Buffalo Bills: 3 Reasons the Bills shouldn’t sign J.J. Watt

Reason 3: Can’t address other needs in free agency

The last reason against signing J.J. Watt is somewhat a mix of the first two. As mentioned before, if the Buffalo Bills sign Watt they will have to cut some cap casualties. However, even by doing that the Bills would still be right up against the cap making them almost completely inactive throughout the rest of free agency.

Players like tight end Jared Cook would be a complete afterthought if the Bills sign Watt. The Bills would have to make tougher cuts to guys like John Brown, Star Lotulelei and maybe even Jerry Hughes to make a signing like Cook on top of Watt financially possible. Personally, I would prefer to keep all three of the players mentioned above on the roster for the upcoming 2021 season. If the Bills want to round out depth in other position groups while signing Watt, it would cost depth at other positions.

Running backs like Jamaal Williams and Marlon Mack, who would likely cost less than $3 million annually, would likely require an additional release to one of the players mentioned above if the Bills sign Watt at a price tag of $12 million annually.

The bottom line is if the Bills sign Watt they will have to round out positional depth and vacancies in the roster through the draft because of the decreased cap space in 2021. While this isn’t a terrible option, it is certainly the more risky option.

With all this being said, Buffalo Bills fans should trust Brandon Beane regardless of the direction he takes this offseason. Although he has made some mistakes, overall he has a clear vision for this roster and has continuously put the Bills in a position for sustainable success moving forward.