When you look at the Buffalo Bills right now, the only thing that should be coming to mind is that they are playing like the best team in the NFL. They lead the league in point differential (+64) and are just one of two teams who have scored 100+ points through three weeks. Fans may not have expected this kind of production right out of the gate but here we are.
Part of the reason why their offense has been so explosive is because Josh Allen is spreading the ball around the offense rather than going to just one man. The “everybody eats” mentality has worked perfectly for Buffalo’s offense in the first three weeks and there is no reason why anyone should question it.
On the other hand, it is making one aspect of the offense look like a waste of investment this offseason. After the Bills let Gabe Davis walk in free agency, they managed to sign wideout Curtis Samuel from the Washington Commanders to a three-year, $24 million deal. Samuel was added to the roster while Stefon Diggs was on the roster, but that quickly changed once Diggs was traded to the Houston Texans in early April.
Samuel provides a lot of versatility and he even had a career year in 2020 with Joe Brady as his offensive coordinator. Through the first three weeks, Samuel has been very quiet for the Buffalo offense.
David Kenyon from Bleacher Report posted an article on five players who signed with new teams this past offseason that already look like busts. Samuel is rightfully placed on this list because of the lack of production.
Curtis Samuel needs to get more involved with the offense moving forward
Allen has targeted Samuel just seven times, in which the combo has connected on six catches for 40 yards. Only two Bills wide receivers who have played at some point this month for the Bills have yet to score a touchdown for Buffalo; Samuel and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. To put it into perspective, backup running back Ty Johnson has more receiving touchdowns than Samuel this season.
Even though the Bills should not shy away from spreading the ball around to multiple targets, Samuel doesn’t have the cheapest contract where it is okay to not give him the ball. The Bills invested money into his signing and they need to get more production out of him rather than just being a decoy.
Joe Brady needs to figure out a way to feed Samuel more than he has in three games. Heading into a Sunday Night Football showdown against the Baltimore Ravens, this would be a perfect spot for Samuel to make a splash for the Bills.