On Wednesday, the Buffalo Bills agreed to a re-structured contract with cornerback Terrence McGee that cut the injury-prone veteran's 2012 salary from $3.6 million to $1.35 million, ensuring that he won't be a cap casualty once the 2012 league year starts.
What does that do for the Bills at the cornerback position? Well for one, it makes them slightly less likely to pursue a veteran option via free agency after losing out on Stanford Routt. For another, it decreases the job stability of 2008 first-round pick Leodis McKelvin.
The Bills like having depth at corner, and before McGee's re-structured deal, McKelvin looked like he'd be safe at his final-year $1.3 million salary. Now, however, McGee - who still isn't a lock to make the team, necessarily, given his injury history - has far more job security, meaning that McKelvin slides further down the projected depth chart.
Drayton Florence has a spot on this team. Aaron Williams and Justin Rogers will be getting playing time, and now with McGee looking more likely to stick around, it's fair to consider McKelvin fifth on the depth chart - and that's before the team conceivably adds more depth and size to the position. If there is indeed an odd man out among the team's current cornerbacks, yesterday's McGee deal shifted the onus from No. 24 to No. 21. For now, we're considering McGee and McKelvin to be in direct competition for one roster spot, with McGee the early front-runner. Who disagrees with that line of thought?