3 things the Buffalo Bills should not do in the 2022 Offseason
The Buffalo Bills have a long offseason ahead of them after falling just short of the Super Bowl for the second season in a row. The Bills are again up against the wall with limited cap space available and several key players set to become free agents.
In what is likely the most critical offseason of Brandon Beane’s career as a general manager, here are three things that Beane and the Bills should NOT do this offseason.
Neglect the defensive line just because of recent draft picks
Just because Buffalo has drafted three defensive ends in round two or higher the previous two years, they cannot sit back and rely on those players to develop to a high level. While it was hopeful that A.J. Epenesa, Greg Rousseau, and Boogie Basham would all make substantial impacts early in their career, each of the three has not been able to perform at a high level in the NFL.
Just because Buffalo has invested high draft capital in the position does not mean they should not address the team’s needs. In addition to that, the year before the Bills drafted A.J. Epenesa, they picked Ed Oliver in the Top 10 of the draft. Luckily Oliver has panned out to be a very impactful player for the Bills.
Buffalo failed to make it to the AFC Championship game for several reasons, but one was that their defensive line could not get Mahomes to the ground. If you look at all four teams in the Championship games, they all have solid defensive lines, which are better than what Buffalo could put on the field in 2021.
- Cincinnati Bengals – Trey Hendrickson, Sam Hubbard, D.J Reader, B.J. Hill
- Kansas City Chiefs – Frank Clark, Chris Jones, Jarran Reed, Melvin Ingram
- Los Angeles Rams – Aaron Donald, A’Shawn Robinson, Greg Gaines, Von Miller
- San Francisco 49ers – Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, Samson Ebukam, Dee Ford
For comparison
- Buffalo Bills – Ed Oliver, Greg Rousseau, Jerry Hughes, Harrison Phillips
The Bills must address the position considering that Jerry Hughes and Mario Addison are free agents who likely will not be back in Buffalo next season. Buffalo needs to address the position through free agency or the draft and emphasize getting to the opposing team’s quarterback. Just because Buffalo has put so much draft capital does not mean they should shy away from getting better on the defensive line.