The focus has certainly shifted to the NFL Draft with the calendar moving to April but for the Buffalo Bills, they should still be taking a close look at the free agents that are available. The Bills have a roster that absolutely could be competing for a Super Bowl next season and adding veterans on one-year deals could be a good fix to a few holes within the roster.
Over the past few years, this front office has shown a tendency to bring back players who were once with the franchise. It makes sense from the standpoint that these players already know the system and the coaching staff knows the players.
These are four former players that are still available in free agency that would make sense to bring back.
4 former Buffalo Bills that are still free agents that could be re-signed
Taiwan Jones
The first player is one who has been a key part of the special teams unit over the past three seasons in running back Taiwan Jones. He has played at least 60% of the special teams since returning to the Bills in 2020 and that percentage jumped to over 70% the past two years, which he also was one of the special teams’ captains during that period.
The biggest question in regard to Taiwan Jones is whether or not he wants to continue playing in the NFL. He will be turning 35 years old before the 2023 season and he may elect to retire. However, if he does want to continue playing it would make perfect sense for Buffalo to bring back their former special teams’ captain.
Shaq Lawson
Shaq Lawson was the Buffalo Bills first round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and it wasn’t until the final year of his rookie contract that he really made an impact with 6.5 sacks and 18 QB hits in 2019. It was the perfect time for the former Clemson edge rusher as he would get a three-year contract in free agency from the Miami Dolphins.
However, he didn’t have the same impact and would last one season with the Dolphins before being traded to the Houston Texans, who would then trade Lawson to the New York Jets before the 2021 season. He wouldn’t finish out with the Jets as they released him towards the end of the regular season.
The Buffalo Bills would bring him back on a one-year deal this past offseason and he was pretty productive in limited snaps before stepping in as the starter after Von Miller’s injury. He finished the year with 3.5 sacks and nine QB hits.
While Shaq Lawson is not a starter he has shown he can be a key part of the rotation at defensive end in this defense. This is a move that makes sense and probably happens at some point between now and OTAs.
A.J. Klein
The Buffalo Bills released A.J. Klein last offseason to create over $5 million in cap space and the veteran linebacker would move around alot last season. He would sign with the New York Giants to their practice squad before the Baltimore Ravens signed him to their active roster two days later.
However, his time in Baltimore would be short-lived as he would be part of the trade with the Chicago Bears that sent Roquan Smith to Baltimore. The Bears would then release Klein a few weeks later before he would be claimed by the Buffalo Bills.
The addition came at the perfect time because Klein would start his second game back in Buffalo in place of Tremaine Edmunds. He did pretty well in relief with nine total tackles and one tackle for a loss.
The Buffalo Bills are going to be looking for a player to replace Tremaine Edmunds this offseason after Edmunds signed with Chicago. They currently have Tyrel Dodson, Terrel Bernard, and Baylon Spector competing and it would make sense to add a veteran to this competition with Klein making a great deal of sense.
Cole Beasley
Another player the Buffalo Bills released last offseason to create cap space and brought back was wide receiver Cole Beasley. The veteran slot receiver had a brief stop with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before deciding to retire after one regular season game.
However, Beasley elected to end his retirement when the Buffalo Bills wanted to bring him back with a one-year deal to their practice squad. Beasley provided some stability at the position after Isaiah McKenzie struggled earlier in the season.
While Cole Beasley is not the same receiver he was earlier in his time in Buffalo, he has proven to be a reliable outlet for Josh Allen, particularly on third downs. He had limited snaps during the regular season but in the playoffs had five receptions, 68 receiving yards and a touchdown in two games.
The Bills presently don’t have a clear answer to who will step in as the slot receiver but the likely candidates are Khalil Shakir or Trent Sherfield. If the team doesn’t add any wide receivers in the NFL Draft, a return of Cole Beasley could make sense to round out the position.