As the Buffalo Bills prepare for Week 1 of the NFL season, they remain concerned with managing their salary cap space both now and for the long-term future. That is part of how the Bills' front office, led by Brandon Beane, operates each and every day.
Why the Bills made the right choice to restructure Dion Dawkins' contract now
It was announced that Dawkins restructured his deal, which generated a little under $8 million in cap space just days away from the start of the new season, per Field Yates.
Teams creating cap space via contract restructures:
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 3, 2025
The Falcons created $6M by restructuring WR Darnell Mooney’s deal
The Bills created just under $8M by restructuring OT Dion Dawkins’ deal
The Bears created $8M by restructuring CB Jaylon Johnson’s deal
Prior to the recent restructuring, Buffalo was seeing red in their total team cap space. Now, this gives the team some additional opportunities to add even more cap space or try to add some needed players within the NFL who may help in struggling positions. One position that needs immediate attention is safety.
Could the Bills sign safety S Jabrill Peppers?
Since he was drafted in the first round by the Cleveland Browns in 2017, Jabrill Peppers has always been a consistent leader on the field.
After playing with the Browns in his rookie contract, he then joined the Giants in his second contract, and finally earned his big payday with the New England Patriots. In eight NFL seasons, Peppers has totaled seven interceptions with 511 tackles over 99 games in eight seasons, including 85 total starts with the Browns, Giants, and Patriots.
Over a year ago, Peppers put pen to paper on a three-year, $24 million extension. A year later, he's now on the free agent market.
Peppers was working with the starting defense in training camp, but his future in New England was uncertain with a new regime in town. Now, the Bills could take advantage of the talented safety while their divisional rival let him go.
It's with no question that Peppers is a natural-born athlete who is fast, physical, and can leap into the air to make the big splash plays. He has a special way of disrupting receivers' routes and stopping the run.
The 29-year-old is the type of player who would fit well in Buffalo's 4-3 base scheme, due to his height and toughness on the field. He is a hard-hitting safety who can come up and tackle, as well as drop back into coverage.
With the Bills bolstering their defensive line this season, adding another physical player in the secondary would make the Bills even tougher and stronger to play against on defense, while giving more opportunities for Josh Allen and the offense to continue racking up points in their "everybody eats" offense.
Even in a high-flying passing league, the Bills still want to have old-school, hard-hitting players on their team, which will keep their Super Bowl window open.