Grade for the Buffalo Bills signing wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders

For three years now, the Buffalo Bills have tried to add wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders. As Ryan Talbot notes, in 2019 the Bills tried to trade for Sanders when he was with the Denver Broncos and then this past offseason tried to sign him as a free agent. The Bills ultimately made the trade for Stefon Diggs and didn’t sign Sanders, who would end up signing with the New Orleans Saints.

However, after the Saints released him, general manager Brandon Beane wasn’t going to let him get away this time. They agreed to a one-year deal this week and Sanders now seemingly steps into the offense as John Brown’s replacement.

Even at 34 years old, Sanders continues to show great burst and is one of the top deep threats in the NFL. This skillset, combined with Josh Allen’s arm, should be an excellent combination this coming season.

This past season, Sanders saw his average yards per reception drop slightly down to 11.9 yards but this could have been to the offense he was playing in. While Drew Brees is one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game, he seemed to struggle to get the ball down the field. There were also four games where Sanders played with Taysom Hill under center who is not known to be an excellent passer.

The hope is now that he is playing with a quarterback like Josh Allen, those deep plays will come back this season.

The biggest question mark on this deal was whether or not the Buffalo Bills paid too much considering the slight drop in production. The six million dollar salary isn’t necessarily a big deal but in a year with a shrinking salary cap, the percentage of the salary cap he commands is higher.

The other way to look at this deal is whether or not Sanders is considering an upgrade over John Brown. When considering Sanders is making less than what Brown would have and was more productive this past season comparing the two player’s numbers, this is a good deal for this team.

Grade: B+