For the third time in four days, the Buffalo Bills have locked up a starter who was heading to free agency. On Sunday, it was guard Jon Feliciano following the signing of Matt Milano on Thursday and Daryl Williams on Friday. Matt Parrino was the first with the news, reporting it as a deal worth up to $17 million.
The deal is a hometown discount for Feliciano, who fought through injuries in 2020 but has been a solid player in Buffalo the last two seasons. I had projected a deal worth north of $7 million per year, but he settled on a contract that will pay him under $6 million per season.
With the signing of Williams and Feliciano, the Bills are bringing back their projected starting offensive line from a year ago before Feliciano was hurt in the offseason. Dion Dawkins, Cody Ford, Mitch Morse, Jon Feliciano, and Daryl Williams are now penciled in (like really pressed down pencil that’s hard to erase) as the starting five from left to right. Ryan Bates will have a place as a primary backup, but the Bills will still need to add depth.
With the signing, the only place on the roster without a returning starter is cornerback, where Levi Wallace and Josh Norman are both free agents. They also have a hole at punter, where Corey Bojorquez is a free agent. Tight end, returner, backup QB, defensive end, and several depth spots are still up for grabs, as well.
The NFL’s legal tampering period opens on Monday and Buffalo may have already made all of their signings official before the offseason kicks off.