Buffalo Bills have tough free-agent decisions after heartbreaking loss to the Chiefs

The Buffalo Bills lost another crusher at the hands of Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs once again. Will the Bills ever get over the hump, that is the Chiefs? I think it'll happen one day but for now, it's time to turn our attention to the 2024 offseason for the Bills. They have several key free agents, many of whom will not be resigned and some could potentially retire. The team has already made one move, that likely went under the radar, signing free agent wide receiver K.J. Hamler.

I think the Bills have a solid nucleus of young talent and we've seen some of that come to fruition this season, with the likes of Khalil Shakir, and Terrel Bernard. We had a few veterans become solid starters in the absence of injured players, such as Tyrel Dodson, while seeing other player's roles expanded, such as Ty Johnson. Let's not forget the rookies too, Dalton Kincaid and O'Cyrus Torrence. I'll expand more on this in a later article.

Despite the youth, the Bills also have a ton of pending free agents, and a few of those are contemplating retirement. This is an extensive list and some of these players I think are vital to the Bills' success in 2024. Of course, that also depends on any free agents the Bills sign this year from other teams or if they can find answers in the 2024 NFL Draft. Again, we'll be getting into all that very soon. Here are the Bills 2024 pending free agents.

Micah Hyde - S
DaQuan Jones - IDL
Leonard Floyd - OLB
Tim Settle - IDL
Jordan Phillips - IDL
Tyler Matakevich - ILB
Poona Ford - IDL
Dane Jackson - CB
Tyrel Dodson - LB
David Edwards - G
Trent Sherfield - WR
Damien Harris - RB
Taylor Rapp - S
Linval Joseph - IDL
A.J. Epenesa - DE
Shaq Lawson - DE
Latavius Murray - RB
Kyle Allen - QB
Cam Lewis - CB
Gabe Davis - WR
Quintin Morris - TE -Unrestricted free agent

As you can see, it's a long list and one that includes some big names. There are a handful that I don't think will return in 2024 but the ones I think the Bills should focus on and do everything in their power to bring back are DaQuan Jones, Leonard Floyd, Tyrel Dodson, Taylor Rapp, and A.J. Epenesa. The other thing that stands out to me is the number of interior offensive linemen on this list. The Bills currently have only Ed Oliver under contract for the 2024 season. Getting DaQuan Jones to resign should be priority number one for this defense.

Another big name on the list that I know a lot of people will be talking about is Gabe Davis. I'm honestly on the fence still with whether or not the Bills should try to bring him back. I think it's going to depend largely on his role and the size of the contract. The Bills need a different answer at WR2 but Davis can still be a weapon on this offense. Buffalo will have some work to do in terms of the salary cap. According to overthecap.com, the Bills are more than $43.7 million over the salary cap; however, this does not include the pending increase in the 2024 cap. The 2024 Buffalo Bills offseason will be an interesting one.