Buffalo Bills replace John Brown by signing Emmanuel Sanders
With the recent release of John Brown, the Buffalo Bills were in need of depth in their wide receiver room. The Bills decided to replace the absence of John Brown by signing Emmanuel Sanders according to Dan Fetes.
According to Adam Schefter, Sanders signed with the Buffalo Bills on a one-year deal worth $6M. The Bills actually pursued Sanders in free agency last offseason, but he decided to sign with the Saints instead. At 33 years old, Sanders is an established veteran with a super bowl victory and two Pro Bowl appearances. He should bring a solid veteran presence to a predominantly young wide receiver room.
Sanders is coming off one of his lesser productive seasons in which he recorded 726 receiving yards and scored 5 touchdowns on 61 receptions. However, I’m not sure Sanders is in line to take the majority of offensive snaps that John Brown is leaving behind. The emergence of Gabriel Davis last year suggests that he is most directly in line to take the majority of the snaps that Brown left behind.
Furthermore, the Buffalo Bills are expecting big things in terms of the development of their two young receivers, Gabriel Davis and Isaiah Hodgins. I’m sure both receivers were getting a lot of veteran leadership from the likes of John Brown, Cole Beasley, and Stefon Diggs last season, but Sanders can give the two young receivers extra advice in 2021.
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By signing Sanders to this one-year deal, the Buffalo Bills no longer have to look at wide receiver as a high priority in the draft. With Hodgins and Davis already on the roster, there is youth at the position to develop and the Bills can wait to the mid-to-late rounds to add talent to the wide receiver room. It’s uncertain what the Buffalo Bills plan to do with Isaiah McKenzie this offseason, but this signing suggests that they will be looking for his replacement in the draft.