ESPN recently released its future power rankings, and the Buffalo Bills finished right around mid-pack at No. 15 overall with a score of 81.7, which is considered “very good.”

For quick context, ESPN’s future power rankings are made up of four analysts: Louis Riddick, Aaron Schatz, Ben Solak, and Seth Walder. They rate each team’s quarterback situation, remaining non-QB roster makeup, front office, and coaching staff. The final grade is produced after all of that and is scaled as below:

• 100 is elite (A+)
• 90 to 99 is great (A)
• 80 to 89 is very good (B)
• 70 to 79 is average (C)
• 51 to 69 is very bad (D)
• 50 or below is disastrous (F)

The measured window is also from 2027-2029. So, with all that being said, let’s go ahead and break it down.

ESPN believes Joe Brady and Brandon Beane are the Bills’ biggest concerns

Josh Allen is the Bills’ driving force, but the team’s future starts with Joe Brady and Brandon Beane.

According to ESPN’s coaching and front office scores, the Bills’ coaching staff received a score of 79, which came out to a rank of 21st overall. The front office received a score of 73.75, good for 24th overall.

That’s significant when you’re talking about a Super Bowl contender like Buffalo. The Bills have the best quarterback in the league in Allen, yet they’ve failed to actually reach the title game year in, year out. Whether it’s due to unfortunate circumstances like last year’s interception to end the game in Denver, or mishaps of their own like Sean McDermott’s decisions, Allen forcing turnovers, or missed opportunities like the infamous :13 seconds against the Kansas City Chiefs a few years ago.

When you’re looking at this in the big picture from the 2027-2029 seasons like ESPN is doing, a poorly ranked coaching staff and front office could easily take the Bills not only out of Super Bowl contention but out of playoff contention as a whole. Sure, Allen is a great quarterback, and ESPN ranked Buffalo’s quarterback situation No. 1 overall. It also ranked the overall roster No. 8, which bodes well.

However, it’s about building. This is good for 2026, but it might not be good in 2027, might not be good in 2028, and it could be even worse in 2029 depending on how Brady and Beane work out in those coming years.

Either way, it’s easy to see how no matter how good Allen is, if he does not have a good team around him, it’s going to be much harder for the Bills to win games. Plenty of great quarterbacks have had good regular seasons but ultimately fall short of the main goal because the right guys around them aren’t in place and the roster hasn’t been restocked like it should.

Allen is still the biggest reason for hope

Going back to Allen, he’s the biggest reason for hope in all of this, and ESPN states as much. It’s easy to see why. The dude is just an absolute playmaker and a touchdown machine. While he did have multiple turnovers in the playoff loss to the Denver Broncos, he’s really cut down on the mistakes that followed him throughout the majority of his NFL career.

ESPN also noted that Jim Leonhard’s hire and the transition mostly to a 3-4 defense is a reason for concern because it is a significant move from a 4-3 to a 3-4, especially considering what players Buffalo has on its roster. Guys like Deone Walker, DeWayne Carter, and Ed Oliver are talented and should be able to make the transition, but will they be able to do that in 2026? And then, what does that look like in 2027 through 2029? If they can’t make the transition this year, will they be able to next year? Will they be able to in 2028? That’s an intriguing topic to think about for the foreseeable future.

A Super Bowl prediction with a major caveat

To end on a positive note, Seth Walder did write that the Bills will win the Super Bowl. He doesn’t know when, he doesn’t know how, but he says Buffalo’s consistent success in terms of reaching the playoffs and winning a playoff game or two has put them on a better track than a flash-in-the-pan, one-and-done type team that catches lightning in a bottle.

Still, if these situations can’t improve, if Brady turns out to be a fluke, and if Beane can’t reset and get back on track, then Walder’s prediction will not be seen through. Whether the coaching staff and front office can keep pace with Allen’s prime will determine if Buffalo finally breaks through.