Bills Uniforms Best in NFL? The Red Helmet Debate
Red helmets will not be back in the rotation for the Buffalo Bills in 2023, and while that may disappoint some fans, it didn't hurt them in a new countdown of the best uniforms in the NFL.
On our FanNation/SI countdown of all 32 uniform sets in the NFL, the Bills checked in at No. 3, with thoughts on various eras of Buffalo threads.
"We're going to say something controversial: While the red helmets that the Bills have teased a comeback of for a couple offseasons now are associated with the success of the Jim Kelly/Marv Levy Era, their current white helmets are actually better. So are the white throwback helmets with the red Buffalo. The Bills ditched a disastrous uniform set in 2011, and haven't looked back since. Nor should they, even with the red helmets."
Among AFC East teams, the Bills were by far the highest-ranked team, topping the Miami Dolphins (No. 22), New England Patriots (No. 24) and New York Jets (No. 28). That would suggest Buffalo shouldn't alter their current mix of uniforms in any way.
If the Bills did bring back their red helmets as an alternate, presumably it would be so they could wear them with their red uniforms, introduced as part of the NFL's "Color Rush" program in 2015. But we've seen other teams do this -- the Texans introduced a matching red helmet for their red alternate uniforms, and the Chicago Bears now have a matching orange helmet for their orange alternates. Both look really bad. There are examples, like the Cincinnati Bengals all-white uniforms, of a matching helmet looking really good with an alternate uniform. But in general, contrast is good. The idea of a red alternate helmet with red uniforms would probably be overkill if actually turned into a reality.
While the red helmets aren't back for the Bills, they will have some more subtle uniform changes in 2023. Buffalo is one of 11 teams switching to Nike's F.U.S.E. template this season, with adjustment to the collars likely to be the most apparent change to fans.
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