Happy New League Year. Here are eight things about the Buffalo Bills as the free agency/trade period opened on Wednesday:
1. More active than expected. Smart teams find ways to create salary cap space and the Bills did just that, allowing them to add defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi, receiver Josh Palmer and defensive ends Joey Bosa and Michael Hoecht, two starters (Bosa/Palmer) and two rotational players (Hoecht/Ogunjobi) who agreed to terms. Solid work overall by general manager Brandon Beane.
2. Bosa’s arrival. The Bosa news on Tuesday night was a thunderbolt out of nowhere. The chatter was Miami or San Francisco, but Bosa was smart in identifying the Bills as the best option compared to a team going nowhere (Dolphins) or in a massive transition (49ers). A contract of up to $15 million didn’t hurt, either. Basically, the Bills swapped Von Miller, 36, for Bosa, who turns 31 on July 11.
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Bosa’s injury history is there for all to see – seven games in 2018, five games in 2022 and nine games in 2023 – but he did play 14 games last year for the Chargers. His six sacks (regular season/playoffs): Three apiece lined up at left and right defensive end and I charted the sacks in 2.75, 3.90, 3.59, 3.58, 2.82 and 2.70 seconds.
APTOPIX Broncos Chargers Football (copy)
New Buffalo Bills receiver Joshua Palmer, catches a two-point conversion pass for the Los Angeles Chargers in a game against the Denver Broncos. Ryan Sun, Associated Press
3. Big play ability. What stands out about Palmer is his yards per catch in the last two seasons – 15.3 and 15.0. In 2023, Stefon Diggs led the Bills with 107 catches (11.1-yard average) and last year, Khalil Shakir averaged 10.8 yards on 76 catches. The Bills should expect Palmer to stretch the field on the perimeter, opening more room for Shakir and tight ends Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox in the middle.
Twelve of Palmer’s 39 catches last year were “explosive” gains (at least 16 yards). On those plays, he lined up tight right, middle trips right, wide right, wide left, two-bunch right and slot right. He appears to be a sharp route-runner (especially when he puts his foot in the ground for a dig route) and has the ability to adjust to an underthrown pass.
The Bills’ current receiver depth chart is Shakir, Palmer, Keon Coleman and Curtis Samuel.
4. Draft impact. The free-agent work means the Bills won’t be painted into a corner with their first-round pick (No. 30) on April 24. A big-fella defensive tackle (300-plus pounds) still makes sense if the value and fit is right.
The Bills have two second-round selections (Nos. 56 and 62) but no third-rounder (traded to Cleveland for receiver Amari Cooper). If Beane opts to pick twice in round 2, some combination of edge rusher, cornerback and safety works, or he could see if No. 62 would be worth a third- and fourth-rounder to a team.
Re-signing Ty Johnson to join James Cook and Ray Davis lowers the draft need at running back.
NFL free agency tracker: Who is coming and going to the Buffalo Bills?
Here is a tracker of all of the Bills' moves, with links to full stories on each player.
5. Safety situation. The Bills either weren’t interested or the prices were too high for them to sign a big-time safety to pair with Cole Bishop. Miami’s Jevon Holland was my No. 1 free agent target, but he’s headed to the New York Giants. The Bills re-signed Damar Hamlin, a signal no team was interested in him as a starter, and agreed to terms with Washington’s Darrick Forrest.
As it stands, Plan A for the Bills should be rolling with Bishop and Taylor Rapp at safety. Bishop, a 2024 second-round pick, played with an edge when given the opportunity to start and is physical enough to play close to the line of scrimmage.
6. Cornerback concerns. The Bills have only one starting cornerback (Christian Benford) under contract and Rasul Douglas remains a free agent. If Beane and Co., are interested in keeping Douglas and waiting for his asking price to go down … both things are still in play. During the third and fourth waves of free agency, do the Bills take a flier on James Bradberry (ex of Philadelphia) or a reunion with Dane Jackson (ex of Carolina)? Worth exploring.
7. New England makeover. The Bills shouldn’t be quaking about the rest of the AFC East. New Patriots coach Mike Vrabel spearheaded a spending spree to add eight free agents, but only one along their putrid offensive line (right tackle Morgan Moses) and nothing of note at receiver (sorry, Mack Hollins doesn’t count). They still need to get better at left tackle, which leads me to Texas’ Kelvin Banks, LSU’s Will Campbell or Missouri’s Armand Membou in the first round.
The Jets added quarterback Justin Fields, and Miami, well, who knows what the plan is for the Dolphins. They paid a lot of guys over the last few years and haven’t won a thing.
8. Remaining Bills free agents. Still on the board in addition to Douglas and Cooper are tight end Quintin Morris and defensive linemen Austin Johnson, Quinton Jefferson, Dawuane Smoot and Jordan Phillips. I thought Smoot did a nice job last year, but Hoecht will fill his role. Ogunjobi joins Ed Oliver, DaQuan Jones and DeWayne Carter as the top four defensive tackles, leaving Johnson, Jefferson and Phillips out of the mix … at least until Phillips re-signs in December for the stretch run.
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