Any offseason is a big moment for the NFL, but when you're a team like the Patriots coming off an unexpected Super Bowl appearance, the stakes couldn't be higher to put together another successful free agency and draft class. The roster holes were apparent, and if they wanted to ensure their rise to the top would remain intact, they had to nail some big decisions.
On paper, it looks like they accomplished that, with some notable free agent signings, like WR Romeo Doubs and S Kevin Byard, and they even addressed every weakness on the team in the draft.
But the rest of the AFC East, for the most part, did the same, and that has now put the Jets on the map, with the Dolphins not too far behind. Although neither might be immediately contending for the divisional crown, they're not going to be the same old teams that we've become used to, either.
The same can be said for the Bills, who hated seeing the Patriots steal the AFC East championship after five years at the top. The problem is that they didn't exactly go all out this offseason to make their path to the Super Bowl easier, especially after botching a postseason without the Chiefs in their way.
But for some reason, their lack of moves is deemed to be better than what the Patriots have done, and that doesn't make a lot of sense. The good thing, however, is that they still didn't do enough to dramatically improve Josh Allen's offense, and that's the silver lining for the Patriots.
The Bills' lackluster offseason is somehow considered better than the Patriots
According to Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report, Buffalo deserves a higher offseason grade than the Patriots, and even though it's a minuscule point better, it's still notable that those around the league view their offseason moves as superior to New England.
Their biggest need was apparent, which was the lack of a clear WR1, and so the new staff traded high draft capital for DJ Moore, hoping the 29-year-old would solve their biggest offensive woes.
However, there isn't much optimism that he is what Josh Allen needed, and based on what Sobleski says, it looks like the Bills will continue to live and die by their quarterback without providing him the kind of help he needs.
"Where there's Josh Allen, there's a way. The Buffalo Bills lean on that philosophy far too much, though."
It's a recipe for disaster, unless you're fortunate enough to have Tom Brady under center. But even that gets to a point where a quarterback can't take it anymore, and we saw the greatest of all time choose to leave the Patriots for greener grass in Tampa Bay.
If things continue down this road for Buffalo, it wouldn't be at all surprising to see Allen feel the same way, and could you blame him?
Maybe things will be better for them in 2026 than they look right now, but it doesn't look like they've made enough upgrades to be a legitimate AFC contender, certainly not worthy of receiving a higher offseason grade than New England, let alone a superior team to the Patriots.
That's exactly what they were hoping for on their path back to the top of the division, and the fact that the Bills are receiving more praise allows the Patriots to fly under the radar a bit more. It could become a blessing in disguise for a very telling upcoming season.
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