Love’em or hate’em, Tremaine Edmunds is no longer with the Buffalo Bills and now they will need to replace him for the 2023 season and beyond. Brandon Beane has already said Tyrel Dodson, Terrel Bernard, and Baylon Spector will compete for the job.
At this point in free agency, it does not appear the Bills will be bringing in the likes of Bobby Wagner or any other free agent. Besides, the money is limited and if there is any truth to the rumors of a trade involving Ed Oliver and Deandre Hopkins, the money will likely go towards a renegotiated contract for Hopkins.
For this team, I would prefer Dodson, Bernard, or Spector to win the job, simply for their understanding and experience with this defense and the scheme. Bringing in a rookie to learn and start, may not be the best way to go for a team trying to win that elusive Super Bowl title.
That said, I think it would be a good idea to draft one still, someone that can learn the ropes in more of a backup role and if he happens to come out and exceed expectations, then by all means hand over the starting role to him, even ahead of the more experienced players. At the end of the day, I want the best players on the field.
The 2023 NFL draft hasn’t gotten anyone overly excited, outside of the drama of the quarterbacks that may go somewhere in the top 10. The tight ends are being heralded as possibly one of the best draft classes and the offensive line talent appears pretty deep as well. What about the linebackers, is there someone the Bills could grab that has some potential to be the long-term answer? I think there could be, so let’s dive in and take a look at three guys the team could target.