When the NFL’s legal tampering period opened up on Monday, the Bills waited a little bit to make their first move. After three hours of waiting, the Bills finally got on the board by agreeing to terms with wide receiver Josh Palmer on a three-year, $36 million deal where he is guaranteed $18 million.
Formerly of the Los Angeles Chargers, Palmer is leaving Justin Herbert to come and catch passes from the MVP, Josh Allen. Joining an offense where there is no true number-one wide out, Palmer should have a more involved role in the passing attack. While Khalil Shakir has become a go-to guy for Allen, the Bills are not afraid to spead the ball around.
While Palmer was indeed a good signing for the Bills, some people may think differently, including Gary Davenport from Bleacher Report. Davenport graded a lot of the Day 1 signings and trades from free agency, and proceeded to give the Bills a barely-passing grade for the signing of Palmer at a D+.
"Talent doesn’t appear to be an issue with Palmer. It’s been a combination of injuries and the lack of consistent targets."Gary Davenport, Bleacher Report
There’s no doubt that injuries can play a roll into being concerned, but Palmer has played in 15+ games in three out of four seasons. Even in his one year playing less than that, he still played in 10 games.
"But it still feels like a Bills team that didn’t roll into free agency with a large war chest could do better than giving $12 million per year to a player who has had 600 receiving yards one time in four seasons."Gary Davenport, Bleacher Report
Sure, that’s a fair point. At the same time, when you’re in an offense that is all about running the ball and your not even the number two option in the passing game, it’s going to be hard to get any kind of production.
Bills signing Josh Palmer is being overlooked
At 25 years old (turning 26 during the season), Palmer is entering the prime of his career and he gets the chance to catch passes with the best quarterback in the game. Not to mention, in an offense where offensive coordinator Joe Brady will get everyone involved.
Even though Palmer hasn’t produced the most mind blowing stats, he is averaging 83 targets per year with one season over 100 targets. He can create separation, which is something that the rest of the receiving core struggles with and Allen knows exactly where to play the ball once the separation happens.
As long as Palmer stays healthy, this could end up being a steal of a free agent signing that no one is currently talking about.