Since the free agency period began, we have been tracking the 2018 compensatory picks. OverTheCap.com provides a thorough breakdown and say the Buffalo Bills won’t be receiving any in next year’s draft despite the loss of high profile free agent Stephon Gilmore.
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Unfortunately for Buffalo, the first part of the compensatory pick formula doesn’t have to do with the amount of money the players signed for, but rather the +/- of actual players signed. Buffalo lost five well-paid free agents but gained seven.
Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, Steven Hauschka, and Patrick DiMarco will all certainly have integral roles on the team. It’s harder to make the justification for Andre Holmes, Vlad Ducasse, and Ryan Davis, though. If Buffalo had passed on all three of the latter free agents, they would be in line for an extra third round selection in 2018.
The cutoff for the moves that count is this coming week. It’s unlikely three of Buffalo’s free agents will get contracts large enough to reward the Bills in 2018.