Buffalo Bills Free Agency Update: Wednesday, March 8th
By Ryan Brennan
The Buffalo Bills have made a few early moves in free agency and have cleared any doubts about the direction the team wants to go in.
On Wednesday, the NFL saw a number of big names in free agency come to agreements with teams — including the Buffalo Bills. Although none of the signings can be made official until today (Thursday), the Bills have already shown that they are looking to win immediately.
There won’t be a rebuild in Buffalo this year, folks.
BuffaLowDown will be giving daily updates throughout the offseason as the team begins to make some big changes to the roster. We start with the announcements that were made on Wednesday, one day before the start of free agency.
P Colton Schmidt
A day after being released by the Buffalo Bills, the team re-signed him. The move didn’t come to anyone’s surprise, as this was most likely planned out to bring him back at a lower price.
Schmidt has spent the past three seasons as the Bills’ punter and has totaled 10,672 yards with 73 punts inside the 20 yard line (career-high 31 in 2016).
HB Mike Tolbert
Mike Tolbert came as a bit of a surprise to me, but I definitely can’t complain about it. He has spent the past five seasons with the Carolina Panthers as a fullback and will be entering his 10th season in the NFL. He hasn’t had many injury issues, except in 2014 when he only appeared in 8 games.
Tolbert has spent time as both a halfback and fullback, but will be listed as a halfback for the Buffalo Bills. According to ESPN, he will sign a one-year, $1 million contract. He will bring versatility to the top rushing attack in the NFL and will likely be featured mainly for short yardage situations.
Tolbert has experience working with Sean McDermott while in Carolina.
FB Patrick DiMarco
Another addition that will elevate an already-dominant run-game, the Buffalo Bills are expected to sign Patrick DiMarco on Thursday to a 4-year deal worth $8.5 million — $4 million guaranteed. This likely means that Jerome Felton will not return to the Bills.
DiMarco will be a good target in the passing game, which will help Tyrod Taylor (who we’ll get to soon), but will also be used to block for Shady McCoy and (hopefully) Mike Gillislee.
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QB Tyrod Taylor
Yes, Tyrod Taylor will wear a Buffalo Bills‘ uniform next season and boy am I excited. The team announced that he will return on a restructured contract — which has yet to be confirmed. It was reported that both sides were split on what to do, which ultimately led to both parties playing it safe.
With Taylor back, the Bills’ run-game won’t take as much of a hit as I originally expected. With the additions they will make on day one of free agency, they hold a good chance at winning the rushing title for the third consecutive season.
OG Vlad Ducasse
Vlad Ducasse will bring versatility to the Buffalo Bills‘ offensive line — much like Ryan Groy brought the team last season. He’s a 7-year veteran that can play both guard and tackle. Because of that, there’s a chance we see him in the running for starting right tackle. With Jordan Mills still a free agent, that possibility is high.
Ducasse also has experience with the Bills’ new offensive line coach Juan Castillo last season while in Baltimore. The familiarity should bode well for Ducasse.
WR Marcus Easley
The Buffalo Bills announced on Wednesday that Marcus Easley has been released. The team saved $1.02 million in cap space.
WR Marquise Goodwin
Marquise Goodwin was an unrestricted free agent and will play for the San Francisco 49ers next season.
Ryan Groy and Mike Gillislee
As previously reported, the Bills have placed their tenders on both Ryan Groy and Mike Gillislee. If Gillislee isn’t retained, Buffalo will receive a fifth round draft pick. If Groy isn’t retained, they will receive nothing.
We are still waiting for a decision on both.
Stay tuned as I’m sure more announcements will be coming on the daily!
Next: Buffalo Bills Need to Sign a Veteran QB as a Backup
What’s your favorite move so far? Leave your thoughts below!