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Buffalo Bills Free Agency: Tre Boston Visits One Bills Drive

By Daniel Hahn

Oct 30, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers free safety Tre Boston (33) is introduced before the game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 30, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers free safety Tre Boston (33) is introduced before the game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Former Carolina Panthers safety Tre Boston is planning a visit to One Bills Drive. Will he find a spot on the Buffalo Bills’ roster?

As the Buffalo Bills prepare for more offseason workouts, they are still looking for ways to improve their roster. Recently, the Bills brought former Panthers’ tight end Gary Barnidge in for a visit. Now, its another ex-Panther who is planning to come to Buffalo. This time, it’s safety Tre Boston.

How will this turn out?

Boston is a former Carolina Panther who obviously has started for Head Coach Sean McDermott before. He would be entering his 4th year and is a former 4th round pick from the University of North Carolina.

In three seasons with Carolina, he has a career stat line of just over 100 tackles and 3 interceptions. Numbers don’t always tell the full story, but it doesn’t seem like Boston was around the ball a whole lot. If he was, he wasn’t finishing many plays.

Looking at Carolina with Luke Keuchly and Thomas Davis making A LOT of tackles, this may not be too alarming.

Coming to Buffalo would allow Boston to continue to develop in a system he is familiar with and give McDermott another defensive player he knows.

Entering the draft, the safety position was one that outsiders thought the Buffalo Bills would continue to add to. They didn’t, so seeing a player like Boston visit Buffalo isn’t surprising.

From reading about Boston, the “handwriting was on the wall” for his release following the Panthers additions and depth at safety. This is still a very young player who was making under $2 million a season, so there is room for him to grow and he shouldn’t break the bank.

Safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer have an inside track on the starting safety positions, but the Bills MUST add depth to protect them. Poyer hasn’t played a full season since 2014, when he was mostly a special teams player only.

Poyer also hasn’t started so he will have growing pains as he sees some things for the first time in this defense. Boston is going through a similar transition where he has some starting experience, but really needs more to secure his NFL future as a starting caliber player.

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Based on his visits, it would appear that Los Angeles and Buffalo would provide him the best opportunity to start right away. He fills a need for both teams, and each defense will be going through a brand new scheme.

Where Buffalo may have an edge is that Boston knows McDermott and the defense already. He should be able to play faster than Poyer from the outset and establish himself as the starting safety outside of Hyde.

I do want Boston to come to Buffalo and compete with Poyer because competition never hurt. I am just not positive that Tre Boston will beat out Poyer, even with the logic used in the prior paragraph.

Poyer is coming off an injury and clearly has shown flashes on film of being the type of safety McDermott wants. Boston can help ease Poyer back into the swing of things. If Boston makes the same clutch mistakes he did in Carolina, Poyer can replace him.

I expect Boston IF he signs in Buffalo to be on a very short contract (1 to 2 years), and for him to start over Poyer at the start of camp. Will he finish there and start the regular season at safety? That would remain to be seen.

Next: Buffalo Bills continue to add depth at cornerback

Do you want Tre Boston to sign with the Buffalo Bills? Leave your thoughts below!

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