Bills GM Brandon Beane needs to nail this draft | On Sports

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Sometime during Thursday night’s NFL Draft, we’ll be told: “The Buffalo Bills are on the clock.”

In reality, though, the Bills – specifically general manager Brandon Beane – have been on the clock since that weird press conference three months ago when owner Terry Pegula attempted to shed light on the surprise firing of head coach Sean McDermott and the surprise promotion of Beane to director of football operations.

The “McBeane Dream Team” that ended the 17-year playoff drought and produced the second greatest run in franchise history was no more. And that angered thousands of Bills Mafia members who felt Pegula might have jettisoned the wrong man or perhaps should have jettisoned both GM and coach.

It’s Beane’s show now. And the often insightful, occasionally thin-skinned talent evaluator realizes there is a target on his back as big as the partial roof covering new Highmark Stadium. A Super Bowl victory is the only thing that can remove it. Close-but-no-victory-cigar won’t do anymore. Been there, done that. Just win-it-all, baby, is the new mantra at One Bills Drive, at least among fans.

With sublime quarterback Josh Allen turning 30 next month, Buffalo’s window of opportunity to clutch that elusive, silver Lombardi Trophy remains open, but for how long? This makeover of roster and coaching staff needs to get Buffalo over what Pegula lamented as “the proverbial playoff hump.”

It’s already been a momentous off-season, with offensive coordinator Joe Brady taking over as head coach despite no head coaching experience. There are numerous holes to fill on defense to fit a new scheme to replace the one run by McDermott the previous nine years. McDermott’s bend-but-don’t-break units usually ranked in the top five during the regular season, but were porous in the playoffs, often squandering Buffalo’s offensive pyrotechnics.

The question whether the Bills have surrounded Josh with enough receiving weapons lingers, despite the off-season acquisition of D.J. Moore from Chicago in exchange for Buffalo’s 2026 second-round pick. The hope is that Moore, who boasts three thousand-yard receiving seasons, but dropped off to 682 yards and six touchdowns last year, can become the legitimate No. 1 pass-catching threat the Bills have been missing since Stefon Diggs wore out his welcome three years ago, following four Pro Bowl-caliber seasons.

One of Buffalo’s major failings in the postseason has been its inability to harass and sack opposing quarterbacks, particularly when the game’s on the line. Beane has worked hard to address the problem by acquiring veterans, such as Von Miller, Joey Bosa, and Michael Hoecht, and drafting a spate of edge rushers in high rounds, but so far it’s been to no avail. The return of Hoecht from an injury that limited him to two games, and the addition of seven-year veteran edge rusher Bradley Chubb possibly will make a difference, but don’t be surprised if the Bills again look to the draft for answers.

As I write this, Beane has just seven draft picks, starting with the 26^th selection. While attempting to fill needs at linebacker, edge rusher, interior defensive line, cornerback and wide receiver, he may feel compelled to trade down in order to accumulate more picks.

Beane likes to remind people that he drafted Allen, and for that he obviously deserves enormous credit since so many (including moi) questioned that pick back in 2018. That will always be his signature selection, his shining moment, but that’s ancient history to many. Surrounding Allen with the necessary talent to win the Super Bowl remains the unanswered challenge. And given the salary cap restraints and the numerous holes to plug, Beane will need to identify prospective players who can have an immediate impact.

There’s no denying he has procured numerous players who have fueled this run of eight playoff appearances in nine years. Besides Allen, key contributors include James Cook, who last year became the first Bill since O.J. Simpson to lead the NFL in rushing; highly rated cornerback Christian Benford; offensive tackle Spencer Brown; linebacker Terrel Bernard; tight end Dawson Knox; wide receivers Khalil Shakir and Gabe Davis; edge rusher Greg Rousseau; defensive tackle Ed Oliver; guard O’Cyrus Torrence; safety Cole Bishop, and tight end Dalton Kincaid – though Kincaid’s career has been stymied by injuries.

The Bills have done well discovering and developing diamonds-in-the-rough, with Benford (sixth round), Shakir (fifth round), and linebacker Matt Milano (fifth round) prime examples.

Of course, there have been plenty of dribblers to the mound and whiffs, too, the most egregious being the failure of first-round cornerback Kaiir Elam. And the jury still is out on picks from recent drafts, including last year’s first-round cornerback Maxwell Hairston and promising fourth-round defensive tackle Deone Walker.

Criticisms about the Bills lacking game changers on defense are legit. Throughout his career, Allen has been like the ace pitcher who puts you in position to win, only to have the bullpen blow it. And much of the blame for that falls on Beane, who despite the devotion of numerous resources in the draft and free agency, hasn’t been able to find the closers who can preserve the victory.

It’s his show now. Each of these draft picks and free agent signings will be scrutinized more intensely than ever. Given the circumstances and the Super-Bowl-or-bust expectations, he won’t have much room for error.

Best-selling author and nationally honored journalist Scott Pitoniak is the Rochester Business Journal sports columnist.