There is a reason that Brandon Beane was named Executive of the Year last season by the Sporting News. The moves this offseason have once again set the Buffalo Bills up for another great season in 2021.
Even though the Bills were coming off one of their best years this century, they had work to do as they had a number of starters set to be free agents. However, Beane was able to retain a majority of them starting with Matt Milano, Daryl Williams, and Jon Feliciano.
By being able to bring all three back, and on multi-year deals, the moves eliminated any major holes in this starting lineup. The Buffalo Bills could now focus on going into free agency by building up depth but how they went about it is more important.
The team signed players like Emmanuel Sanders, Jacob Hollister, Efe Obada, and Matt Breida that can push for a starting job or serve as quality depth. However, Beane ensured he didn’t mortgage any future dollars by agreeing to one-year deals with each of those players.
This means that the Bills now go into the NFL Draft with no glaring hole and have essentially any strategy they want at their disposal. They can remain at 30th overall and take the best player available, which realistically is any position except quarterback, they can also trade back for more picks this year or in the coming years.
However, the one scenario that could be most beneficial to trade up and get a top player who may end up sliding in the first round. The depth the Bills have means it will be tough for players in those later rounds to make the roster, similar to what happened to Dane Jackson last season who was primarily on the practice squad. This means the Bills may be more focused on quality over quantity in this NFL Draft.
This gameplan that Brandon Beane has used this offseason has had pieces over the past few offseasons but it is clear that the way he wants to continue to build and improve the Buffalo Bills is by drafting well, retaining their own players, and supplementing that talent with free agents.