Buffalo Bills: Could Tee Higgins be the answer for this offense?

In the National Championship slugfest between the Clemson Tiger and LSU Tigers, many players stood out. Now as general managers gear up for the offseason and look to tie their names to their next franchise piece, could Tee Higgins be exactly that for the Buffalo Bills?

Aside from the obvious first-round picks in Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence (who will be returning to Clemson for another year) wide receiver Tee Higgins became a blip on Bills fans radar as his season culminated in an impressive title game against LSU. In that game, he was not only a threat in the passing game but also in the backfield as he combined the two for 88 total yards and a touchdown on the day.

Higgins, a 6-4 215-pound junior from Oak Ridge Tenn. was a central piece of the Tony Elliot-led offense at Clemson. 2019, in particular, was his best of his collegiate career as he recorded his first 1,000-yard season. Hauling in 59 targets for 13 touchdowns and 1,167 yards; which was enough for him to be ranked 17th in the nation.

In previous years, the Bills offense hadn’t had much success with former Clemson products. This was evident in the Sammy Watkins era. Though Watkins found his groove in Kansas City with Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, his production in Buffalo dropped off after his second season. Perhaps it was the lack of a true elite-calibre quarterback as at the time it was Kyle Orton and Tyrod Taylor under center which contributed to his inability to be the number one receiver he was drafted to be.

Fast forward to the current state of the Buffalo Bills and the team has improved in almost every era from when they last had a Clemson receiver. The team’s current offensive weapons in John Brown, Cole Beasly, Robert Foster and Isaiah Mckenzie allowed Josh Allen to air the ball out. Throwing for over 3,000 yards in only his second year was a huge improvement but the team’s offensive unit sputtered to convert at times.

This was evident in the Bills performance in the AFC Wild Card game against the Houston Texans. The absence of a true number one receiver saw them fail to convert 11 of 21 third-down attempts in the postseason and 76 of 212 in the regular season.

Adding a high-end talent such as Tee Higgins could be a much-needed spark for this offense. Though they were able to statistically get the job done and get John Brown’s best season out of him, as he broke 1,000 yards receiving for the first time in his career, the 29-year old is not the long-term answer for the Bills. Building through the draft and bringing in complementary pieces for the Allen is the recipe for winning the division next year.

The attractive attributes about Higgins is he is comfortable being the top receiver, which is sometimes a pressure not many can handle. Coming within seven receptions of teammate Justin Ross for the team’s most receptions, Higgins did more with his targets as he was good for an average gain of 19.8 yards per catch.

His second most attractive attribute is his past.

Higgins was not only a football player growing up as he also played basketball. This is extremely beneficial for a player of his size and position as it has taught him how to be physical when going up for a jump ball.

Joe Marino from The Draft Network commented on Higgins’ background as a basketball player as he said:

"“(Basketball) is littered throughout his game, specifically when attacking the ball out of the air. Is aggressive with meeting it at its peak and has the height, length, leaping combo in order to enter levels that are above and beyond his counterparts. Exemplifies an “above the rim” mentality that’s nearly unstoppable”"

With all of the positive aspects to Higgins’ game, slotting a talent like that into the vertical/read-option offense that  Brian Daboll runs could be just what the Bills need to make their next step towards winning the AFC East and dethroning the New England Patriots.

Going into this upcoming offseason and even the draft, general manager, Brandon Beane will have a plethora of personal decisions to make. One of those being what to do with the wide receiver position. With Higgins available in the draft and projected as a second-rounder, there are options for Beane to trade down into the second to acquire more pieces or take Higgins with the 22nd pick of the 2020 NFL draft.