There are many ways an NFL team can build up a roster. Some prefer to build from the ground up utilizing their draft picks while other teams may not. For the longest time, the Los Angeles Rams were an example of a team that didn’t have a first round pick for many years going back to 2016 up until last year.
When you think of the Buffalo Bills, they aren’t a team that usually trades away picks in order to acquire help for their roster. Under general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott, the Bills have been all about building through the draft and building within the organization.
We typically don’t see the Bills make a bunch of trades that force them to send draft picks away. However, we did see it once when they traded for wideout Stefon Diggs. Buffalo acquired Diggs and a 2020 7th-round pick while they traded a first-round, fifth-round, and sixth-round pick in 2020 as well as a 2021 fourth-round pick.
Other than that trade, the Bills value their draft picks and this past offseason has proven it. Brad Gagnon from Bleacher Report listed one word to describe every NFL team’s offseason up to this point and the Bills have a highly honored mention about theirs.
Bills have had a "forward-thinking" type of offseason with contract extensions per Bleacher Report
"With new deals for Josh Allen, Greg Rousseau, Khalil Shakir and Terrel Bernard, the Bills core is locked up for many years to come. "Brad Gagnon, Bleacher Report
Don’t get me wrong, the signing of Joey Bosa was the biggest splash for the Bills. However, the Bills organization is showing that they believe in the players that they drafted. With the extensions of Khalil Shakir, Terrel Bernard, Greg Rousseau, and a new record-setting deal for Josh Allen, the Bills are keeping their core guys for the future.
The Bills got ahead of the curve and have avoided having to pay these players even more down the road. Brandon Beane usually always stays ahead of the game by extending players. They may look like a lot now, but with how the market goes in free agency, the Bills actually are making moves that will keep their salary cap under control.
One of the biggest questions surrounding Beane and the Bills is whether cornerback Christian Benford or running back James Cook gets the next big extension. Both stars are entering the final year of their rookie deal and they both deserve a big payday. The only problem is that the Bills may not be able to keep them both. Bills Mafia should keep an eye on which direction Beane decides to go because it’s hard to imagine a world where the Bills lose them both.