Madden 19: Buffalo Bills Player Ratings, Roster, Depth Chart & Playbooks

The Buffalo Bills sprung into existence in October 28, 1959 as part of the AFL. In their first season, 1960, the Bills went 5-8-1, but it didn't take them too long to become a contender. In 1964 they went 12-2 and won the AFL title. They defended theirs championship in 1965, but by the time the NFL and AFL merged in 1970 they had fallen to the bottom of the league. As a member of the NFL the Bills were rarely impressive. In the early 80's they made the playoffs twice but lost in the divisional round on both occasions.

However, the Bills had a golden era too. In 1986 Marv Levy became head coach and Jim Kelly took over as starting quarterback. In 1988 they make it to the AFC conference championship game but lost. In 1989 they lost in the divisional round, but from 1990 to 1993 they claimed four straight AFC championships. Their run of making the Super Bowl in four straight years is yet to be equaled, but unfortunately the Bills ran into the Giants, Redskins, and Cowboys (twice) and lost all four Super Bowls. Since that Super Bowl XXVIII loss the Bills have been to the playoffs 5 times, winning just once. They went from 1999 to 2017 without a playoff appearance, spending years in mediocrity, or worse, as NFL fans forgot about them and the memories of the Levy/Kelly era became hazy.

Can you bring the Buffalo Bills back to prominence and win them their first Super Bowl at long last?

*All stats correct at time of writing

Team Rating

The Buffalo Bills get a 74 overall rating from Madden 19. That is very poor, but isn't the worst around. They find themselves one point above the Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants. However, within the Bills 74 overall rating is a serious imbalance. The offense gets a 71 rating, which is the worst for any unit in Madden 19 and signals just how hard it will be to score points with the Bills in their current state. Defensively the Bills are much better, getting an 81 rating which puts them ahead of 8 teams and tied with three more. This is where you will have to hang your hat early on until you can bring the offense up to scratch.

Jerry Hughes, Defensive End (OVR 86)

Age: 30

Development Trait: Quick

Contract: 2 years/$11.76 million

2018 Cap Hit: $5.62 million

Best Stats: Play Recognition (90), Block Shedding (89), Finesse Moves (88), Pursuit (88), Acceleration (87), Speed (82)

Jerry Hughes came into the NFL as a first-round pick for the Indianapolis Colts in 2010. He didn't register a sack as a rookie, and only got one in his second season. In his third year he got just 4 sacks and 10 QB hits before he was traded to the Buffalo Bills for linebacker Kelvin Sheppard in April 2013. In his first season with Buffalo Hughes doubled his career sack total, picking up 10 sacks along with 9 tackles for loss and 18 QB hits. He matched that number in 2014 too and signed an extension with Buffalo. Since then he has become the focal point for opposition blocking schemes.

Tre'Davious White, Cornerback (OVR 85)

Age: 23

Development Trait: Quick

Contract: 3 years/$7.68 million

2018 Cap Hit: $2.42 million

Best Stats: Acceleration (93), Agility (93), Speed (91), Press (86), Man Coverage (85), Play Recognition (85), Zone Coverage (83), Jumping (80)

Buffalo selected Tre'Davious White with the 27th overall pick in the 2017 draft. He immediately became a starter for the Bills and one of the best players as he put together an incredibly strong rookie campaign. He was quickly placed on the oppositions best receivers, and finished his year with 4 interceptions, 18 pass deflections, and one touchdown to his name. White got serious Defensive Rookie of the Year consideration, and while he missed out he looks set to be a very good cornerback for years to come.

LeSean McCoy, Running Back (OVR 83)

Age: 30

Development Trait: Quick

Contract: 2 years/$20.17 million

2018 Cap Hit: $8.27 million

Best Stats: Acceleration (92), Agility (92), Speed (90), Juke Move (89), Carrying (87), Spin Move (85), Elusiveness (84)

LeSean McCoy came into the NFL as a second-round pick in 2009 for the Philadelphia Eagles. He put up over 9,000 yards from scrimmage and scored 54 touchdowns for them in 6 years before being traded to Buffalo for linebacker Kiko Alonso. McCoy wasted little time in proving he could be successful as a Bills player too, and finished his first year in Buffalo with 4.4 yards per carry, 32 receptions, and 5 touchdowns. In 2016 he had his best season with Buffalo, setting a career-high mark of 5.4 yards per carry and registering 1,623 yards from scrimmage. He is the Bills best offensive weapon in Madden 19.

Josh Allen, Quarterback (OVR 76)

Age: 22

Development Trait: Quick

Contract: 4 years/$21.18 million

2018 Cap Hit: $5.13 million

Best Stats: Throw Power (99), Acceleration (87), Throw On Run (85), Break Sack (85), Speed (84), Juke Move (84), Medium Accuracy (78), Short Accuracy (77)

The Bills took Josh Allen with seventh-overall pick in the 2018 draft. Allen played his college football at Wyoming and was the starter for his final 2 years there. He completed 56.2 percent of his passes in college, throwing for 5,066 yards and 44 touchdowns, along with 21 interceptions. Allen also added 767 yards and 12 scores on the ground. He comes into the NFL with a reputation for having a cannon attached to his right shoulder and for being quicker than he looks. His accuracy issues are a worry for players using him in Madden 19, but he is young enough that he can improve over time.

Full Roster & Depth Chart

The Bills roster is very thin. There are some good players on it, but no one rated over 90. Offensively it starts with Josh Allen (99 throw power, 85 break sack) under center. Around him there is little to get excited about. LeSean McCoy (92 acceleration, 90 speed) is a very good option at running back but after that things get shaky. Zay Jones (91 acceleration, 90 spectacular catch) is the teams best wide receiver, with Robert Foster (93 speed, 82 catching) offering some speed on the outside, while Charles Clay (89 acceleration, 84 catch in traffic) is a safe pair of hands at tight end. Even the offensive line has problems, with only Dion Dawkins (90 strength, 81 pass block) and Wyatt Teller (88 strength, 82 impact block) worth keeping around.

Defensively things are much better for the Bills. Jerry Hughes (90 play recognition, 89 block shedding) offers the best play along the defensive line, but he is supported by Trent Murphy (83 strength, 82 power moves) and Shaq Lawson (85 tackle, 85 strength) on the edge as well as Kyle Williams (92 impact block, 90 strength) on the inside. At linebacker Lorenzo Alexander (96 play recognition, 82 power moves) is a good blitzer from outside linebacker while Tremaine Edmunds (87 speed, 84 hit power) offers speed at potential at middle linebacker. The secondary is very strong, with Tre'Davious White (93 acceleration, 86 press) as the #1 corner and a good safety pairing of Micah Hyde (90 agility, 86 zone coverage) and Jordan Poyer (93 acceleration, 84 zone coverage) that can control the middle of the field.

Buffalo Bills Playbook - Offense

I Form Pro

I Form Slot

I Form Tight

Strong I Pro

Strong I Slot

Strong I Y Off

Weak I Close

Singleback Ace

Singleback Ace Pair

Singleback Ace Slot

Singleback Bunch Ace

Singleback Deuce

Singleback Dice Slot

Singleback Wing Pair

Singleback Wing Slot

Singleback Wing Tight

Singleback Y Trips

Pistol Wing Flex

Shotgun Bunch

Shotgun Doubles

Shotgun Doubles Flex Wk Pats

Shotgun Doubles Y Off

Shotgun Doubles Y-Flex

Shotgun Empty Base Flex

Shotgun Empty Y Slot

Shotgun Snugs Flip

Shotgun Split Flex

Shotgun Spread Y-Slot

Shotgun Trips TE

Shotgun Trips TE Flex

Shotgun Trips Y-Flex

Shotgun Wing Slot Offset

Shotgun Y Off Trips Wk

The Buffalo Bills offensive playbook is pretty well suited to their personnel. It contains a lot of I Formation sets that you can use to run the ball and chew up clock, as well as pull out deep play action passes that make use of Allen's 99 throw power. There is only 1 Pistol formation which is a shame because Allen's speed could be put to good use, but you have option plays and some rollouts within the Shotgun sets that you can move the pocket with. One big plus for the Bills playbook is that it includes the PA Shot Wheel in Shotgun Trips TE, this is one of the best plays in Madden 19 and can be a chunk play every time.

Buffalo Bills Playbook - Defense

4-3 Normal

4-3 Over

4-3 Over Plus

4-3 Under

4-3 Wide 9

5-2 Normal

Nickel Normal

Nickel Double A Gap

Nickel Wide 9

Big Nickel Over G

Dime Normal

Quarter Normal

Quarter 1-3-7

Quarter 3 Deep

Dollar 3-2-6

Goal Line Defense 5-3-3

Goal Line Defense 5-4-2

The Bills defensive playbook is a standard 4-3 one. You have the usual 5 4-3 formations and get the 5-2 Normal as your heavier look. I like the 5-2 a lot, but it isn't as deceptive as the 4-4 Split that a lot of 4-3 playbooks have. When it comes to Nickel & Dime formations the Bills playbook is somewhat lacking. You only have three Nickel formations and just one Dime package to make use of. This means you'll have to get a bit creative with some playcalls and slide your DL a bit to create confusion in your opponent.