Buffalo Bills: Why the Bills should make a push to sign Dez Bryant
The Buffalo Bills receiving corps isn’t the greatest. So free agent receiver Dez Bryant is a perfect fit for the Bills. Why not, right?
Heading into the draft, the Buffalo Bills desperately needed some help. The Bills got help where they needed it most, at both the linebacker position and at quarterback.
As we all know, Buffalo traded up to the seventh spot and swapped picks with Tampa Bay. Buffalo then selected Josh Allen with the No. 7 overall pick, and also added linebacker Tremaine Edmunds at pick No. 16. But one position the Bills didn’t do so well on was at the wide receiver spot.
The Bills used their last two picks to draft wide receivers, but it still seems that the receiver depth continues to be a problem heading into 2018. The Bills selected Ray-Ray McCloud in the sixth-round at No. 187 overall. Brandon Beane didn’t stop there, as the Bills selected Austin Proehl in the seventh round at No. 255 overall. Both receivers stand under 5-foot-11, so if either one manages to make the 53-man roster in September, it’ll likely be as a return man or in the slot.
Kelvin Benjamin and Zay Jones are good but they don’t make Allen better, as they’re both not the quickest receivers. Jones though clearly has something to prove going into the 2018 season after he was found in a hotel in Los Angeles bloodied and battered, after he kicked his foot through a glass window. Jones is also coming off a horrendous rookie year.
On 74 targets, Jones hauled in 27 catches for 316 yards and just two touchdowns. He also had seven drops and had a catch rate of 36.5 percent. It’s clear to see that Jones just flat-out needs to be better.
Other pieces on offense seem to be fine. Charles Clay has his moments and LeSean McCoy is still one of the best running backs in the league. But the entire offense can’t rely on a 29-year-old McCoy. It seems that one piece to the offensive puzzle could possibly be free agent wide receiver Dez Bryant.
Throw Up The X
Bryant, who remains a free agent, could possibly be looking for a one-year deal with any team. The one-year deal that Bryant could possibly be looking for shares similarities to the final year of a player’s contract. A “go out and prove them wrong” type of deal. With a deal like this Bryant can make management question whether or not he is worth the risk. Bryant is still a very good player and could easily help out Buffalo’s offense.
Is Bryant the same player that he was four or even five years ago? Absolutely not. But he could still make an impact on the field, and could even act as a mentor towards Benjamin, Jones, and even McCloud and Proehl.
The addition of Bryant would not only help out the receivers, but it would also be beneficial to Allen. Bryant would take some pressure off of Allen, as this would allow him to just relax and play his game. Imagine having the two together, Allen would be relaxed and all he would have to do is throw up fade passes to Bryant.
Bryant would help the Bills immensely, especially in the red zone. The Bills finished the 2017 season with a red zone scoring percentage of 51 percent.
Next: A post-draft interview discussing the Tyrod Taylor trade
Bryant will turn 30 years old in November and is coming off a season that saw him rack up 69 catches for 839 yards and six touchdowns.