The Buffalo Bills need an upgrade at pass rusher and they were in pursuit of one recent free-agent signing, according to Nate Taylor of The Athletic. Unfortunately, Taylor covers the Kansas City Chiefs, who were the ones to actually land Jarran Reed.
Reed, who has 19 sacks over the last three years, signed with the Chiefs on Sunday for one year and $7 million, including $5 million guaranteed. He was released on Friday by the Seattle Seahawks, adding a solid pass rusher to the free-agent market.
Buffalo has aging veterans Jerry Hughes and Mario Addison along with young players A.J. Epenesa and Darryl Johnson at defensive end. They recently released Quinton Jefferson and Trent Murphy is a free agent.
According to Taylor, “Reed was attracted by everything the Chiefs had to offer: a starting role, an upper-tier coaching staff led by Andy Reid and [defensive coordinator Steve] Spagnuolo, and a chance to compete for a championship.”
Ultimately, Reed’s ties to Chiefs defensive end Frank Taylor may have been what tipped the scales for Kansas City. The pair were teammates from 2016 to 2018 and Buffalo didn’t have that type of personal connection with Reed after Jefferson’s departure.
There are still some free-agent options at defensive end and Bills fans are looking toward the 2021 NFL Draft for a boost, as well.