Let’s be real. The Buffalo Bills have never won a Super Bowl. That stings. But if you took every legend who ever suited up for this franchise and built one superteam out of them, could they run the table? Go 20-0. Finally bring a Lombardi Trophy to Western New York. We decided to try.
First, some ground rules. On offense we’re rolling with 20 personnel — two running backs, three wide receivers, no tight end. Just get the best playmakers on the field. On defense it’s a 3-4 scheme, and we’re fitting guys into spots even if they didn’t always play that way in their prime. And fair warning: this roster leans hard on the early-90s teams and the current squad. That’s just where the talent lives. Sorry, Stevie Johnson. Sorry, Doug Flutie.
Quarterback and the skill guys
The toughest call on the whole roster was Josh Allen over Jim Kelly. Kelly went to four Super Bowls. But he was never the absolute best quarterback of his era — Dan Marino, Joe Montana, John Elway existed. Allen is an MVP and for two straight seasons has been the best all-around signal-caller in the league. By a hair, Allen gets the nod.
At running back, we’re taking O.J. Simpson and Thurman Thomas. Nobody wants to talk about what Simpson did after football, but he was the first player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season. Five All-Pro teams. He was the best player in franchise history before he left Buffalo. Thomas is the franchise leader in rushing yards and touchdowns, one of the best pass-catching backs of the 90s, and the engine of those Super Bowl offenses.
Andre Reed is the clear WR1 — franchise leader in receiving by a mile, Hall of Famer. Eric Moulds is second all-time in receiving yards despite catching passes from an absolute carousel of quarterbacks: Kelly, Todd Collins, Alex Van Pelt, Billy Joe Hobert, Doug Flutie, Rob Johnson, Travis Brown, Drew Bledsoe, J.P. Losman, Kelly Holcomb. The man earned every yard. Stefon Diggs gets the third spot over Lee Evans because he’s basically tied with Evans statistically in half the games and he transformed Josh Allen from project to MVP.
The offensive line
Left tackle Dion Dawkins has five Pro Bowls and has protected Allen’s blindside his whole career. He’s not just the best left tackle in Bills history — he’s one of the most underrated in NFL history. Jim Richter at left guard was the model of consistency for 14 seasons. Center Kent Hull was a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro who called protections for Kelly’s K-Gun offense and should be in the Hall of Fame (centers never get enough love for that). Right guard Joe DeLamielleure, Hall of Famer, five Pro Bowls, three first-team All-Pros in eight years with Buffalo. He paved the way for Simpson’s historic runs. At right tackle we’re cheating a little: Will Wolford played left tackle for the Bills but he was a Pro Bowler and we’re sliding him over. The Bills have never had a great right tackle. Spencer Brown is trying to change that.
Defensive front seven
Nose tackle Fred Smerlas was undersized by today’s standards (6-3, 277) but he was a force in the 80s and 90s. Five Pro Bowls, one first-team All-Pro, and in 1980 he finished fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting. Bruce Smith is the obvious one — 200 career sacks, more than anybody in NFL history, and he was the perfect complement to all those Hall of Fame offensive names people remember from the Super Bowl runs. Kyle Williams played his whole career in Buffalo through some brutal years and finally made the playoffs in 2017. Six Pro Bowls and a fan favorite forever.
Outside linebacker Cornelius Bennett is the worst Hall of Fame omission in Bills history. 793 tackles, 52.5 sacks, five Pro Bowls, two-time UPI Defensive Player of the Year. Absolute disruptor. Aaron Schobel is the sneaky one — 78 sacks in nine seasons with Buffalo, second in team history behind Smith. Inside linebacker Darryl Talley played outside for those 90s teams but he lined up everywhere and he’s the franchise’s all-time leading tackler. We’ll put him off the ball. Matt Milano had a two-to-three year peak where he was the best cover linebacker in the league. Blanketing Travis Kelce. Tracking down Lamar Jackson. He was a cheat code.
Secondary and specialists
Tre’Davious White was a first-round pick, two-time Pro Bowler, All-Pro. But it was his second stint in Buffalo — including a playoff game-sealing interception — that really clinched his spot. Nate Odomes had 26 interceptions, five in franchise history, led the league with nine picks in 1993, and started in all four Super Bowls. Free safety Mark Kelso had 30 interceptions and eight fumble recoveries, the deep safety who cleaned up chaos created by the stars in front of him. Strong safety Jordan Poyer gets the nod over Micah Hyde by a hair — slightly bigger playmaker, and together those two completely transformed Sean McDermott’s defense after they both arrived in 2017.
Kicker Steve Christie holds the franchise records for field goals and extra points made. Plus he kicked the game-winner in overtime of the greatest comeback in NFL history — the 1992 playoff win over Houston. Punter Brian Moorman was unfortunately the best player on the Bills for a stretch in the mid-2000s because the offenses were so bad. But he was a first-team All-Pro in 2005 and 2006. Steve Tasker was the best special teams player of his era and should be in the Hall of Fame. You don’t go to four Super Bowls without dominating all three phases. Coach Marv Levy said it best: “Where would you rather be than right here, right now?” Enough said.
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