Jim Monos, Director of Player Personnel for the Buffalo Bills, made an appearance on The John Murphy Show on Tuesday evening. In his brief discussion with the host about the Bills' upcoming offseason plans, one of GM Doug Whaley's top aides spoke frankly about the Bills' apparent desire to upgrade their wide receiver position.
"Percy Harvin was supposed to be a big help for us, and we're still not sure what's going on. He's got to make some decisions here coming up. But we need to get someone opposite of (Sammy Watkins) to be a real threat to that defense," Monos told Murphy. "I think that's a big key for our offense to take one more step."
Monos was careful to point out that he didn't want to put words in the mouths of the Bills' offensive coaching staff, who are still conducting offseason player evaluations. That means that the position may be viewed differently by the coaches. But it could also mean that the front office is not satisfied with the play of some of the team's younger options, chiefly 2013 second-round pick Robert Woods.
In the first five games of the 2015 season, when Harvin was in the lineup, Woods played 234 snaps to Harvin's 240, so the playing time discrepancy was not great. Harvin, however, was targeted 30 times in the passing game and logged five rushes, while Woods saw just 17 targets in that same time frame.
The 23-year-old Woods, who has effectively served as the Bills' No. 2 receiver for most of the last three seasons, seems to know that he'll need to prove himself to Buffalo's coaches if he's going to stay with the team past his rookie contract, which expires after next season.
"That's the goal, that's the plan," Woods said after the season. "I always want to stick with Buffalo, my first team. I just want to put it all on tape, make sure that they want me. I've got some work in, and I've got some work to do."
It's only January 20, but the Bills have already been busy addressing their receiving corps this offseason, signing three veterans to contracts in Greg Salas, Jarrett Boykin, and Greg Little. It would be a surprise if any of them landed the No. 2 job next season, but clearly, the Bills are thinking about a bit of a makeover at receiver behind their top guy, Watkins.