The Buffalo Bills made a concerted effort to shake up this roster given their cap space. Releasing veterans who have run their course, letting Gabe Davis walk in free agency, and trading away Stefon Diggs have all been moves that seemed necessary at the time. Although the first 3 weeks seemed pretty good for the Bills, and in turn their offense and receiving talent, these past two have been as bad.
Obviously, this is a long season, and there shouldn't be any panic. The AFC doesn't seem very strong, and the AFC East is pretty weak. Even though the Bills are at 3-2, they can control their own destiny with a win Monday night against the Jets in Week 6. But, in a year where there is limited cap space for the Bills, it is hurting them in terms of bringing in better talent that could have them fighting for possibly the #1 seed at the end of the year.
After the Week 5 game against the Texans, a game that did not have Khalil Shakir due to injury, the Bills sorely missed him. Not only is he a reliable target in the passing game, but he is that go-to guy for Allen in key situations that, more times than not, can execute. The hope was that Curtis Samuel, who the Bills signed in the off-season, could be a 1-2 punch with Shakir, and if one went down due to injury, the other could fill that role.
Unfortunately, whether it be the play calling from Joe Brady, or possibly the turf toe injury that affected Samuel in the off-season leading up to Week 1, Samuel did not make an impact in Shakir's absence. As of Wednesday October 9th, Samuel is back on the injury report with a toe/foot injury per Sal Capaccio. This could definitely have factored in the game against the Texans, where that injury was suffered as per Sean McDermott.
There are two wide receivers that are on the radar for many Bills fans, both would be welcome in this offense. Davante Adams, who has requested a trade from the Las Vegas Raiders, and Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper has been rumored to be a trade candidate. Obviously, Adams would be the preferred choice, but unfortunately he is too expensive and the Raiders are not willing to eat the money for his contract this year. Cooper is cheap, and would be a good option for this Bills offense, but he has had his own struggles this year.
I mentioned Shakir and Samuel earlier, because they both have a skill set that could be very useful for this offense. A skill set that Josh Allen has usually excelled with: natural separators. The one receiver, who has yet to be signed to a team and is still a free agent, would bring exactly this skill set. We have seen this before for Allen, with Cole Beasley and John Brown.
Enter: Hunter Renfrow
Hunter Renfrow has such a fluid route running ability that is reminiscent of Beasley with the Bills. He would be such a good plug and play option, and he is the type of receiver Allen could feast with. There is concern as to why he hasn't signed with a team yet, and there has not been any talks of him signing with a team thus far.
Renfrow is 28 years old, and is still considered in the prime of his career. If he would be willing to play on a one-year veteran minimum contract with the Bills, we could potentially see Renfrow making a resurgence in his career. That, and hopefully helping out this Bills offense that could use some more playmakers that suit Allen's strengths.