The Buffalo Bills have a number of key players who are set to be free agents like Jordan Poyer, Tremaine Edmunds, and Devin Singletary. It remains to be seen if they will be able to bring these players back because they should be highly sought after in free agency and the Bills may not be able to afford to match those contracts.
However, these aren’t the only free agents the Buffalo Bills have. There is a second group of players who were on the team last year that likely will have a market but the Bills should feel confident that they will be able to bring them back with a new deal.
5 Buffalo Bills free agents most likely to re-sign this offseason
Sam Martin
The Buffalo Bills over the past two years have been near the bottom of the league in terms of the number of punts. This past season the Bills signed Sam Martin right before the start of the season and he would have the second fewest punts in the NFL among punters who appeared in 10 or more games with only 45.
He finished in the middle of the league in terms of average yards per punt at 47.7 yards and had 16 touchbacks.
While the Bills don’t punt often, it is important to have a reliable player and that is what Sam Martin was last season. In addition, he is the holder for Tyler Bass on field goal attempts and being able to keep that familiarity for another year would be valuable to this team in 2023.
Jordan Phillips
The Buffalo Bills brought back defensive tackle Jordan Phillips last offseason after he was released by the Arizona Cardinals. He was in the final year of a three-year contract he signed in 2020 after a breakout season with the Bills the season prior when he had 9.5 sacks.
Phillips began the year fast with the Buffalo Bills with 1.5 sacks and three QB hits against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1 but injuries became an issue and it seemed like it was something he had to manage over the course of the entire season and missed five games total. He even announced after the Bills’ loss to the Bengals that he had been playing with a torn rotator cuff, according to The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia.
The Buffalo Bills always want depth along their defensive line with how frequently they rotate players at the position. Jordan Phillips is a player who has shown he can be productive in this defense and likely won’t command a big contract. This seems like an easy deal that should be able to get done.
Shaq Lawson
Another player who returned this past offseason was defensive end Shaq Lawson. The Bills 2016 first round pick also left the team in free agency in 2020 after he had the best season of his career in 2019 with 6.5 sacks and 18 QB hits.
After stops with the Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans, and New York Jets he was released by the Jets towards the end of the 2021 season. The Bills would bring him back on a one-year contract and he saw his role grow in this defense as the season went along and started the final eight games, including the two playoff games.
He finished the year with 30 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, and nine QB hits.
The thought process for Shaq Lawson is similar to Jordan Phillips in that the Buffalo Bills need depth at the defensive end position and he is a player that knows this defense. He can step in as a starter if the need arises and should be a deal the Buffalo Bills can get done.
Case Keenum
The Buffalo Bills traded for Case Keenum last offseason with the Cleveland Browns for a seventh round pick in last year’s NFL Draft to replace Mitchell Trubisky, who was the backup but left in free agency to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He
The good news for a backup is that he didn’t see the field much this past season and the only games he played in were the blowout wins over the Tennessee Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers. He would finish the year attempting only seven passes, and completed two of them for eight yards.
The reason it makes sense for the Buffalo Bills to try to get a deal done is that he knows Ken Dorsey’s system and Josh Allen is familiar with him. The hope would be that if he returns in 2023 he would have a similar stat line as 2022 but if he does need to play, there shouldn’t be too much disruption.
Dane Jackson
The final player that is most likely to re-sign with the Buffalo Bills this offseason is cornerback Dane Jackson. He is in a different situation than the other players on this list because he will be a restricted free agent if the Bills extend a tender, which they should.
Dane Jackson was a seventh round pick by the Buffalo Bills and has seen his role grow in this defense over the years with six starts in 2021 and then 14 this past season. He finished this past season with 57 total tackles, two interceptions, and 12 passes defended.
However, if the Buffalo Bills were to re-sign him the expectation should be that he primarily is a backup and a depth option at the cornerback position. After this past season and the injuries the Bills dealt with at cornerback, depth is critical, and having a player like Dane Jackson that has starting experience ready to step in would help strengthen the position.
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