As OTAs get underway, there is still plenty to tinker with on the current Buffalo Bills roster. As Brandon Beane has proven in his year with the team, he isn’t afraid to make moves of all sizes.
The current structure of the Buffalo Bills roster is by no means complete. There are question marks around the offensive line and wide receiver positions while the defense has plenty of new pieces that need to work together. Several young pieces will also get opportunities to make a difference in year one or two of their careers and become a regular in the starting lineup.
There are plenty of quality players out on the open market that could be good fits for the Bills. Some players available for trade are stuck lower on the depth chart and just need an opportunity to make their impact, and the Bills could offer that for them.
The team could serve to give younger players on their roster opportunities to build up the youth of the team and build the core of the Bills’ future.
With the roster still in flux, I don’t believe that the team will compete quite like they did last season. This season should allow players to develop and if everyone develops together, the team could see themselves in a place to repeat last season and sneak into the postseason.
I have outlined several moves that the team could explore as OTAs and offseason activities begin and training camp sneaks up on us. These include bringing in players, trading some away, and opening up cap space. I view these as not only short-term solutions, but moves that would make the team better in the long-term.
Sign Luke Joeckel
Joeckel is a 26-year-old offensive lineman that has seen time at tackle and guard in his brief NFL career. What makes him stand out other than his versatility is his potential. Luke was the second overall pick in 2013 by the Jacksonville Jaguars to be the franchise left tackle.
While that obviously didn’t work out, Joeckel is still very young and he has a solid skill-set. You aren’t drafted second overall without some sort of ability, and I think Joeckel could be someone that would be a low-risk, high-reward free agent pickup.
In his first several seasons in the league, Joeckel has seen plenty of controversy. Despite nearly being the first overall pick in 2013, the former Texas A&M product has struggled. He has suffered both ankle and knee injuries, as well as performing poorly at left tackle. Even though he has had his issues, he still has upside.
With the questions along the offensive line, Luke has an opportunity to come in immediately and compete for a starting spot. His primary two positions in the NFL have been along the left side of the line as he was drafted as a left tackle, but has shifted to left guard as his career has gone on. He also saw time at right tackle his rookie season with the Jags.
Last season the former All-American played and started 11 games for the Seahawks at left guard, showing he is still starting caliber in the NFL. With so many open spots on the line up for grabs, I don’t see how there is a losing scenario with taking a chance on Joeckel.
If he is healthy enough to play tackle, he could fill a need on the right side. With his experience at guard, he could plug a hole on the left side as well. Regardless, he would be a cheap option with the potential for a big reward.
Trade for Tyler Boyd
More than a hero to Bills fans, Tyler Boyd is a good receiver. The No. 55 overall selection in the 2016 NFL Draft, Boyd isn’t far removed from his college days and he is cost controlled as well as young with plenty of talent.
Coming out of college, he compared to players like Keenan Allen and Jarvis Landry due to his route running, hand strength and lack of elite speed. Allen and Landry are two of the best slot receivers in the NFL and if Boyd can compare to those two, he can be a perfect fit for the Bills at the slot position as well.
Cincinnati may consider trading him because they have A.J. Green, Brandon LaFell, and John Ross was a top-10 pick last season. Boyd was a second-round pick, but he hasn’t seen the production that might warrant that selection. The Bills already have a solid relationship with the Bengals after the Cordy Glenn trade and could explore another trade here.
I like Boyd because he is a bigger body at 6-foot-2. He, like Zay Jones, can play the slot or on the outside. Boyd could stick to the slot here and develop there as he uses his precise route running and strong hands to get open underneath.
Not to mention he has probably caught a pass or two from new Bills quarterback AJ McCarron plenty of times before. He could also grow with Josh Allen and provide the team a young wide receiver group with Zay Jones.
It is a deal that could may plenty of sense for the Bills and if Kelvin Benjamin leaves at season’s end, the team isn’t still weak at the position moving into 2019.
Trade Shaq Lawson
I go back and forth with the idea of this because he is still so young. Lawson has been bitten with the injury bug in his first two seasons in the NFL. He has totaled six sacks in his two seasons, which seems like not a lot because of his first-round pick status – but a lot when you consider he has only started 11 games in his career.
Lawson has also never been able to find a fit in Buffalo. He was drafted to be a 3-4 outside linebacker by Rex Ryan and purely rush the passer, which isn’t his strong suit. Then McDermott came in and he went to his natural position of defensive end. However, in his time last season with the team, he has never been able to be an effective pass rusher.
While he is a good run defender, that isn’t what the team needs right now – which is evident by the team signing Trent Murphy to a three-year deal this offseason. It may be time for Lawson to get a fresh start elsewhere.
It is almost certain that the Bills weren’t the only team with a first-round grade on Lawson, and he was most likely the player atop a team’s big board in the 2016 draft. Making a few calls around the league to see who may be still interested in a young, talented prospect to get a good return may be a wise idea for the Bills.
Again with the signing of Murphy, the team has filled its pass rushing need. Eddie Yarbrough is a very similar player to Lawson and can spell Murphy on running downs as well. Moving Lawson could get a promising return and allow for him to maximize his potential in a new situation.
Sign Mychal Kendricks
Kendricks was released by the Eagles on Tuesday after playing six years with the team. Over his six-year tenure in Philly, the 5-foot-11 linebacker has amassed 454 total tackles, 14 sacks and three interceptions. He has started 74 games and played in at least 13 games each season.
The linebacking position has gone through some major changes in the last year. It began with Matt Milano taking on the starting role halfway through the season in 2017. This offseason, Preston Brown moved on in free agency as he signed with the Cincinnati Bengals. Finally, Tremaine Edmunds was selected at the No. 16 overall pick in last month’s draft.
While Lorenzo Alexander is still slotted as the third starting linebacker on the defense this season, the Bills could opt to sign Kendricks to continue the youth movement at the position. His versatility could also be big for the defense as they play a base 4-3 or line up in the nickel.
At Cal, Kendricks played middle linebacker but he lined up on the outside at the pro level. He is a solid tackler but also ran a 4.43 at the combine several years back. While his speed has surely diminished some, adding a player that can move like that and is a sure tackler is never a bad idea.
Adding a veteran with a skill-set like that next to a young, athletic, and fast duo like Milano and Edmunds could be a major boost to an improving defense.
Trade Charles Clay
With three quarterbacks on the roster that only have a handful of starts combined and a weak wide receiver position, trading away one of the team’s best pass-catching options doesn’t necessarily seem like the best idea. However, Clay is injury prone and has the team’s second highest cap figure.
The Bills have been unable to fully utilize Clay in his time with the team because of quarterback play. Last season he had good numbers for a player in a bad passing offense, but I think the team needs to get younger at the position and shed some money.
Moving Clay would not do anything for the cap this season and you would have another $9 million in dead cap money this season, but it will create an additional $4.5 million in cap space next season (courtesy of Spotrac). Clay is going to be 28 this season and already with knee and back injuries, it doesn’t make a ton of sense to keep him as he gets older and makes the second most on the team.
This would obviously open up a hole at tight end, and while the team needs pass-catchers, I don’t see this season going as well as the last. You can find a veteran tight end in free agency or trade for a one-year fix. You could even give Nick O’Leary and Logan Thomas expanded roles to see what they are capable of.
One option I would love would be to make a deal for Tyler Eifert. While he is more injury prone than Clay, I have loved Eifert since his days at Notre Dame and wanted the Bills to take him over EJ Manuel. He is a matchup nightmare and extremely athletic. Eifert is a big body and can make every catch and run extremely effective routes.
It isn’t a move that makes a ton of sense, but Eifert is on a one-year deal with the Bengals for a max of $8 million. He could be a one-year fix for the Bills and if he plays well and stays healthy, the team could lock him up long-term.
Let the later-round rookies play
The team drafted several rookies that could be impact players in year one. Their first three picks of Josh Allen, Tremaine Edmunds and Harrison Phillips will all make impacts this season, but I really like the later-round players the team selected and the upside they all offer.
Cornerback Taron Johnson was the team’s fourth-round pick and he should be in immediate contention to be the team’s slot corner. While he may not earn the starting spot immediately, he should be given every chance to. His abilities make him a solid fit for the slot role and it could help solidify the position for years.
Wyatt Teller was the first of the team’s two fifth-round picks and could easily be a starter come August. With the wide open competition on the interior of the offensive line and Teller’s above average run/pass-blocking abilities, it is a perfect storm for Teller to be a day-one player. Both guard positions are wide open and ready for the taking. Teller could combine with Dion Dawkins to help build a youthful offensive line.
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The second of the two fifth-round picks in Siran Neal played both safety and linebacker in college. Defenses are now going smaller and faster, and Neal can fill two voids at once.
He could be next in line of a generation of safeties converting to linebacker and helping out on passing downs.
Thomas Davis of the Carolina Panthers played safety in college and is now one of the better coverage linebackers in the NFL.
McDermott could work Neal into the same type of role, especially to spell Lorenzo Alexander on third downs.
Sixth-round pick Ray-Ray McCloud should be the team’s starting kick and punt returner right now. Brandon Tate wasn’t re-signed and McCloud has tons of experience in the kick return department, meaning he is a natural replacement.
On offense, he could also add another wrinkle to Brian Daboll’s scheme and be a gadget player for the Bills.
The team’s final pick of the draft, Austin Proehl, should have a chance to win the starting slot receiver role. While he was a seventh-round pick, he runs solid routes and is quick off the line. His main competition at the position is Jeremy Kerley and I can see a scenario where he is beaten out.
Proehl is similar to the type of players that New England has play the slot position, and Daboll is bringing the Erhardt-Perkins system to the Bills in which the Patriots currently run. It turns out that Proehl may be more than just a late-round flyer.
Each of the eight draft picks that the team selected in April should get a shot to start. In each area, the team selected for need but also a player that has the potential to make an immediate impact.
Restructure veteran deals
According to Spotrac, the Bills have about $18.3 million in cap space right now. While that seems like a good amount, the team could use some more. Free agents will hit the market after cuts in training camp and the team still has needs to fill.
However, if the team makes some of the moves I laid out above, they’ll need extra cap space. If the team was to restructure the contracts of LeSean McCoy, Jerry Hughes, Andre Holmes and Patrick DiMarco, it would create just over $6 million in cap space.
I don’t want to cut any of those players and the Bills definitely wouldn’t either, but moving some of their guaranteed money to signing bonuses will save the team money this and next season while allowing them to make more moves this offseason. McCoy and Hughes are two of the biggest parts of the team and keeping them happy and paid is big for this team.
Next: Bills roster holes: Areas of need after the 2018 NFL Draft
As we get into OTAs and training camp I think there will be one or two moves we don’t see coming – either a player being cut or a player being traded. Buffalo will then have cap ramifications to deal with and if another player of need comes available that would be a starter on this team. Opening up even just a little bit of cap space can help make a difference down the road.