With the beginning of NFL training camps just around the corner, it's time to start thinking about what Super Bowl contenders need to do to get their rosters ready to make a run.
Some title hopefuls, such as the Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles, are set at nearly every position and have almost no glaring holes in their starting lineups. Others aren't as fortunate. These clubs couldn't address these personnel issues in the draft or the initial waves of free agency, making them a point of concern heading into training camp.
Trades are the most realistic way to find a missing piece at this point in the offseason, but a surprise breakout from an unheralded prospect or veteran signing could do the trick.
Regardless of how it gets accomplished, these Lombardi Trophy hopefuls will want to focus on the following positions to get their lineups set before Week 1.
Buffalo Bills: Wide Receiver
The Buffalo Bills have been one of the top Super Bowl favorites in each of the last few seasons, but they haven't been able to get over the hump and reach the big game. While they've won more regular-season contests than any team other than the Kansas City Chiefs since the start of 2020, the Bills have been hamstrung in the playoffs for a variety of reasons.
Buffalo lacked a viable ground game in its season-ending loss to the Cincinnati Bengals last year, while defensive lapses cost it a chance to topple Kansas City during the 2021 playoffs.
Going into 2023, the Bills' biggest concern may now be at wide receiver. While they employ one of the league's top pass-catchers in three-time Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs, there is a concerning lack of depth amongst this unit.
Gabe Davis, the team's No. 2 option, may have had a respectable season in terms of statistical output (he snagged 48 receptions for 836 yards and seven touchdowns), but it took him 93 targets to reach those marks. Davis ranked a concerning 100th out of 111 receivers and tight ends in ESPN Analytics' receiver rankings that were crafted using NFL Next Gen Stats data.
Trent Sherfield—now playing for his fourth franchise in as many years—is Buffalo's next-best outside wideout. The little-used 27-year-old tallied only 18 receptions for 217 yards in 48 contests between the 2019 and 2021 campaigns. While Sherfield saw heavier usage during his lone season with the Miami Dolphins last year, he still only recorded 30 catches for 417 yards while dropping three balls and earning a pedestrian 63.1 Pro Football Focus grade.
Khalil Shakir offers some upside as the Bills' top option in the slot, but he didn't make much of an impact as a rookie. The fifth-round pick saw the field for only 29 percent of Buffalo's offensive snaps, catching 10 of his 20 targets for 161 yards and one touchdown.
Unless Buffalo swings for the fences with a blockbuster trade or marquee free-agent signing, it will have to hope that fifth-round rookie Justin Shorter or fifth-year veteran Deonte Hardy—coming off an injury-plagued 2022 season with the New Orleans Saints—can fill the void here.