Projected Bills Starters After Reported Antonio Brown Trade with Steelers

One of the biggest stories of the NFL offseason has reportedly reached its conclusion.

After a trade request, off-field drama and a meeting with the team owner, wide receiver Antonio Brown will reportedly no longer be a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, the Steelers "are closing in on a deal" to trade him to the Buffalo Bills.

However, Vic Carucci of Sirius XM reported that "an NFL source says Bills have inquired about Antonio Brown with the Steelers, but no deal is imminent. In fact, another league source termed it 'unlikely.'"

Brown is a seven-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro member, so trading for him would naturally have a ripple effect on the entire Bills offense.

Nick Mensio of Rotoworld noted the projected Buffalo starters are as follows:

QB: Josh Allen

RB: LeSean McCoy

WR: Antonio Brown, Zay Jones and Robert Foster

TE: Jason Croom

What immediately jumps out is the chance for quarterback Allen to work with a true No. 1 receiver. The No. 7 pick in the 2018 draft played 12 games as a rookie and completed 52.8 percent of his passes for 2,074 yards, 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. While his big arm stood out in college, he struggled with accuracy at times in an inconsistent showing.

To be fair, he wasn’t exactly working with game-breakers at wide receiver.

Jones (652 yards) and Foster (541 yards) were the only two Bills players with more than 354 receiving yards in 2018. Kelvin Benjamin was the one with 354, and Buffalo released him in December.

Brown’s presence means Jones and Foster will be facing single coverage on the majority of their routes and should lead to better production than their uninspiring 2018 campaigns.

The same goes for Croom, who had just 259 receiving yards and one touchdown catch in 2018.

The biggest impact outside of Allen finally having an elite target is the additional running room at McCoy's disposal. Opposing defenses could afford to stack the box to slow McCoy with the lackluster receiver group on the outside last season, but that is no longer the case with Brown lining up.

Opponents will have to account for him with at least one cornerback and a safety shaded in his direction on every play, which will open those lanes for McCoy. The Bills starting running back has the one-cut explosiveness to turn those gaps into game-changing plays.

The 514 rushing yards he posted in 2018 was the lowest mark of his career, and age is a concern since he will turn 31 prior to the 2019 season. Still, he will have more space than he’s had since he joined the Bills prior to the 2015 campaign on what will be a more dangerous offense with Brown.