Who on the Buffalo Bills could be available if NFL held an expansion draft this offseason?
This week, the new hockey team, the Seattle Kraken, will be making their selections in an expansion draft as they try to build their inaugural roster. The NHL’s rules around expansion drafts are slightly different than the NFL, which last held an expansion draft in 2002 for their new franchise, the Houston Texans.
In the NHL, teams submit a list of 11 players they are protecting and the Kraken will then have the opportunity from all the remaining players. However, in the NFL, teams had to submit a list of five players that they were making available to be drafted by the expansion team.
This takes a little bit of strategy because NFL teams can actually use this to their advantage. If there is a player on the team who has a big contract, they could make them available in hopes the expansion team drafts them and helps clear cap space. In addition, teams would need to take into account positions that have great depth and consider making some of these players available as well.
When looking at the Buffalo Bills roster, these are the five players they would likely make available if an expansion draft was held this offseason. I followed the rules Bill Barnwell described in his mock expansion draft which aligned with the rules in place for the 2002 NFL expansion draft which allows teams to only include one player with 10 or more years. Since the expansion draft usually takes place before free agency and the NFL Draft, I excluded any players the Bills signed this offseason or were drafted this season.