings in 2004, where he his versatility shone through.

Winfield was a Viking from 2004 to 2012, where he had 21 of his 27 Interceptions.  He also had a three-year run of Pro Bowls (2008-10), which included a Second-Team All-Pro in 2008. He had always been a physical player, but in the late 2000s, he finally got his due.

Winfield retired after the 2012 Season with 1,054 Tackles and an imprint on everyone he delivered them to.

2022: Pre-Season Rank: #144.  Peak Period 2018-22

Matt Milano had a solid career going into 2022 but unexpectedly emerged as the Bills’ top defensive player. This lands Milano on the lower end of this list, but we have all seen players who made their Canton bones in the middle third of their career, though a torn bicep going into 2024 will hamper that.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity. As such, we are very happy to present our post 2022 revision of our top 50 Buffalo Bills.

As for all of our top 50 players in football we look at the following:

1. Advanced Statistics.

2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Football League.

3. Playoff accomplishments.

4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, Buffalo made it into the playoffs, making it to the second round. 2022 yielded one new entrant to the Top 50, and one elevation.

As always, we present our top five, which had no changes.

1. Bruce Smith

2. Thurman Thomas

3. O.J. Simpson

4. Jim Kelly

5. Andre Reed

You can find the entire list here.

Quarterback, Josh Allen, vaults eight spots to #30. This was the second year in a row that he led the NFL in Approximate Value.

The lone debut is Wide Receiver, Stefon Diggs, who enters at #45. He has been a Pro Bowler all three of his Bills campaigns.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

Stefon Diggs played five good years with the Minnesota Vikings to begin his career, but thinking they had depth in the WR position, they traded him to Buffalo in 2020 for four Draft Picks.   It was the best thing that could have happened to Diggs, and a phenomenal acquisition for the Bills.

Diggs had a previous high single-season high of 1,130 Yards, but with Josh Allen as his Quarterback, Diggs would lead the NFL in Receptions (127) and Receiving Yards (1,535). Diggs also added his first Pro Bowl and First Team All-Pro, and he could now claim that he was the undisputed top offensive weapon for a football team.

Diggs had continued to shine, adding Pro Bowls in 2021 and 2022, with over 2,600 Yards combined. More notable, is that Diggs cracked double-digits Touchdown Receptions in those years, a mark he had never done prior.  In 2023, Diggs went to his fourth Pro Bowl as a a Buffalo Bill, making it four-for-four in that honor, and 1,000-Receiving Yard years, but it ended without a trip to the Super Bowl, as he was traded to the surging Houston Texans in 2024.

Overall, Diggs had a strong four-year run in Western New York, accumulating 37 Touchdowns with over 5,000 Yards

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our post-2021 revision of our top 50 Buffalo Bills.

As for all of our top 50 players in football we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Football League. 

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, Buffalo had an excellent season, reaching the AFC Championship, and are poised another run for the Super Bowl in 2022.

Last year, has led to some significant elevations on our list and two new entrants.

As always, we present our top five, which did not change from last year.

1. Bruce Smith

2. Thurman Thomas

3. O.J. Simpson

4. Jim Kelly

5. Andre Reed

You can find the entire list here.

Superstar Quarterback, Josh Allen, makes his first appearance on the list at #38.  The other new addition is Linebacker, Tremaine Edmunds, who takes the last spot at #50.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

Following the retirement of Jim Kelly, the Buffalo Bills have been hunting for a superstar Quarterback.  It took decades, but it finally came in the form of the dual threat pivot from Wyoming named Josh Allen.

Allen was brought along slowly in his rookie season, eventually winning the starting job during the campaign, but he entered 219 as their starter, and while he was not yet an upper-tier QB, he did enough to bring Buffalo to their first playoffs in years.  Buffalo would then have an elite pivot the year after.

Allen went to the Pro Bowl in 2020, throwing for 4,544 Yards and 37 Touchdowns.  The runner-up for the MVP, Allen had a 13-3 record and brought Buffalo to the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since the 1990s.  Allen did not make the Pro Bowl in 2022, but he had similar numbers as he did the previous year, and he was the NFL leader in Approximate Value (19).  Furthermore, he took the Bills to the Conference Finals.  2023 was another great year for Allen, who took Buffalo back to the playoffs while adding another Pro Bowl.  He also was third in MVP voting, and for the second year in a row, topped the NFL in Approximate Value (20).

Last year, Allen had another strong campaign, finishing fifth in MVP voting off of a 4,306 Passing Yard/29 TD year where he led his team to playoffs again and had his fifth-win season.

As of this writing, Allen is one of the game’s most exciting players, and could be a future Hall of Famer.

2023 Pre-Season Rank #69, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #98, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #117.  Peak Period: 2019-23.

Josh Allen is in contention as the top dual-threat Quarterback in football and is least in the conversation as one of the most exciting.  That is all fine and good, but Quarterbacks have to win it all, and while Allen has taken the Bills deep into the playoffs multiple times, the Hall looks for more.

Past that, Allen is a two-time leader in Approximate Value, but he is the leader of a rebuilding Bills team.  Like Dak Prescott of Dallas, he is a Super Bowl win away from seeing that probable PFHOF bust.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity. As such, we are very happy to present our pre-2021 revision of our top 50 Buffalo Bills of all-time.

As for all of our top 50 players in football we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the NFL. 

3. Playoff accomplishments.

4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

There is one new addition in the Top 50, but nothing affecting our top five.  As always, we announce them below.

They are:

1. Bruce Smith

2. Thurman Thomas

3. O.J. Simpson

4. Jim Kelly

5. Andre Reed

You can find the entire list here.

The new entry is Cornerback, Tre’Davious Whitewho enters at #48.

Notably, Quarterback, Josh Allen and Linebacker, Tremaine Edmunds were closing in on the top 50 but did not make it.  Similar 2021 seasons will put both on the list on out next update.

We welcome your input and commentsand as always, we thank you for your support.

Tre’Davious White was an All-American at LSU, and was one of the top Cornerbacks in the 2017 Draft, taken with the 27^th Overall Pick by the Buffalo Bills.

Ron McDole’s professional football career got off to a slow start as the former Nebraska Cornhusker did not accomplish much in 1961 as a rookie with the St. Louis Cardinals.  1962 was worse, as he migrated to the Houston Oilers of the American Football League and played even less.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity. As such, we are very happy to present the second revision of our top 50 Buffalo Bills of all-time.

As for all of our top 50 players in football we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Football League. 

3. Playoff accomplishments.

4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

This one went a complete overhaul, which was reflected in our top five as seen below.

The complete list can be found here, but as always we announce our top five in this article.  They are:

1. Bruce Smith

2. Thurman Thomas

3. O.J. Simpson

4. Bart Starr

5. Andre Reed

O.J. Simpson moved up from #5, which moved Jim Kelly and Andre Reed down one spot.

We had a colossal error in that former Fullback, Cookie Gilchrist was omitted from our first list.  He appears at #16.  

Former Running Back, Joe Cribbs also should have been on our initial top 50.  He enters at #34.  Another Running Back, LeSean McCoy debuts at #39. 

The other additions are Defensive End, Mario Williams (#44), Linebacker, Bryce Paup (#45), Linebacker, John Tracey (#46) and Defensive Tackle, Marcell Dareus (#48).

We welcome your input and commentsand as always, we thank you for your support.

Bryce Paup played the first five seasons of his career with the Green Bay Packers, and while he was considered a good player, it was considered a catastrophic loss when he signed with the Buffalo Bills as a Free Agent in 1995.  As it turned out, Paup would have one of the best years of his life as a Bill, and the run of his career.

LeSean McCoy played his first six seasons in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he won the Rushing Title in 2013.  McCoy and the Eagles management and coaching were not on the same page (as evident by comments by McCoy), and he was traded to the Buffalo Bills to be their lead Running Back.

In 2002, Mario Williams was the first overall pick in the draft, and he played his first four seasons in football with the team that drafted him, the Houston Texans.  Williams played well there, but he arguably equalled his individual success as a Buffalo Bill.