The Bills’ 2024 Familiar Face Tour quickly reunites the team with several players who held prominent roles in Buffalo
The Buffalo Bills had to make some tough decisions during the offseason. One of the biggest moves was trading wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans even though it meant that Buffalo will carry one of the highest dead-cap hits in NFL history for a single player.
Moving on from Diggs wasn’t all though, as One Bills Drive had to let some key veterans depart such as Tre’Davious White, Jordan Poyer and Mitch Morse. Some may call it good news, but Bills Mafia will see many of these players again during the 2024 season. The down side, of course, is that they’ll be standing on the opposing sidelines.
Starting off in Week 2, Buffalo will face Poyer when the Bills play the Miami Dolphins. Poyer spent the last seven years in Buffalo, becoming one of the best safeties in the league during that span. Aside from Poyer, Siran Neal has also taken his act to South Beach. Neal spent the first seven years of his NFL career in Buffalo as a backup in the secondary and also a core special teams contributor.
In Week 3 when the Bills face the Jacksonville Jaguars, we’ll see center Mitch Morse and wide receiver Gabe Davis. Morse was a captain and leader on Buffalo’s offensive line and was a good mentor for quarterback Josh Allen, showing him how to be a great leader. Davis was also a captain last year but his career was always a coin flip with regards to on-field production. Some games he wouldn’t make a single catch, but others he would flash the potential of the same receiver who had four touchdowns in a single playoff game.
Wide receiver Deonte Harty will be on the sidelines for the Baltimore Ravens when they face the Bills in Week 4. The core memory last season regarding Harty was his epic punt return touchdown in Week 18 against the Dolphins — which woke up the team on their way to a win and an AFC East division crown.
A huge reunion comes in Week 5, when the Buffalo Bills go up against the Houston Texans. This matchup will hold plenty of drama because, of course, Stefon Diggs is now with the Texans. There had been rumors the past couple of seasons about Diggs’ unhappiness in Buffalo, so it will be interesting to see what unfolds during pregame, and whether Josh Allen pulls out his signature handshake with his former WR1. Diggs was a stud in Buffalo, posting four consecutive 1,000-plus-yard seasons and becoming one of if not the best wide receiver in the history of the Bills. Beyond Diggs, Tim Settle Jr. has also landed in Houston.
The reunion tour takes a break for a couple weeks until Week 8 where linebacker Tyrel Dodson pops up with the Seattle Seahawks. Dodson was one of the biggest surprises on defense last season after linebacker Matt Milano went down with his leg injury. If you believe in the grades of Pro Football Focus then Dodson was one of the best defensive players in the entire league last season.
Later in the season when the team plays the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13, edge rusher Leonard Floyd will have a chance to reconnect with his former teammates. Floyd was a machine the first half of the 2023 NFL season for the Bills, but he was mostly a non-factor during the second half of the season — only having one sack in a two-month period.
Lastly in Week 14 is the reunion that may hurt Bills Mafia the most. Now playing for the Los Angeles Rams is cornerback Tre’Davious White who was released by the Bills this past spring — and after tearing his Achilles last season. White was the first player selected by head coach Sean McDermott and company, and he was key to installing the culture the team has had under McDermott since day one. White was a locker room leader and always left everything out on the field.
Which player are you least excited to see in an opposing uniform during the 2024 season?