2016 Buffalo Bills Offseason: Pass Or Fail?
The Buffalo Bills had many needs to address this offseason and very little salary cap space to do so. Let’s take a look at some of their positions of need and rate them pass or fail as to whether they addressed the need adequately. There are some positions we won’t talk about but that’s because they weren’t major areas of need.
Backup Quarterback – Pass
With Tyrod Taylor and E.J. Manuel on the last year of their deals the question was not whether the Bills would add a backup but whether they would do so in free agency or in the draft. The Bills went with the better approach when they selected Cardale Jones with the last pick of the 4th round in the draft. In the immediate future it provides the Bills with a very raw player who probably is not ready to fill in for Tyrod if he were to get injured but down the road, Jones has the potential to be a franchise quarterback for the team. What remains to be seen is whether he will realize his full potential. Finding a guy with the amount of potential that Cardale has while only having to use a fourth round pick is why the Bills ultimately received a passing grade.
Wide Receiver – Fail
Sammy Watkins had a breakout season for the Bills and really started to develop chemistry with Tyrod Taylor in the second half of the year. Unfortunately, he now has a broken bone in his foot but that is expected to heal before the season starts. The Bills entered the offseason needing another receiver to play opposite Watkins to take some of the pressure off of Tyrod. Robert Woods played with a groin injury all last season and wasn’t able to produce the way the team had hoped. The Bills will now have to rely on either him to step up or sixth round pick Kolby Listenbee to prove that he is more than just speed but it’s not guaranteed that Listenbee even makes the team. The Bills did not do enough at this position in the offseason and that’s why they are receiving a failing grade.
Next: Defensive Tackle and Defensive End Grades
Defensive End/Outside Linebacker – Pass
The Bills found their replacement for Mario Williams when one of the best pass rushers in the draft, Shaq Lawson, fell right into their laps in the first round. Lawson dropped a bit due to concerns about his shoulder that some teams had. Those concerns turned out to be legitimate as he underwent surgery earlier this week and could miss anywhere from a game to a few months of the season. Despite this injury, the Bills still got a tremendously talented player who they weren’t expecting to be available when they were on the clock. The short-term pain of finding a replacement to start in place of him is not that bad compared to the long-term gain of getting a top caliber player like Lawson. If he comes back this season and plays well and goes on to have a great career for the Bills no one is going to remember that he needed surgery before playing a game for the team. The Bills get a passing grade here because they addressed a position of need in a big way with a very talented player and the injury is something he played with since his freshman year and should not be that big of a concern to Bills fans.
Defensive Tackle – Pass
The Bills defensive tackle spot was upgraded this offseason when they took Adolphus Washington from Ohio State in the third round of the draft. They did a great job adding a player who was projected to be picked much higher and who is versatile enough to play at a couple different spots on the line which is always a benefit in Rex Ryan’s multiple look defense. Adolphus even has the potential to grow into Kyle Williams replacement one day. Speaking of Kyle, he will return this season from an injury which will provide the team a boost at the position. They should get much more production this year from their defensive tackles. In Rex’s system Marcell Dareus is likely to play the nose most often but all of these players will be moving around the line during the season. The Bills pass because they did a good job of adding solid depth with big potential in the future.
Next: Safety and Middle Linebacker Grades
Safety – Fail
The Bills had a number of concerns heading into the offseason at safety. Aaron Williams suffered a neck injury that caused him to miss most of last season and has the potential to end his career. He is going to try to play this season but he admitted if it doesn’t feel right that he would not hesitate to retire. He’s confident he is fine but there’s no guarantee and a neck injury is not one to mess with. Corey Graham’s coverage skills dropped off towards the end of the year despite the fact that he led the team in tackles. He will start opposite Aaron Williams assuming Aaron can play. The Bills let Leodis McKelvin go in the offseason and he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. They brought in Robert Blanton but he is not enough. The Bills remain way to thin at the position especially considering the uncertainty with Williams health and this is why they got a failing grade.
Middle Linebacker – Pass
With Preston Brown as the Bills only decent option at middle linebacker, the Bills knew they had to address this position in the offseason in a major way. Brown struggled to make the calls for the team last year in the huddle and they needed a better option to play alongside him and possibly even to replace him. The Bills brought in two players who can compete with Brown for a starting spot but it’s only likely that one of them will actually do that. Second round draft pick Reggie Ragland is that guy. He was projected to go in the first round by many experts and the Bills did a great job trading up to get him in order to address this major need. The other player the Bills added was Zach Brown who was the only free agent that they signed from another team that they paid more than the veteran minimum to. The Bills added a starter with a second round pick in the draft and a good depth player at a reasonable price in free agency. They passed this test with flying colors!
Next: Offensive Guard, Tackle and Overall Grades
Offensive Tackle – Fail
Yes the Bills handled the Cordy Glenn situation masterfully by giving him the franchise tag at first and then negotiating a deal with Glenn that pays him like one of the best in the league over the length of the deal but also lowers his salary cap hit by $7.5 million for the Bills this season. However, the team has many uncertainties surrounding the right tackle spot and they did nothing to address that need. Even if Seantrel Henderson can return, it’s not likely it would be by the beginning of the season. Jordan Mills right now is expected to start on the right side of the line and he was very inconsistent last year for the team. The Bills other right tackle Cyrus Kouandjio has battled chronic knee issues his entire career and so the team is extremely weak at this position. They definitely deserve a failing grade for their lack of action addressing their offensive tackle needs during the offseason.
Offensive Guard – Pass
It may seem weird they are receiving a passing grade when they did nothing to improve the position in the offseason. The Bills were able to resign Richie Incognito to lock down the left guard spot. At right guard the play of rookie John Miller was shaky at times but it was his first season and he should continue to improve the longer he is in the league. The Bills had limited resources in both salary cap space and with draft picks and they just couldn’t afford to do anything else to address this position. It’s not even their biggest position of need on the offensive line where the right tackle spot is much more a question mark. They are just going to have to hope that Miller improves in his second year. They get a passing grade because they were able to keep Incognito and they focused their limited resources of money and draft picks on bigger positions of need.
Next: 2016 Buffalo Bills: Reasons for Optimism and Pessimism
Overall – Pass
The Bills ultimately passed the test at most of the positions that they needed to upgrade this offseason. That’s impressive considering how creative they had to be with the salary cap in order to make it all happen. The team should have a lot more cap space to work with next offseason which should make their jobs a little easier. While the offseason wasn’t a perfect success the executives at One Bills Drive did a good job at doing the best they could for the team with scarce resources.