The Buffalo Bills were not active at all right as the NFL’s legal tampering period opened up, but they eventually made their first signing as they agreed to terms with cornerback Dee Alford on a three-year contract. Alford comes to Buffalo from the Atlanta Falcons, where he comes off of a solid 2025 season that has now earned him a contract with the Bills.
Alford will be coming to Buffalo as the most likely replacement for Taron Johnson, who the Bills traded away to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday night. Alford plays his game in the slot and being added to Jim Leonhard’s defense will help step up his game even more.
Even though some fans see this signing of Alford as a solid one, especially when you consider the contract he got, not everyone is viewing this signing as a huge one.
Bills receive average grade for the signing of CB Dee Alford
Kristopher Knox from Bleacher Report graded the signings and trades from the first day of the league’s first day of the tampering period and the Bills received a C+ for the signing of Alford.
"Dee Alford wasn't a full-time starter while with the Atlanta Falcons, making 22 starts over four seasons. Last year, he started seven games and allowed a passer rating against of 89.2. Simply put, Alford isn't the quality of player that Johnson is. But he shouldn't be a major liability for the Bills defense, and $7 million a season isn't terrible for a starter on the back end." said Knox.
Is the signing of Alford a home run for the Bills? No, but it does fill a need for the Bills’ defense and Alford is coming off a season where he had 3 interceptions and 13 pass deflections. Not to mention, he had a great game against the Bills in Week 6 last season where he had 6 total tackles, as well as a sack and an interception.
The good news about this signing is that the Bills don’t need Alford to be their best corner. Christian Benford is their CB1 and the hope is that Maxwell Hairston will develop well in his second season as the CB2. That leaves Alford the opportunity to do what he does best in the slot.
The Bills must continue to add to their secondary, but adding Alford is a solid addition and it’s hopefully just the start of this rebuild of the secondary for Leonhard.