10 AFC predictions for Week 1 of 2018 NFL season

7. Starting Nathan Peterman is necessary, but disastrous for Bills

Imagine a situation where the Buffalo Bills had a legitimate stopgap starter who was proven enough to be part of a winning team, while also developing an eventual replacement on the bench. That was actually possible for the franchise even after trading Tyrod Taylor to the Cleveland Browns for a third-round pick. But the Bills opted to sign the helpless AJ McCarron instead of Teddy Bridgewater, Josh McCown, or Sam Bradford.

McCarron predictably failed, leading to the Bills naming Nathan Peterman as the starter. While Peterman isn’t likely to repeat his five-interception game, he’s still a limited player who’s surrounded by a terrible supporting cast.

Some of the Bills’ teardown over the last two years can be spun positively in that they’ll have cap space, but this unit would look much better had they kept Sammy Watkins, Cordy Glenn, and Taylor. Yes, the former two had injury issues but their failure in finding legitimate replacements is going to cause a painful 2018.

Rookie Josh Allen will eventually take over this season because Peterman will get to the point where he’s unplayable with this cast. Allen’s not ready yet and that showed in the preseason. It’s alarming how poorly the Bills’ regime has identified competent offensive talent in their two years.