Bills free-agent spending ensures a best-player-available 2019 NFL Draft

The Buffalo Bills and general manager Brandon Beane have been uncharacteristically aggressive this free-agency period. The team has worked quickly to make use of their trove of cap space, signing a bevy of players throughout the legal tampering period and the first couple days of Free Agency. What this spending spree means, in terms of the 2019 NFL Draft, is that Beane is free to approach it however he wants to: trading up or down as necessary, or simply approaching each pick with the proverbial best-player-available mentality.

The Bills came into this offseason with real needs, all across the board. The offensive line was in shambles, the wide receiver room lacked both talent and experience and there was only a single tight end on the squad. Draft observers were quick to note those needs, and were just as quick to award the team D.K. Metcalf or Jawaan Taylor as a result. It was impossible to predict how Buffalo would approach the draft, knowing that they could use new players at almost every position! Now, in the aftermath of the team’s free-agency scramble, it’s just as difficult to predict who the team will end up selecting for a different reason: because there just aren’t many remaining positions of need.

If the team were to participate in the draft tomorrow, One Bills Drive could conceivably consider a defensive tackle like Ed Oliver, a tight end like T.J. Hockenson, a defensive end like Montez Sweat, or even a running back like Josh Jacobs. That flexibility stretches to the rest of the draft as well. We all know Beane hasn’t been one to be sit still during the draft. These new signings could allow him to move up and down the board, targeting his preferred players.

Enjoy the rest of free agency Bills fans, because what’s coming in the next couple months could be even more exciting!