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The Buffalo Bills 2023 season concluded with an 11-6 record, another AFC East crown, a No. 2 playoff seed, and another division-round exit.
GM Brandon Beane is looking to improve and help get the Bills into the Super Bowl in 2024.
To do so, this offseason, he'll aim to get Buffalo's roster younger at key positions and to hit on draft picks for more immediate contributors. He'll also restructure contracts and look at extensions to get under the salary cap.
Buffalo has another long list of players poised to hit free agency and some who could be cap casualties, so they’ll need to make a call on which of those players could factor into the team’s long-term plans to know who to prioritize.
From potential cut candidates to re-signings, to whether to let some players walk as free agents, here are some roster decisions the Bills must make for 2024...
Trubisky is now the Bills' strongest trade chip.
Third string QB and former Jets starter, Mike White, re-upped with Buffalo, and the practice squad QB Shane Buechele provides depth. So Buffalo's in the best position they've been in to flip Trubisky for a good return.
In terms of the current market, and why it's the best it's been for a Trubisky trade, is this year's NFL Draft is historically weak at the quarterback position group, with a full round dropoff between the two top QBs of their class who figure to come off the board in the first several picks.
Trubisky offers veteran and starter experience at a younger, prime age than some of those in the free agency market, but he also offers the type of redeemable talent in the right system that could make him an attractive option to teams looking to fill their quarterback room.
Like Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield, Trubisky was a top draft pick who could thrive in the right offense. And at the very least provide a reliable and experienced backup.
There are a number of teams that need a quarterback this offseason, whether as a starter or backup, or as a bridge to a younger QB in development. It would stand to reason that not all of them are going to find one in this draft, or want to go with some of the remaining QBs in the free agent market nearing the ends of their careers.
Enter Mitch Trubisky as the best option who could be the latest NFL reclamation player, bridge starter, or backup available via trade.
Advice for the Bills is to give the Vikings, Steelers, Browns, and Rams a call to offer Trubisky for some draft capital, a trade up or down the draft board, or a player at a position of need.
Cook turned up the hot stove at the start of the offseason with demands for a new contract at $15M per year. It was never a logical request in that the payroll and timeline are not subject to nor do they revolve around a single player.
What's more, the price tag, which would put him in the same tier as generational talents who've put up regular statistical seasons at the top of the league to earn their current deals, and who helped lead their teams to the Super Bowl in Christian McCaffrey and Saquon Barkley.
Cook has not done that. Yet.
He has had two consecutive seasons with 1,000+ yards rushing as an RB1 with consecutive Pro Bowl appearances though his latest was as an alternate swap in for Derrick Henry. 2024 was Cook's sole season so far at the top of the league in his position group, and his attempts to negotiate a new deal haven't worked as of yet.
The best thing for both parties would be for Cook to re-sign on a new deal with Buffalo. There aren't any NFL Super Bowl contenders with the type of historic quarterback Buffalo has outside of Kansas City, which is a club in transition that could be falling behind the other top contenders in the AFC. That being said, if Cook's camp wanted to get a fair deal done during this offseason, they would have just like the other five Bills players with new contracts did (Allen, Rousseau, Benford, Shakir, Bernard).
It would stand to reason that the Bills adding a deep threat receiver on offense in Josh Palmer, as well as a resurgent year for tight end Dalton Kincaid and receiver and Swiss Army weapon and rusher Curtis Samuel, as well as a next step by receiver Keon Coleman and receiving running back Ray Davis in their second year, and continued shared duties by recieving back Ty Johnson... Cook's opportunities to contribute in coordinator Joe Brady's diversely distributed offense figure to be around the same as the last two seasons.
That being said, one of the areas Brady's offense can improve is by going to playmakers a bit more, which could give Cook some more opportunities as well. Advice for the Bills is to continue to stay the course on Cook's situation and reward him with a fair new deal that reflects his development, role, and production over the past couple of seasons, plus this upcoming one if he plays without a new deal, as well as one in context of the offensive line that's helped make those seasons possible.
Advice for Cook is to be more realistic about the market and where he's at in his progression, align back with the Bills' culture and locker room too earn back trust, do the talking through with his play on the field, and to stop letting outside influences impact his behavior, which has been out of character for him as well as the team, and which created a self-focused distraction that he has expressed he didn't truly want to. The Bills will take care of him just like they do with their other players, but culture fit is as important to them as on-field performance.
Extension ready.
McGovern is the next player with whom the Bills might get a deal done. He's proven last season to have made the transition to Center, and would be one of the players that it makes the most sense to extend on a new pact that locks him in for additional time as a Bill and creates cap space. Advice is to get that deal done after the draft.
Knox is the type of player who could be a Bill-for-life, and is the most tenured and experienced target for Allen and is compensated as a TE1 would be.
He was not utilized that way enough by Brady last season, though he did turn in one of his most efficient seasons to date.
Knox is a prime candidate to restructure his deal and convert some of his earnings to a signing bonus to help the cap, and advice for him and the Bills is to do just that.
Like Knox, Dawkins is a tenured part of the Bills' offense who can help the team re-work his deal to help the team with cap space. Converting his $11.1 million base salary would create $9.43 million in cap space, and advice for both team and player is to do just that as well.
It's an important season for Samuel, he'll need to justify the contract he signed with Buffalo last offseason following a lackluster outing in his first season as a Bill. He showed signs of doing just that near the end of the 2024 campaign.
Advice for the Bills is to monitor Samuel's play closely this season, and if he underperforms, to rework his deal at a fairer price tag or move on in favor of Cook's new deal. Advice for Samuel is to keep his late-season productivity and momentum going to avoid those scenarios.
Johnson can be restructured as well to create cap space, and the advice to both player and team would be to do so and convert his salary to create some cap space.
Converting the majority of Oliver's $13.75 million base salary into a prorated signing bonus can create $8.33 million in savings in 2025 without adding any void years, whereas he entered he offseason carrying the third-largest cap hit.
Advice to Oliver and the Bills, to maximize their mutual timeline of Super Bowl competition window, is to restructure to free up cap space this season and beyond.
It's officially a kick-off between these two punters to see who will leg it out this season for Buffalo.
Camarada and Robbins will compete for starting duties after Buffalo released veteran Sam Martin.
Camarada's reserve/futures deal he signed with Buffalo in January gives the 25-year-old, who averaged 50 yards per punt with Tampa during the 2023 NFL season, a shot.
Robbins, at age 26, doesn't have the power Buffalo has looked for in the past in its kickers under Sean McDermott, but does offer the type of hang time that could prevent big returns.
As punter is evidently one of the key positions, Buffalo is looking to get younger at per last season's offseason mandate by GM Brandon Beane, letting these two duke it out in training camp, and/or adding another player to the competition to see who comes out on top, is the logical advice here.
Evans could be another returning project or an insurance policy as a depth piece should things start to be taken back in the wrong direction by Cook's camp.
Either way, he is a speedy prospect back who's been staggered by injuries and brought in, then cut loose by Buffalo before.
They clearly see something there to bring him back, and could keep him on if he plays out with upside to keep their running back group rotation and legs fresh during the regular season.
Advice on Evans is to let him compete as projected for a depth or practice squad spot to give them a next man up in the rotation or depth chart at a position that has a greater physical workload than some others, and similarly increased risk of injury.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: 10 roster decisions the Bills must make for 2025 and advice on each
Continue reading...
GM Brandon Beane is looking to improve and help get the Bills into the Super Bowl in 2024.
To do so, this offseason, he'll aim to get Buffalo's roster younger at key positions and to hit on draft picks for more immediate contributors. He'll also restructure contracts and look at extensions to get under the salary cap.
Buffalo has another long list of players poised to hit free agency and some who could be cap casualties, so they’ll need to make a call on which of those players could factor into the team’s long-term plans to know who to prioritize.
From potential cut candidates to re-signings, to whether to let some players walk as free agents, here are some roster decisions the Bills must make for 2024...
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QB Mitch Trubisky
Trubisky is now the Bills' strongest trade chip.
Third string QB and former Jets starter, Mike White, re-upped with Buffalo, and the practice squad QB Shane Buechele provides depth. So Buffalo's in the best position they've been in to flip Trubisky for a good return.
In terms of the current market, and why it's the best it's been for a Trubisky trade, is this year's NFL Draft is historically weak at the quarterback position group, with a full round dropoff between the two top QBs of their class who figure to come off the board in the first several picks.
Trubisky offers veteran and starter experience at a younger, prime age than some of those in the free agency market, but he also offers the type of redeemable talent in the right system that could make him an attractive option to teams looking to fill their quarterback room.
Like Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield, Trubisky was a top draft pick who could thrive in the right offense. And at the very least provide a reliable and experienced backup.
There are a number of teams that need a quarterback this offseason, whether as a starter or backup, or as a bridge to a younger QB in development. It would stand to reason that not all of them are going to find one in this draft, or want to go with some of the remaining QBs in the free agent market nearing the ends of their careers.
Enter Mitch Trubisky as the best option who could be the latest NFL reclamation player, bridge starter, or backup available via trade.
Advice for the Bills is to give the Vikings, Steelers, Browns, and Rams a call to offer Trubisky for some draft capital, a trade up or down the draft board, or a player at a position of need.
RB James Cook
Cook turned up the hot stove at the start of the offseason with demands for a new contract at $15M per year. It was never a logical request in that the payroll and timeline are not subject to nor do they revolve around a single player.
What's more, the price tag, which would put him in the same tier as generational talents who've put up regular statistical seasons at the top of the league to earn their current deals, and who helped lead their teams to the Super Bowl in Christian McCaffrey and Saquon Barkley.
Cook has not done that. Yet.
He has had two consecutive seasons with 1,000+ yards rushing as an RB1 with consecutive Pro Bowl appearances though his latest was as an alternate swap in for Derrick Henry. 2024 was Cook's sole season so far at the top of the league in his position group, and his attempts to negotiate a new deal haven't worked as of yet.
The best thing for both parties would be for Cook to re-sign on a new deal with Buffalo. There aren't any NFL Super Bowl contenders with the type of historic quarterback Buffalo has outside of Kansas City, which is a club in transition that could be falling behind the other top contenders in the AFC. That being said, if Cook's camp wanted to get a fair deal done during this offseason, they would have just like the other five Bills players with new contracts did (Allen, Rousseau, Benford, Shakir, Bernard).
It would stand to reason that the Bills adding a deep threat receiver on offense in Josh Palmer, as well as a resurgent year for tight end Dalton Kincaid and receiver and Swiss Army weapon and rusher Curtis Samuel, as well as a next step by receiver Keon Coleman and receiving running back Ray Davis in their second year, and continued shared duties by recieving back Ty Johnson... Cook's opportunities to contribute in coordinator Joe Brady's diversely distributed offense figure to be around the same as the last two seasons.
That being said, one of the areas Brady's offense can improve is by going to playmakers a bit more, which could give Cook some more opportunities as well. Advice for the Bills is to continue to stay the course on Cook's situation and reward him with a fair new deal that reflects his development, role, and production over the past couple of seasons, plus this upcoming one if he plays without a new deal, as well as one in context of the offensive line that's helped make those seasons possible.
Advice for Cook is to be more realistic about the market and where he's at in his progression, align back with the Bills' culture and locker room too earn back trust, do the talking through with his play on the field, and to stop letting outside influences impact his behavior, which has been out of character for him as well as the team, and which created a self-focused distraction that he has expressed he didn't truly want to. The Bills will take care of him just like they do with their other players, but culture fit is as important to them as on-field performance.
C Conor McGovern
Extension ready.
McGovern is the next player with whom the Bills might get a deal done. He's proven last season to have made the transition to Center, and would be one of the players that it makes the most sense to extend on a new pact that locks him in for additional time as a Bill and creates cap space. Advice is to get that deal done after the draft.
TE Dawson Knox
Knox is the type of player who could be a Bill-for-life, and is the most tenured and experienced target for Allen and is compensated as a TE1 would be.
He was not utilized that way enough by Brady last season, though he did turn in one of his most efficient seasons to date.
Knox is a prime candidate to restructure his deal and convert some of his earnings to a signing bonus to help the cap, and advice for him and the Bills is to do just that.
LT Dion Dawkins
Like Knox, Dawkins is a tenured part of the Bills' offense who can help the team re-work his deal to help the team with cap space. Converting his $11.1 million base salary would create $9.43 million in cap space, and advice for both team and player is to do just that as well.
WR Curtis Samuel
It's an important season for Samuel, he'll need to justify the contract he signed with Buffalo last offseason following a lackluster outing in his first season as a Bill. He showed signs of doing just that near the end of the 2024 campaign.
Advice for the Bills is to monitor Samuel's play closely this season, and if he underperforms, to rework his deal at a fairer price tag or move on in favor of Cook's new deal. Advice for Samuel is to keep his late-season productivity and momentum going to avoid those scenarios.
CB Taron Johnson
Johnson can be restructured as well to create cap space, and the advice to both player and team would be to do so and convert his salary to create some cap space.
DT Ed Oliver
Converting the majority of Oliver's $13.75 million base salary into a prorated signing bonus can create $8.33 million in savings in 2025 without adding any void years, whereas he entered he offseason carrying the third-largest cap hit.
Advice to Oliver and the Bills, to maximize their mutual timeline of Super Bowl competition window, is to restructure to free up cap space this season and beyond.
P Jake Camarda & P Brad Robbins
It's officially a kick-off between these two punters to see who will leg it out this season for Buffalo.
Camarada and Robbins will compete for starting duties after Buffalo released veteran Sam Martin.
Camarada's reserve/futures deal he signed with Buffalo in January gives the 25-year-old, who averaged 50 yards per punt with Tampa during the 2023 NFL season, a shot.
Robbins, at age 26, doesn't have the power Buffalo has looked for in the past in its kickers under Sean McDermott, but does offer the type of hang time that could prevent big returns.
As punter is evidently one of the key positions, Buffalo is looking to get younger at per last season's offseason mandate by GM Brandon Beane, letting these two duke it out in training camp, and/or adding another player to the competition to see who comes out on top, is the logical advice here.
RB Darryngton Evans
Evans could be another returning project or an insurance policy as a depth piece should things start to be taken back in the wrong direction by Cook's camp.
Either way, he is a speedy prospect back who's been staggered by injuries and brought in, then cut loose by Buffalo before.
They clearly see something there to bring him back, and could keep him on if he plays out with upside to keep their running back group rotation and legs fresh during the regular season.
Advice on Evans is to let him compete as projected for a depth or practice squad spot to give them a next man up in the rotation or depth chart at a position that has a greater physical workload than some others, and similarly increased risk of injury.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: 10 roster decisions the Bills must make for 2025 and advice on each
Continue reading...
