Buffalo Bills fans have spoken. This offseason, we’ve been evaluating the crop of Bills free agents, discussed what they would cost, offered ways to replace them, and then our readers voted. It’s time to share the results of all of those polls.
We’ve place them in order of the percentage of Bills fans wanting to re-sign them.
DE Shaq Lawson (92% voted to re-sign)
Lawson is a solid piece who could be had for a reasonable deal plus Buffalo would have flexibility in the 2020 NFL Draft. He really turned it on in his contract year and they could save the money to sign Lawson by releasing Trent Murphy, who many Bills fan want to jettison.
- All-22 Analysis: Shaq Lawson’s 2019 season shows solid play and room for improvement
- Contract projection for Shaq Lawson entering free agency
- In-house replacement options for Shaq Lawson are very green
- Elite-level defensive ends hitting the market could upgrade Bills pass rush
- 2020 NFL Draft has tiers of pass rushers
- Opinion: Why I would re-sign Shaq Lawson
CB Kevin Johnson (70% voted to re-sign)
A low-cost injury risk when he signed a year ago, Johnson played well in 2019 and, most importantly, he stayed healthy. Now set to sign a larger deal, Bills fans see the hole his departure would open at cornerback and they aren’t confident in Levi Wallace. (Only 3% wanted the team to let Johnson leave and keep Wallace as the CB2.) The vote for Wallace was split with 11% being happy with just a Wallace/Johnson competition, 17% wanting to add an additional free agent on top of Wallace/Johnson, and 42% wanting to draft a starting caliber CB to compete with Wallace/Johnson.
- All-22 analysis of Kevin Johnson’s 2019 season
- All-22 analysis of Levi Wallace’s 2019 season
- Contract projection shows a pay increase for Kevin Johnson in 2020
- Buffalo Bills don’t have enough cornerbacks for 2020 offseason
- Value free agent options limited at cornerback
- 2020 NFL Draft prospects could be starters or depth
- Opinion: Bills would be fine with Wallace as CB2, but they’ll need to add depth or re-sign Johnson
OG Quinton Spain (56% voted to re-sign)
A good chunk of folks voted against re-signing Spain so Cody Ford could move inside. Others didn’t like his projected price tag. In either case, Spain is a virtual coin flip among the broad Bills fan base.
- All-22 Analysis: Quinton Spain was solid on the move in 2019
- Contract projection: Quinton Spain will look for a raise in 2020 and beyond
- Cody Ford is a logical in-house candidate to replace Quinton Spain
- Lots of free agent guards for Bills to choose from
- List of guards the Bills could add in the 2020 NFL Draft
- Opinion: Spain is solid, but Bills should move on from the veteran this offseason
DT Jordan Phillips (27% voted to re-sign)
Bills fans are pretty much universal in their desire to have Phillips in town, but the likely cost of his new deal was enough to push away nearly three-quarters of the voting bloc. Our contract projection was three years and $21 million for a player who’s likely going to be a backup to former top-ten pick Ed Oliver.
- All-22 Analysis: Jordan Phillips had a very good 2019
- Contract projection for Jordan Phillips seems pretty big
- Bills don’t have an in-house replacement for Jordan Phillips
- Free agency options to replace Jordan Phillips at 3-tech
- The Bills could draft their next 3-tech rotational tackle
- Opinion: Why I wouldn’t re-sign Jordan Phillips
RB Frank Gore (24% voted to re-sign)
A low yards-per-carry average and an aging player don’t mix well. Most fans see this as an area they can upgrade pretty easily and even at a reasonably low salary, the future Hall of Fame running back would be on the outside looking in for the vast majority of Bills fans.
- All-22 review shows Frank Gore was better than his YPC average might indicate
- Contract projection for 37-year-old Frank Gore looks familiar
- In-house replacement options for Frank Gore
- Free agent options at running back are plentiful
- 2020 NFL Draft has power-back options
- Opinion: Gore brings more than just 3.6 yards per carry
- State of the Bills Roster: RBs Motor-ing toward 2020
Loading comments...