Josh Allen is the only Bills player to make CBS Sports’ NFL Top 100 list

The Buffalo Bills occupy a strange space in the NFL zeitgeist; they are GOODthis is evidenced by their five straight playoff berths and four straight AFC East titles, and most agree they are GOODyet many of their players are often overlooked in the national discourse regarding the league’s best players at their respective positions.

Buffalo is sometimes mistakenly seen as a one-man show centered around star quarterback Josh Allen, and while the team is largely built around the all-world signal-caller, he is far from its only elite talent . Linebacker Matt Milano, defensive tackle Ed Oliver and cornerback Taron Johnson are all among the league’s best players at their respective positions, but they rarely get their respective flowers in the national conversation.

This general sentiment is reflected in CBS Sports writer Pete Prisco’s recent ranking of the NFL’s top 100 players entering the 2024 NFL season; Allen ranks 6th on the list (the second quarterback behind Patrick Mahomes), but he is the only Buffalo player present.

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“He led the NFL in total passing yards and touchdowns (44) combined with passing and rushing touchdowns, but the perception was that he did not play well,” Prisco wrote. “Yes, he turns the ball over too much, but he was a legitimate MVP candidate last year and will be again this season.”

This is a generally fair ranking with fair analysis, although it sees Allen dropping four spots overall from the previous season. He’s still ranked as the second-best quarterback in the NFL, which is fitting for a signal-caller coming off a season in which he became the first player in league history to total more than 40 touchdowns during of four consecutive campaigns.

What we have a problem with Prisco’s rankings is his omission of players like Milano, Oliver and Johnson. While none of them are particularly egregious omissions, these three players are worth mentioning in any conversation about the 100 greatest players in football. Milano is the only other Buffalo player Prisco gives an honorable mention, and he’s perhaps the most justifiable omission; Although he is clearly one of the best linebackers in the NFL when healthy (earning first-team All-Pro honors in 2022), he missed the vast majority of the 2023 campaign after having fractured his tibia in Week 5. It’s fair to not rank him among the league’s top 100 players entering 2024 given that we don’t know how he will recover from his serious illness.

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Neither Oliver nor Johnson appeared on the list or received honorable mentions. Oliver is coming off a stellar 2023 campaign in which he collected 9.5 sacks and 51 total tackles, finishing fourth among all interior defenders in total quarterback pressure with 72, per PFF. Only Chris Jones, Aaron Donald and Justin Madubuike finished the campaign with more total pressures; Chris Jones ranks 14th on Prisco’s list while Madubuike comes in at 46th (Donald retired during the 2024 offseason and therefore does not appear).

Johnson also does not appear despite earning second-team All-Pro honors last season. The defender has been one of the best cornerbacks in the league over the past few campaigns, notching 98 total tackles, eight pass deflections and three forced fumbles a season ago. One could speculate that Johnson’s omission is due to his still relatively niche position and role, but Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie and Seattle Seahawks defensive end Devon Witherspoon ranked 30th and 74th respectively.

Despite the perceived snobbery, it’s nice to see Allen (rightly so) discussed alongside some of the NFL’s best players. Names to watch in next year’s rankings include the aforementioned Milano, Oliver and Johnson, in addition to tight end Dalton Kincaid and linebacker Terrel Bernard.