The 2012 NFL free agent signing period begins exactly one month from today - on the afternoon of March 13 - and for Buffalo Bills fans, all of the team's bounty of concerns largely remain secondary to the status of wide receiver Stevie Johnson.

Not many 25-year-old receivers coming off of back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons hit the open market, and most Bills fans are hoping that the team is able to prevent that from happening in four weeks. Johnson became the first receiver in franchise history to pull off that feat this past season, and as he's just entering his prime, most believe that consistently excellent football lies in his future.

There are a lot of factors at play in this process, and the fact that Johnson is the team's most marketable personality since Terrell Owens - in some ways, he may even come out ahead on that front - heightens the scale of the issue. The Bills really do need to re-sign Johnson, not just because he's a good football player, but because of the backlash they'd get if they fail to do so. But none of that concerns Johnson himself, who should have ample reason to desire to remain in Buffalo, as well.

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In putting together our State of the Buffalo Bills Roster series, we asked the Buffalo Rumblings community to vote for the biggest offensive and defensive needs the team has entering the 2012 off-season. Now it's time to continue voting to merge those two lists into one community-developed needs list. To this point, our list looks like this:

1. 4-3 defensive end
2. 4-3 outside linebacker
3. Wide Receiver

Today's poll, which will determine the fourth spot out of our Top 5, will come down to either offensive tackle or cornerback.

At tackle, the Bills have a serviceable right tackle (Erik Pears) and a young guy they like (Chris Hairston), but also have an impending free agent (Demetrius Bell) - and there are question marks about all three players. Depth is a concern, as is health viability. Meanwhile, at cornerback, the team is hosting free agent Stanford Routt today - a clear indication that the team is not happy with its overall depth, nor with the bang-for-the-buck they're getting out of a trio of veterans (Terrence McGee and Leodis McKelvin specifically).

So which is it, Bills fans? Tackle or cornerback? Let us know with a vote and a comment!

There are too many players in the NFL that have been labeled "injury-prone" to count, and it's a safe assumption that every team has at least one of those guys. Buffalo Bills fans ask me all the time about such players, since the Bills seem to have so many; as such, I thought it would be interesting to rank those players in terms of risk the team is taking keeping them around in their specific roles.

Yes, this list includes a couple of free agents, and yes, it also includes players that may very well not be around much longer. Still, I consider seven players on the team injury-prone, and a further three as worthy of that label, but at least debatable. On to the list - and you're of course free to disagree not just with the idea that the player is injury-prone, but the risk assessment, as well. The list is after the jump.

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The Buffalo Bills and the representation for impending free agent wide receiver Stevie Johnson still have more than a month to get a new contract in place before Johnson becomes an unrestricted free agent on March 13. They have less than two weeks, however, to make enough progress on the negotiation front to eliminate the franchise tag possibility on Buffalo's part.

February 20 marks the date when teams can begin franchise tagging their own players; teams do, however, have the option to wait until March 5 - a week before free agency - to do said tagging. That 15-day window will be a key point in time for this negotiation if no significant progress is made in the next two weeks.

If the Bills do use the franchise tag, the current projected base salary for franchised wide receivers is $9.4 million. Early indications are that he'd struggle to reach that mark on the open market in a deep year for free agent receivers, but that could obviously change quickly. That's also $2 million less than the figure was just a year ago, and nearly exactly the same as it was following the 2009 season. Our question for you, Bills fans, is this: if you were Buddy Nix, would you be comfortable tagging Johnson at that salary if a long-term accord can't be struck?

In putting together our State of the Buffalo Bills Roster series, we asked the Buffalo Rumblings community to vote for the biggest offensive and defensive needs the team has entering the 2012 off-season. Now it's time to continue voting to merge those two lists into one community-developed needs list.

Bills fans are clearly still worried about the team's defense, as a pass-rushing defensive end and a 4-3 strong-side outside linebacker sit atop this community's collective needs list. Today's poll for the No. 3 position on the list comes down to wide receiver and cornerback.

At receiver, the Bills need a legitimate No. 2 receiving option to complement Stevie Johnson, who just happens to be an impending free agent. If the team can't retain Johnson, they'll need two starting receivers. At cornerback, the team has two young players they like (Aaron Williams most specifically), but also a trio of veterans that played poorly in 2011 and will make good money in 2012. Depth is needed, and better talent atop the depth chart is, as well.

Will the offense finally get some love on the needs list, or will the defense continue to reign supreme? You decide!

The long wait for Buffalo Bills great Andre Reed to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame will continue for at least another year, as Reed and the other wide receivers on the finalist list failed to gain inclusion in 2012. While the ballots are secret, and arguments are to be kept quiet outside the meeting room, two voters have shared a closer look at the process.

Sports Illustrated's Peter King had just a brief snippet in his Monday Morning Quarterback column on the Hall voting. He noted that Bill Parcells and Eddie DeBartolo Jr. were the two longest-debated candidates in 2012, at over 40 minutes each. Reed was next on the list at just under a half-hour. In fact, the longest four debates yielded zero inductees, as Dick Stanfel was also left out.

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When the 45 Pro Football Hall of Fame selectors get together later today, they will consider a list of 15 names for five spots in this year's enshrinement class. They will also hear arguments for two senior nominees, but neither of them have ties to the Buffalo Bills. Andre Reed's name is on the final list of 15 nominees, and this year is his best chance yet to finally be enshrined in Canton.

The main problem for Reed the last several years has been his direct competition at wide receiver. But Reed has overcome the hurdle of Cris Carter and Tim Brown the last two years by advancing past both receivers to the final ten. That's not to say that won't change this year, but it seems logical that the Hall voters - all of which return from a year ago - will continue to support Reed over Carter and Brown. (For the record, Carter made the Top 10 in 2008 over Reed, but has not made it since.)

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In putting together our State of the Buffalo Bills Roster series, we asked the Buffalo Rumblings community to vote for the biggest offensive and defensive needs the team has entering the 2012 off-season. Now it's time to continue voting to merge those two lists into one community-developed needs list.

Resoundingly, Bills fans voted defensive end (or, more specifically, the pass rush) as the team's most pressing need. Today's matchup for No. 2 on the list: wide receiver and outside linebacker.

At receiver, the Bills are dealing with the impending free agency of top target Stevie Johnson, and even if they re-sign the fifth-year pro, they're also in desperate need of finding Johnson a complement - preferably a big one with speed. At outside linebacker, the team's impending switch to the 4-3 defense necessitates that they find a strong-side linebacker with athleticism, capable of dealing with extra bodies on his side of the alignment versus the run as well as dropping into coverage.