What free agent wide receivers could the Buffalo Bills pursue this offseason?
Many Buffalo Bills fans were left very disappointed at the end of last season and many of those pointed to the wide receivers as a big part of the problem. They say, we can’t simply rely on Stefon Diggs to carry all the weight, what happened to Gabe Davis and Isaiah McKenzie’s great camp and offseason didn’t transpire to the regular season.
Those are all legitimate statements, but I would contend the wide receiver room isn’t as bad as many believe it to be. I don’t think McKenzie is the answer in the slot, but Khalil Shakir can be that guy, and, in my opinion, Davis will be fine as a number two wide receiver. I think the biggest concern is the offensive line, where I recently wrote about three free-agent options there as well.
But all those that think differently and feel the Bills need to get more help in the receiver corps, will look to the NFL Draft in April to address the position. I’m not a fan of that either, simply because most receivers don’t come into the league as a rookie and immediately slide right in. In most cases, it can take them a while to get acclimated to the NFL game. There aren’t many Ja’marr Chases or Justin Jeffersons in the world and certainly not in this year’s draft.
What about the free-agent market? Now I do believe that could be an option, get someone in here that is a seasoned vet, someone that has already proven they can play at an NFL level. What options are there, if the Bills decide to go this route? Also, the Bills have signed a free-agent wide receiver, nearly every year of Brandon Beane’s tenure too, so it’s not a crazy notion that he does it again. So, let’s take a look at three free-agent wide receivers that could help.
D.J. Chark
D.J. Chark is impressive from a physically gifted standpoint. He runs a 4.34 and is 6’4″. Back in the 2018 scouting combine, he had the fastest 40-time of any player, at any position. Some of that raw talent hasn’t manifested itself on the field as of late, due to injuries. In Chark’s second season with the Jaguars, he totaled 73 receptions for 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns. He followed that up with 53, 706, and five in year three.
Since then, it’s been a struggle for Chark. Due to injuries, he’s only played in 15 games over the last two seasons, starting 14 of them. During that time, he has 37 receptions, 656 yards, and five touchdowns. Might be worth noting though, his best yards per reception have come during those last two seasons.
He is a risk, but I think the Buffalo Bills could get him on a team-friendly, one-year prove-it type contract, plus the fact that Chark has never had the benefit of playing with an elite-level quarterback or arguably even a true number one wide receiver. You could make an argument that Amon-Ra St. Brown has reached that status though.
His 2022 deal with the Lions was a one-year deal worth $10 million and I think the Buffalo Bills can get him for less than that, given the recent injuries and lack of production.
Jakobi Meyers
I like Jakobi Meyers a lot and his productivity over the last couple of years, with subpar quarterback play is impressive. Over the last two seasons, he’s averaged 75 receptions, and 835 yards and totaled eight touchdowns, six of those coming this past season.
Putting up these numbers in a lackluster offense, with no real threat in the receiving corps and average, at best quarterback play and the ceiling for Meyers in a Buffalo Bills offense is very high. He played primarily out of the slot position, which would allow the Bills to move Shakir outside, opposite Stefon Diggs and Davis could go back to being that fourth receiver option.
My biggest concern here is the cost. Meyers is one of the better receivers in this year’s crop of free agents, at least in my opinion. So can the Buffalo Bills afford him, perhaps? I am no longer amazed by the way general managers in this league finagle the contract numbers to fit under the salary cap.
For someone like Meyers, I could see a team coming and overpaying him for his services, pricing the Bills out of contention. Then again, depends on if Meyers is looking for a big payday or if he’s looking for a championship-caliber team, like the Bills.
Parris Campbell
Parris Campbell is another one that has played primarily in the slot, but he also played 218 plays as the boundary receiver as well, so he has some versatility. This gives the Bills the ability to move all three receivers around the formation, between Diggs, Shakir, and Campbell, as all three have experience playing both on the outside and in the slot.
Campbell struggled the first three seasons of his career, logging only 15 games, starting eight of them. During that time, he accumulated only 34 receptions, 360 yards, and two touchdowns. Last season, it all came together for Campbell, finally playing in all 17 games, while starting 16 of them. He amassed 63 receptions for 623 yards and three touchdowns.
Campbell, like the previous two receivers, has never had an elite quarterback, so would be interesting to see what he could do in the Buffalo Bills’ offense with Josh Allen slinging the ball around the field.
One of the great things about all three of these receivers, is they are all under the age of 27. This is important because if they work out, the Buffalo Bills can extend them and have more long-term security, rather than previous signings of receivers who are later in their careers already.