Fact or Fiction for Buffalo Bills' Biggest Offseason Question Marks

The Buffalo Bills head into the next portion of their offseason with a few question marks still remaining.

For the Bills, who have not reached the postseason since the 1999 season, having only a few uncertainties is a sign of major progress. 

With players such as Sammy Watkins, LeSean McCoy, Percy Harvin and Charles Clay on the roster, Buffalo has a bevvy of offensive talent. The Bills defense is definitely playoff-caliber and was rated eighth overall by Pro Football Focus last season.

New head coach Rex Ryan has proven that he knows how to lead a team, and he isn't shy about it. 

If the Bills can find answers to their few remaining question marks before the start of the regular season, there is every reason to believe that their playoff drought is about to come to an end.

Let's take a look at the Bills' biggest remaining question marks and try to determine which ones might create issues lasting into the regular season.

Fiction: The Offense Will Again Be a Major Weakness

Bill Wippert/Associated Press

Last season, the Buffalo Bills managed a 9-7 regular-season record in 2014, but fell short of the playoffs primarily because of a weak offense.

Overall, the unit was rated 29th in the NFL by Pro Football Focus. It averaged just 318.5 yards per game (26th in the league) and 21.4 points per game (18th in the NFL).

Sure, the Bills added a number of pieces during the offseason—like running back LeSean McCoy, tight end Charles Clay and wideout Percy Harvin—but are the moves enough to make this offense a playoff-caliber unit?

The short answer is yes. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman runs a system predicated on the power-running game. This fits perfectly with head coach Rex Ryan's overall football philosophy.

Between McCoy, Fred Jackson, Anthony Dixon and rookie Karlos Williams, the Bills have more than enough talent in the backfield to ground-and-pound opponents successfully.

Add in a receiving corps featuring the talents of Clay, Harvin, Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods, and the Bills should at least have enough balance on offense to keep defenses guessing.

The Bills offense might not finish as a top-10 unit this season, but it should definitely be potent enough to propel this team to a postseason berth.

Buffalo should feel fantastic about its offense going into camp.

Fact: Quarterback Play Will Be an Issue

Bill Wippert/Associated Press

The Buffalo offense may be good enough to reach the playoffs this season, but the quarterback position is not likely to be a team strength.

Last year's starter, Kyle Orton, was good at times, but he was never great (87.8 passer rating for the season). He also retired at the end of the 2014 season.

This leaves Buffalo with a three-way quarterback competition between former first-round pick EJ Manuel, journeyman Matt Cassel and former Baltimore Ravens backup Tyrod Taylor. No one from this group looks like an overly promising option.

"Safe to say we won’t have LeBron at quarterback,” Rex Ryan said (via Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News) in reference to Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James, who propelled his team to the NBA Finals.

Taylor has never started an NFL game. Manuel was rated 62nd overall among all quarterbacks last season by Pro Football Focus and 69th overall as a rookie in 2013.

According to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com, Cassel has been so bad this offseason that he might not even make the final roster. 

Finding the best of the bunch will probably be the biggest training-camp priority.

Fiction: The Interior Offensive Line Will Prohibit an Effective Running Game

Associated Press

With such a big question at quarterback, the Bills are going to have to run the football effectively this season to have a playoff-caliber offense. Running the ball last season was a major issue.

The Bills averaged just 92.6 yards per game on the ground (25th in the NFL) in 2014. A big part of the problem was the offensive line. The team was rated 31st in the league in run blocking by Pro Football Focus.

There is a legitimate cause for concern heading into the 2015 season.

However, there isn't reason to panic at this point. The Bills brought in veteran guard Richie Incognito during the offseason and drafted guard John Miller in the third round of this year's draft.

If both start then there is every reason to believe Buffalo's run blocking will be improved over last year, making this concern a fictional one. 

Last year's primary starter at left guard, Craig Urbik, was rated 70th in run blocking by Pro Football Focus. Right guard Erik Pears was rated 71st.

Buffalo should head into training camp with some confidence about the interior of their line.

Fact: There Is a Risk of Overusing LeSean McCoy

Bill Wippert/Associated Press

The Bills clearly expect running back LeSean McCoy to be the centerpiece of their offense, which is why he was given a new five-year, $40 million contract shortly after arriving in Buffalo.

"They say that they want Shady to get 300-plus carries next year." Fellow back Fred Jackson told Sal Capaccio of WGR 550 in Buffalo. 

There is, of course, some risk of overusing McCoy, as running backs traditionally tend to wear down as they age and pile on the carries.

McCoy will only be 27 years old when the 2015 season begins, but he has already played six pro seasons and is coming off back-to-back 300-carry seasons.

Between receptions and carries, McCoy has touched the football a whopping 706 times over the past two seasons. He also has 1,461 career carries in the regular season alone. Even more alarming is that McCoy's workload may have already started to limit his effectiveness. 

According to Pro Football Focus, McCoy was the 10th-best overall back in 2012. He jumped up to No. 1 overall in 2013, a year that saw him average 5.1 yards per carry and haul in 52 receptions. His rating, per Pro Football Focus, plummeted to 55th overall last season.

The good news is that Buffalo has enough talent in the backfield that McCoy doesn't have to be an every-down back. If he is used as one, however, the risk of wearing him down is very real.

Planning for this possibility has to be an offseason priority.

Fiction: Replacing Da'Norris Searcy Will Be a Major Issue

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

The only real question mark on Buffalo's defense is at strong safety. There is a sizable hole at the position as last year's starter, Da'Norris Searcy, left this offseason via free agency.

Searcy was rated 18th overall among safeties by Pro Football Focus in 2014.

Fortunately, the Bills have two solid options when it comes to filling the strong safety position.

First up is third-year pro Duke Williams, who logged four starts last season. Williams was ranked a very solid 33rd overall among safeties last season by Pro Football Focus.

The second option for Buffalo is veteran defensive back Corey Graham. He will turn 30 next month and spent the first eight years of his career at cornerback. However, according to Joe Buscaglia of WKBW Buffalo, Graham has officially made the switch to safety.

Graham is a former Pro Bowl player, has a Super Bowl ring in his collection and was rated eighth overall among cornerbacks by Pro Football Focus just last season.

Picking a replacement for Searcy will be a priority in training camp. However, there shouldn't be a notable drop-off at the position, if there is any at all.