Fan opinion: What should the Buffalo Bills do at wide receiver this offseason?

The Buffalo Bills upgraded their wide receiver corps last offseason, overhauling nearly everyone on the roster and adding John Brown, Cole Beasley, Duke Williams, and Andre Roberts.

Even with that, the Bills could probably use some more talent at the position and definitely some youth. What’s the best way to achieve the next step? We took a look at a bunch of options then you’ll get to vote.

All-22 analysis of Duke Williams excerpt

(By Jeff Kantrowski)

There’s really a lot to like from Duke Williams. As fair as it is to question why he sat so much this year, it’s just as valid to point out that he was active in the most important game of the year. In that game he played 66% of offensive snaps and had ten targets, which led the team.

With Duke Williams on the field the Buffalo Bills had a different dynamic on offense. Williams also had a similar catch rate to John Brown and Cole Beasley, the team’s two best wideouts. There’s really no reason not to keep Duke Williams around.

Lots of GIFs and analysis in the full article here

Free-agent options at wide receiver excerpt

(By Sean Murphy)

Amari Cooper
Great numbers after the Dallas Cowboys acquired him in 2018 (53/725/6 in only nine games!), and he was even better in 2019 (79/1189/8). A legit number one who has size (6’1” 210 lbs), blazing speed (4.42-40 yard dash; 6.71-three cone), and a great catch radius (33” vertical with 31.5” arms). Big price—will probably cost at least $18 million annually, perhaps $20 million.

A.J. Green
The veteran is a huge injury risk—at 31 years old, he did not play at all in 2019 recovering from ankle ligament tears suffered in training camp—but when he’s healthy, it’s hard to argue his talent. Green only played in nine games in 2018 while dealing with turf toe, and he tore his hamstring in 2017, causing him to miss six games.

Breshad Perriman
Finally had a big year playing for his third team in four years. At 6’2” and 215 lbs, he is big and ridiculously fast (his pro day low in the 40 was 4.24 seconds). With only ten starts to his name, it’s a risk that he’ll be able to maintain the production he showed last year, but it might be a risk worth taking given his physical tools and the talent available at wideout in the draft if spending big on a “name-brand” receiver isn’t your thing.

Geronimo Allison
At 6’3” and 202 lbs, he’s a tall, wiry-strong player who lacks long speed (he ran a 4.67 40 at the combine in 2016), functioning more as a possession-type underneath player. With John Brown able to take the top off the defense, the Bills could decide to draft another burner while they sign a guy like Allison to compete with Duke Williams for time as the second outside receiver. Allison caught 89 passes in four years with the Green Bay Packers.

Robby Anderson
Immensely talented, the mercurial Anderson isn’t someone who screams “process,” but at 6’3” and 190 lbs, he has the size, catch radius, and speed (4.34-second 40 at his pro day with a 36” vertical) to make Buffalo’s offense much better. To be fair, after his arrests in 2017, he has stayed clear of trouble since. It’s a big skeleton to have in the closet, however.

Demarcus Robinson
A speedy option in the Kansas City Chiefs’ phenomenal passing attack, he’s played third wheel to Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins (and, perhaps more accurately, fourth wheel when considering tight end Travis Kelce), so maybe he just needs a larger role in order to succeed. At 6’1” and 203 lbs, he is bigger than the majority of Buffalo’s receivers, and while his combine speed (4.59-40) wasn’t great, he plays faster.

Devin Funchess

As a former Carolina Panthers wideout, he has to be mentioned. Funchess is huge (6’4” and 225 lbs), but he lacks speed (4.7-40) and is an inconsistent hands-catcher, negating his size mismatch over nearly every corner in the league. He struggles to create separation, and he missed all but one game with the Indianapolis Colts in 2019 thanks to a fractured clavicle.

Laquon Treadwell
Another former first-round pick, Treadwell has been a huge bust for the Minnesota Vikings, as he was immediately outplayed in 2016 by a second-year man drafted in the fifth round (Stefon Diggs) the year prior and a third-year man who joined the Vikings as a UDFA in 2014 (Adam Thielen). So, perhaps Treadwell was the victim of circumstance, and he could improve if given the chance to shine somewhere else

Read the entire article with more info on each player here

NFL Draft wide receiver options excerpt

(By Andrew Griffin)

Tier I

CeeDee Lamb (Oklahoma)
Tee Higgins (Clemson)
Laviska Shenault Jr. (Colorado)

Although not necessarily the biggest guy in the grouping at 6’2”, Lamb is the most physical wide receiver in the draft with the ball in his hands and in the open field. Higgins made circus catches look routine at the college level, and he looks to have just enough speed to get by in the pros. Thanks to his limited route tree, many draft analysts compare Shenault to a souped up Cordarrelle Patterson. Teams should be wary of his injury history, however.

Tier II

Michael Pittman Jr. (USC)
Donovan Peoples-Jones (Michigan)
Gabriel Davis (UCF)

Tier III

Denzel Mims (Baylor)
Bryan Edwards (South Carolina)
Chase Claypool (Notre Dame)

Read more about the Tier II and Tier III players in our full article

Opinion excerpt: Bills should use the draft - not free agency - to add WR talent

(By Matt Warren)

There is an abundance of wide receiver talent in this year’s draft. Buffalo sits near the end of the first round and can still nab a very talented player and still have enough resources to grab another one in the middle rounds, giving them two bites at the apple.

This new player (or players) could develop alongside the hopefully-blossoming Josh Allen right from the beginning. The pair could get on the same page with Allen explaining his preferences right from the start of the young receiver’s career instead of having to work on chemistry with a player coming from another team with another set of eyes and tendencies.

Drafting a player would let the natural turnover of contracts happen at the WR position, too. When Brown and Beasley start to age out, you’ll have a player or two entering the territory for his second contract if he pans out.

The last thing about adding an NFL Draft WR is you can be more open to the type of player you pick. Because you’re adding talent for more than a one- or two-year window, the player doesn’t have to be “final piece” and/or the “complete package” like we talked about with the free-agent additions above. If A.J. Green is your WR option, it’s go time because he’s about to turn 32. If your draft pick is 22, you expect a bit more out of them over the long haul.

Read the entire opinion piece here

Now it’s your turn to vote. There are a bunch of options for you in the poll.

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