Bills have sixth youngest starting lineup in NFL in 2024
It’s no surprise, given the Bills shed six 30-something starters after last season – receiver Stefon Diggs, center Mitch Morse, defensive end Leonard Floyd, cornerback Tre’Davious White and safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer.
The Buffalo Bills’ roster has gotten a lot younger compared with the rest of the NFL since last season.
The Bills’ starting lineup ranks as the sixth youngest in the league, based on opening day rosters, according to an analysis by The Buffalo News. Last season, the Bills fielded the 11th-oldest starting lineup.
Rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman, seen walking off the field Sept. 8 after Buffalo’s season-opening win over Arizona, is the youngest Bills player at just 21. Joshua Bessex, Buffalo News
It’s no surprise, given the Bills shed five over-30 starters – receiver Stefon Diggs, center Mitch Morse, defensive end Leonard Floyd and safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer – after last season. Cornerback Tre’Davious White, who turns 30 in January, was also let go.
The average age of the Bills’ starters is 26.48 years, youngest in the AFC East and under the league average of 27.21 years.
Overall, the Bills’ roster still is on the older side of the league, ranking 11th oldest, with an average age of 26.86, according to News figures. At the start of the 2023 season, the Bills had the fourth-oldest 53-man roster in the league.
Only two Bills starters are 30 or older – defensive tackle DaQuan Jones (32) and left tackle Dion Dawkins (30).
The oldest Bills on the team are defensive end Von Miller (35), punter Sam Martin (34) and Jones. Miller didn’t count on the roster on opening day last season because he started on injured reserve, and he doesn’t count as a starter this year. A.J. Epenesa started both games, and the Bills have been able to keep Miller fresh for pass-rushing situations. Epenesa has played 64% of the defensive snaps through two games, while Miller has played in 42%.
The youngest Bills player is starting receiver Keon Coleman, who turned 21 in May.
The five youngest starting lineups belong to Green Bay (25.9 years), the New York Giants (26.1), Kansas City (26.36), Tampa Bay (26.41) and Baltimore (26.47).
San Francisco has the oldest starting lineup at 28.8 years, followed by Miami (28.5), New Orleans (28.24), Minnesota (28.18) and Cleveland (28.1).
NFL’s youngest starting lineups 2024
Rk. Team Avg. age1 Green Bay Packers 25.91
2 New York Giants 26.14
3 Kansas City Chiefs 26.36
4 Tampa Bay Bucs 26.41
5 Baltimore Ravens 26.47
6 Buffalo Bills 26.48
Source: Buffalo News.
Obviously, the quality of the roster is more important than the average age. Rebuilding teams tend to skew younger. Super Bowl contenders sometimes add a few older veterans on short contracts in the push to win a title.
Kansas City is noteworthy on the young end of the spectrum. The two-time defending Super Bowl champions won the Super Bowl last season with the eighth-youngest roster overall, based on overall snaps played during the season, according to FTN Fantasy Football.
Miami is noteworthy on the older end. The Dolphins’ best offensive lineman, Terron Armstead, 33, is one of six 30-something starters. The Dolphins also got older when they lost defensive tackle Christian Wilkins (28) in free agency, and added 38-year-old defensive tackle Calais Campbell to the starting lineup.
The New York Jets’ starting lineup ranks seventh oldest, and overall the Jets’ roster ranks 10th. Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers is the oldest starting player in the league and turns 41 on Dec. 2. There are only two other 40-year-olds in the league – Bears tight end Marcedes Lewis and Cardinals kicker Matt Prater.
Homegrown rosters
Fifteen of the Bills’ 22 starters were drafted by Buffalo, and the team had 34 “homegrown” players on the 53-man opening day roster. That includes 27 players the Bills drafted and seven players who the Bills signed as undrafted free agents out of college.The Bills are tied for 10th in terms of homegrown players on the roster, and they are tied for 12th in terms of drafted players on the roster.
Tampa Bay and Baltimore are the top two in the league of having their own drafted players on the roster (36 and 35) and their own homegrown players (44 and 43).
Rebuilding Carolina has only 19 homegrown players on it’s roster.
Carolina and Miami are tied for fewest of their own drafted players at 17. For the Dolphins, it’s a result of trading away a lot of picks in recent years.
Which teams’ picks tend to stick?
Baltimore has the most players that it drafted or signed out of college still on NFL rosters at 76. Dallas and the Los Angeles Rams are tied for second at 67. Green Bay and Tampa Bay are tied for fourth at 64. Buffalo is tied for eighth at 59.
