Bills Set For 'Quiet' Free Agency?
Two years ago, the Buffalo Bills made a splash during free agency when they signed outside linebacker Von Miller to a six-year, $120 million contract.
The odds Buffalo makes a signing of that magnitude this offseason is far-fetched, though. Even after cutting several players, the Bills are $12 million over the cap, according to OverTheCap. Given those cap constraints, ESPN listed Buffalo as one of the teams they expect to have a quiet offseason.
"Similar to last year, the Bills have negative cap space and a number of key issues to address with their current players, which is why they cut a number of key players over the past week," ESPN writes. "For starters, WR Gabe Davis, who is young, fast and played 83% of the snaps, is a free agent. But Buffalo must also manage re-signing or replacing productive free agent veteran safety Micah Hyde, linebacker Leonard Floyd, and defensive linemen DaQuan Jones and Jordan Phillips."
The Bills cut safety Jordan Poyer, center Mitch Morse, cornerback Tre'Davious White, cornerback Siran Neal, receiver Deonte Harty and running back Nyheim Hines. Even with those players gone, the Bills still need to do some maneuvering to get under the cap.
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Receiver Gabe Davis, outside linebackers Leonard Floyd and A.J. Epenesa and safety Micah Hyde are among the Bills' free agents. Re-signing any of their pending free will be an uphill climb unless they make even more cap space by restructuring the contracts of quarterback Josh Allen and receiver Stefon Diggs.
The Bills still have some holes to fill if they're going to improve next season, and filling them through free agency seems unlikely barring a couple more moves before the tampering period begins on Monday at noon. The most noise Buffalo will make this offseason will likely depend on the draft and hitting on multiple players who can step in and contribute immediately.