With the 2025 NFL Draft in the rearview mirror, the Buffalo Bills will look to fill out their roster with cheap veteran free agents. Many ex-Bills players are still available if Brandon Beane wants to bring back some old friends. According to Spotrac, the Bills sit with $4.1M in cap space.
Of course, that doesn’t include Elijah Moore’s reported signing or their draft picks, so that number could change soon. However, the Bills still have enough wiggle room to make one or two more signings. In this article, we’ll take a look at three former Bills players who the team could bring back.
WR Amari Cooper
The Bills didn’t do much to improve the position in the off-season, adding just Josh Palmer, Elijah Moore, and Laviska Shenault. As the draft concluded, many available free agents will have to lower their asking price to latch on with a team, including Cooper.
Buffalo can afford to bring Cooper back on a team friendly deal and allow him to have a full season working with Josh Allen. Bringing Cooper back may be in the best interest of the team, giving the position group filled with questions and a good veteran presence.
LB Tyler Matakevich
After spending four seasons in Buffalo, Matakevich left to rejoin the team that drafted him, the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Bills are always looking for linebacker depth and help on special teams, where Matakevich exceeded in his last go-around with the Bills.
Now, Matakevich would come in and compete for the final linebacker spot on the depth chart, likely fighting with second year guys Edefuan Ulofoshio and Joe Andreessen. Matakevich could find himself back with the Bills soon and playing in Week 1. Last year, the Bills brought eight linebackers into training camp. As of today, the Bills have seven rostered.
DE Jerry Hughes
The Bills have made it known they want to improve the edge rush from recent years. This year, they’ve added veterans Michael Hoecht and Joey Bosa to the mix, but there’s still some work to do. The Bills don’t have much cap space, and the available edge rushers are getting scarce, so calling up an old friend such as Jerry Hughes isn’t out of the realm of possibilities.
Over his time in Buffalo, Hughes totaled 350 tackles, 53 sacks, one interception, and 117 hits to the quarterback. Last year, the Bills carried 10 pass rushers into training camp, this year, the Bills sit at eight pass rushers with 90 players on their roster.