This isn’t how the season was supposed to end.
After the first matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals was canceled due to the Damar Hamlin emergency, this was supposed to be an emotional, invigorating playoff victory.
Instead, the Bengals dominated the Bills in their AFC Divisional Playoff game, 27-10. Now, the Bills go into an offseason with several pending free agents. Many of them will not be back, and thus have played their last game with the team. How the Bills navigate their upcoming offseason questions will tell us a lot about their priorities going into the 2023 campaign.
We’re going to focus on five players in particular who likely won’t be back with the Bills next season.
Buffalo Bills who likely won’t return next season: David Quessenberry, OT
One of the biggest concerns with this Bills team, all year, was the play of their offensive line. Josh Allen was under duress far more often than Buffalo would have liked to see, and there were many culprits.
David Quessenberry was mostly a reserve for the Bills this year, playing just under 400 offensive snaps. Still, he allowed four sacks. Quessenberry was also even worse in run blocking than he was at pass blocking.
By the time next season is underway, Quessenberry will be 33 years old. The thought of re-signing a backup lineman at that age seems silly. Sure, his story is a great one. Surviving cancer and playing in the NFL once again is nothing short of amazing.
But, Quessenberry likely won’t be back with the Bills next year, as they’ll look to get younger and deeper up front.
Buffalo Bills who likely won’t return next season: Cole Beasley, WR
The Bills brought back a familiar face in Cole Beasley late in the season in an effort to bolster the wide receiver position. Although having him back was a nice, feel-good story, Beasley is likely done in Buffalo after this year. In all likelihood, Beasley will retire for good this time.
The Bills cannot afford to bring back an aging receiver with a limited skillset. The receiver position is an area that Buffalo has to improve. It sounds strange saying that, in a way, because of the fact that Stefon Diggs is still here.
Gabe Davis looked like a breakout candidate in 2022, but didn’t quite take the jump everybody thought he could. Inconsistency in his game is still prevalent.
Beasley doesn’t offer the Bills more than a fourth or fifth option as a slot guy, and Buffalo should focus on replacing him either in free agency or in the upcoming draft. In four regular season games this year, he caught just six passes. In his two postseason games, Beasley hauled in five receptions for 68 yards.
Buffalo Bills who likely won’t return next season: Devin Singletary, RB
The writing was on the wall for Devin Singletary when the Bills drafted James Cook in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Teams don’t spend that high on a running back unless they have plans to incorporate that player into the offense for years to come, and Cook was worked in slowly as a rookie.
Next season, it will be Cook’s back field to man, with Nyheim Hines likely there as the backup. When Buffalo traded for Hines, that was also a sign that they would be fine moving on from Singletary after the season.
Hines still has two years left on his contract, although the Bills could get out of it this spring if they wanted to. The idea of Buffalo trading for Hines only to get rid of him a few months later, though, doesn’t make sense. Hines is a valuable return man and third down back, and the Bills should hang onto him.
Singletary, meanwhile, did have a relatively solid season. He knew it could be his last year with the Bills, so he played hard. He had his good games, that’s for sure. Still, paying running backs is rare these days and the Bills probably won’t do it here.
Buffalo Bills who likely won’t return next season: Shaq Lawson, DE
The Bills were counting on Von Miller being a huge part of their Super Bowl run this year, but when he went down to a season-ending injury, things changed drastically. Since losing Miller, the Bills pass rush was a whole lot different.
This is a unit that had a very difficult time getting to the quarterback. In fact, some of the biggest pass rush plays came from linebacker Matt Milano this year, not from the edge spots.
Shaq Lawson is a former first-round pick, but he peaked back in 2019 with 6.5 sacks. Over the course of 2022, Lawson only tallied 3.5 sacks in 15 appearances with six starts. Lawson will be 29 this summer and doesn’t give any indication of being a large part of this defense anytime soon.
Buffalo needs to overhaul their pass rush, just like they do with the offensive line and wide receiving core. Lawson will not be back, and the Bills will try to get younger and more dynamic in this area.
Buffalo Bills who likely won’t return next season: Jamison Crowder, WR
Again, we come back to the wide receiver position. It’s an area fans know the Bills have to improve. If the Bills come back with Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis and Khalil Shakir as the only receivers who return to the team next year, that would be more than fine. Even cutting ties with Isaiah McKenzie wouldn’t be a horrible move, as he’s also easily replaceable.
Jamison Crowder fits into that category of guys the Bills have to move on from for a few reasons. First of all, he is going to be 30 years old in June. And he may only be 30, but his body might as well be 35.
Crowder hasn’t played a full season in three years. He’s struggled with injuries that keep him out a good chunk of time, and only played in four games during the regular season in 2022. Crowder was once a dynamic slot receiver, but like Beasley, is getting up there in age.
If the Bills want to find a true difference-maker on offense, they should start with finding a threat in the slot. It feels as though they continue to try, but fail, in finding a guy who can be a long-term option here.
At this point, Crowder’s contract is up and he’ll likely be done in Buffalo, paving the way for the Bills to find a legitimate future at the slot position.