Buffalo Bills: 5 under the radar free agent signings they could make
By Casey Reed
These are five free agents that may not get a great deal of fanfare but could be valuable signings for the Buffalo Bills.
For fans free agency is a magical time of the off-season, it’s the period right before the NFL Draft to sort of figure out where your team is headed going into the next season. Many fans clamor and get excited waiting for their teams to sign a star player that will push their team from pretender to contender.
On the other side of the spectrum there are a couple of deals that for fans get brushed aside and hardly turns the meter. These are typically one year, team friendly deals, also known as prove it deals, for some players who are getting older or who might have been injured. With more players betting on themselves these one year deals are here to stay.
Last offseason the Buffalo Bills didn’t make many big splashes in free agency and the deals signed last spring were deals that didn’t break the bank. Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott look to draft first and use the free agency period to fill in depth.
One deal in particular that stands out made was for Quinton Spain, Mr. Undrafted. Spain bet on himself after leaving the Tennessee Titans and signed a one year, $2.05 million contract with the Bills. He ended up starting all 16 games without allowing a sack, helping shore up the trenches, while paving the way for rookie running back Devin Singletary.
Spain was a key free agent signing and should be brought back with a longer deal. This organization has preached about homegrown talent so look for them to sign many of the players already on the team, such as Shaq Lawson, before searching elsewhere.
The free agency period officially starts March 18th with teams permitted to contact players two days before. While many teams and fans will be competing for those top tier free agents, the Bills will be more active after that initial flurry of deals and making smaller but just as important signings, like they did with Spain.
These are five under the radar signings that could help the Buffalo Bills, add depth and end up playing above expectations.