NFL Free Agency is set to begin in a little more than a month from now, on March 13. The Buffalo Bills will be looking to add a few pieces and re-sign some of their own. With 21 pending free agents, it's highly unlikely the Bills retain everyone. I wrote a couple of weeks ago about which players the team should try to keep and which ones most likely won't be on the roster in 2024. I also provided other thoughts on the Bills this offseason that will help keep them in contention for a Super Bowl in 2024.
The Bills pending free agents include two wide receivers in Gabe Davis and Trent Sherfield. They currently have Deonte Harty under contract for the 2024 season, but I wouldn't be surprised if he is released to save a few dollars on this year's salary cap. Buffalo recently signed K.J. Hamler to a futures deal, meaning he has a shot to make the Bills roster in 2024. The team also has Andy Isabella, someone many fans want to see more of next season. But Buffalo needs to upgrade their wide receiver two positions, or at least an upgrade in terms of consistency every week.
The Bills could potentially re-sign Gabe Davis but it's going to depend on whether other teams think they can get more out of Davis than what he's put on the field. Spotrac.com has Davis's projected market value set at $13.6 million per year. That is a little high for my taste, but Davis isn't a bad receiver, and his end-of-season numbers are typically solid and he's always one of the top yards per reception guys in the league. The problem is his disappearing acts from one game to the next. I recently wrote about him as a free agent, providing more detail on his situation.
Regardless of whether the Bills re-sign Davis, I hope the team signs one or two new receivers via free agency and add at least two more to the mix through the draft. You could say adding Hamler is essentially a free agent deal and I'm good with that but one more through free agency at a minimum. Who could that be, well I'm glad you asked because I've got a list of six receivers here and all of them carry a smaller projected market value than Davis, according to Spotrac.com. Let's get into it now.
Curtis Samuel
Curtis Samuel is one of the most intriguing options on this list and the most expensive, with a projected market value of $11.5 million per year. Still a little more than $2 million cheaper than Davis though and provides more explosiveness and speed. Samuel's 40-time checks in at an incredible 4.31. His speed would be a huge asset to this Bills offense and the one thing they are missing from their top receivers.
Last season with the Washington Commanders, Samuel recorded 62 receptions, 613 yards, and four touchdowns with Sam Howell under center. Samuel spent his first four seasons with the Carolina Panthers and the last three with the Commanders. He's never had a quarterback the caliber of Allen and while his career yards per reception is only 10.7, something tells me as the wide receiver two with Allen, that number would skyrocket.
D.J. Chark
Next up on our list is D.J. Chark. Here is another receiver who's never really had the benefit of good quarterback play. You could make a case for his 2022 season with the Detroit Lions but even still, Jared Goff is no Josh Allen. Like Samuel, Chark is a burner, having a recorded 40-time of 4.34 seconds. Chark is also 27 years old and has a projected market value of $10.9 million per year.
Last season with the Carolina Panthers, Chark had 35 receptions, 525 yards, and five touchdowns, matching his second-highest total for his career. He averaged 15.0 yards per reception last season and his career per reception average is 14.5. His career-best was 2022 with Goff, when he averaged 16.7 yards per reception. My concern with Chark is it seems he's another Gabe Davis, who puts up numbers in splashes. He'd be cheaper but I'm not looking for the same production for less cost, we need more production.
Darnell Mooney
Darnell Mooney is my other favorite free agent target for the Bills. He too brings a sub-4.4 40-time to the field, which is a common theme you'll find among the free agents on this list. They are all either below 4.4 speed or are in the 4.4 range. Mooney can be a dynamic playmaker, very quick movements and downfield speed would make for a terrific weapon to pair with Allen. My favorites on this list are between Mooney and Curtis Samuel. Spotrac.com has Mooney's projected market value per year set at $10.4 million.
Mooney completed last season with the Chicago Bears with only 31 receptions, 414 yards, and one touchdown. It was by far the worst season of his career but like the previous two names, he hasn't had good quarterback play throughout his career. He also has some history of terrific production though, which makes me believe he could do it again with the Bills. In 2021, he recorded 81 receptions with 1,055 yards and four touchdowns. Mooney is also one of the younger free agent receivers at 26. Give me that all day as the Bills number two wide receiver.
K.J. Osborn
K.J. Osborn could be intriguing as well. While he doesn't possess the sub-4.4 speed, he's still running a 4.48, which is pretty solid as well. But his projected market value of $7.5 million makes him more of a bargain for the Bills if they want to keep their cost down and use that money elsewhere. Osborn is also only 26 years old and has spent the first three years of his career with the Minnesota Vikings.
In his first three years, he has recorded 48 or more receptions each year, with 60 being his highest total in 2022. Last season was his lowest total but also the first time playing significant snaps without Kirk Cousins under center. He finished the year with 48 receptions, 540 yards and three touchdowns. For the money, he could be a solid addition to the Bills roster.
Donovan Peoples-Jones
Donovan Peoples-Jones might be the least known or at least celebrity but he's a solid wide receiver with speed. He's also one of the taller receivers on this list, standing at 6'2". He also recorded a 40-time of 4.48, bringing a nice mix of both size and speed and he's only 24 years old. He's four seasons into his career, including last season with the Browns before finishing the season with the Lions.
His most productive season was 2022 with the Browns when he tallied 61 receptions for 839 yards and three touchdowns. For whatever reason, his numbers from the other three seasons combined don't match what he did in 2022. Last season was by far his worst with only 13 receptions and never found the end zone. With his projected market value of only $2.7 million, he might be worth taking a chance on. Seems a classic low-risk, high-reward situation.