Heading into free agency, the Buffalo Bills were a team with many areas of need, among them: bolstering the offensive line, improving the wide receivers, adding a tight end, an edge rusher, a cornerback, and a kickoff/punt return standout, and potentially bringing in running back help.
On the latest episode of Billieve: A Buffalo Bills Fan Podcast, host John Boccacino and co-host Anthony Marino discuss the nine free agents (so far) brought in by the Buffalo Bills.
With their nine-person free agent class, general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott seem to have addressed most of the holes on a team with a top-five defense and an incomplete offense behind second-year pro Josh Allen.
The podcast started out discussing the comments made by members of the national media trashing the city of Buffalo as a bad place for free agents. Boccacino and Marino lauded Beane for his press conference defending both the franchise and the city.
After briefly revisiting the Antonio Brown drama, the podcast got back to the actual free agents the Bills signed, and their impact in 2019 and beyond.
By bringing in WRs John Brown and Cole Beasley, Buffalo immediately upgraded a wide receiver room that also features Zay Jones, Robert Foster, Isaiah McKenzie, and Duke Johnson. Brown signed a three-year, $27 million dollar deal and becomes Allen’s deep threat, while Beasley inked a four-year, $29 million dollar deal to give Allen a talented slot receiver and safety blanket target over the middle of the field.
C Mitch Morse was one of the top two centers available in free agency, and the Bills locked him up to a four-year, $44.5-million deal. While the money is significant, so is the impact Morse will have leading an offensive line that was porous in 2018.
All-Pro and Pro Bowl return standout Andre Roberts should bolster a return game that lacked a dynamic return threat in 2018. Roberts averaged 29.4 yards per kickoff return and 14.1 yards per punt return in 2018.
The Bills also added valuable depth along the offensive line in T Ty Nsekhe and G John Feliciano while bringing in the ageless Frank Gore to vie for snaps in the backfield, and Tyler Kroft, a talented two-way tight end who has battled injuries in his young career.
While Buffalo hasn’t signed any edge rushers, the Bills did bring in Kevin Johnson to shore up the cornerback position. Johnson is a former first-round pick who has also dealt with injuries, but who should provide depth at the position.
What do you think, Bills fans? How did Beane and McDermott fare in free agency. Which signings do you love, which do you hate, and why? Who else would you like to see the Bills go after? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section, and check out our podcast for thoughts on these topics and more on the latest Billieve: A Buffalo Bills Fan Podcast.
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