Buffalo Bills fans thought last year was going to be the Gabriel Davis breakout season.
This was a Super Bowl team in the making, with an All Pro like Stefon Diggs ready to have his sidekick, a budding star in Davis.
Sadly, that didn’t quite pan out the way fans thought it would. Davis continued to be a relatively inconsistent player within this offense, and more of a boom-or-bust type. Now, the Bills go into the 2023 offseason knowing they have to add another talented wide receiver.
They have no choice but to add another weapon for Josh Allen, but will have to be skillful in doing so while getting under the cap. As free agency approaches, let’s dig into the wide receiver position in Buffalo.
Wide receiver is an area the Buffalo Bills have to get better in, and it begins in free agency
Bills wide receivers under contract for 2023:
Stefon Diggs — $20.27 million
Isaiah McKenzie — $2.9 million
Gabriel Davis — $2.9 million
Dezmon Patmon — $1 million
Khalil Shakir — $950K
Keesean Johnson — $950K
Isaiah Coulter — $870K
It would be pretty fair to assume that the Bills keep four of the above receivers, for sure, in Diggs, McKenzie, Davis and Shakir. The only one who might be in doubt is McKenzie, and the Bills could save $2.6 million by cutting ties with him.
Bills free agent wide receivers for 2023:
Cole Beasley
Jamison Crowder
Jake Kumerow
There is not much to say about the above guys, other than maybe Beasley, who made it clear he’d like to be back with Buffalo if they were to give him another contract. But, none of the above will be true game changers for this offense going forward.
Best available free agent wide receivers for 2023:
Odell Beckham Jr.
JuJu Smith-Schuster
Jakobi Meyers
Nelson Agholor
DJ Chark
Jarvis Landry
Allen Lazard
Mecole Hardman
Of the above players listed, the two that make the most sense for the Bills would be either Beckham or Smith-Schuster. The Bills could use a big-bodied slot guy like JuJu, and he proved this past year he’s got plenty left in him. He was simply used in an offense where Patrick Mahomes spread the ball out to all of his receivers not named Travis Kielce.
Beckham would be intriguing, if healthy, and could form quite the tandem with Diggs. Although, the money would have to be right. I would assume that, considering Beckham’s injury history, the Bills could get a deal done for the right amount, and potentially including escalators.
Any of the other names above, maybe beside Agholor or Hardman, could give the Bills a legitimate number two option. Or, the Bills could go into the draft knowing that this is an area they want to focus on. Regardless, Buffalo has to find a second fiddle to Diggs.