Buffalo Bills Compiling Intriguing Base of Talent

Without a first round pick due to a draft day trade for Sammy Watkins last year, the Buffalo Bills have had to be aggressive on the open market this offseason, and they’ve done exactly that.

After Doug Marrone decided to jump ship and get out of Buffalo, the Bills hired former New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan to lead them past the New England Patriots and into the promised land. Ryan embraced the challenge, and started implementing his plan immediately with the Bills.

More from NFL Mocks

Prior to the start of the new league year, the Bills agreed to a blockbuster trade that would send linebacker Kiko Alonso to the Philadelphia Eagles for running back LeSean McCoy, who will be a humongous addition for the Bills’ offense. If they can get the 2013 version of McCoy, the offense is well-equipped to have a breakout season as an entire unit.

McCoy is only scratching the surface.

The team has also added playmakers in previous years like the aforementioned Watkins, who looks like the future No. 1 receiver everyone thought he could be. It also includes Robert Woods, who is a really underrated player that is going to be a very valuable piece of this team going forward.

With Watkins and Woods already in the fold with LeSean McCoy, you knew the Bills were going to be an explosive team already. That didn’t stop them from adding the dynamic Percy Harvin, who was released by the New York Jets after he was traded from the Seattle Seahawks.

Harvin was a major piece of the Seahawks’ Super Bowl winning team, but has significant injury issues and will have to be monitored going forward. Clearly, the Bills saw an area they could upgrade in the slot with Harvin, and they attacked it. They got one of the best players at his position in the league, and a guy that can absolutely change the dynamic of their offense and special teams when healthy.

One of the most underrated moves the Bills made was to sign Charles Clay away from the Miami Dolphins, though I think they over-paid. The Bills are giving almost $7 million per season over five years to lure Clay out of rival Miami. The Bills needed a versatile move tight end that could come in, learn the system, and play a variety of positions in the offense.

At quarterback, questions remain. The Bills drafted E.J. Manuel in 2013, but he’s considered a bust to this point. The Bills also added Matt Cassel and Tyrod Taylor this offseason, and allegedly really like Taylor. After developing the last few years with the Baltimore Ravens, it would be fun to see Tyrod Taylor as the starting quarterback of the Bills to at least see what he can do.

Defensively, the Bills have already made significant investments, but it’s telling that they are making these moves offensively, because fans are going to need to look over the depth chart again and again to be reminded of the excitement of the offseason while they wait for day two of the draft for the team to make their first move.

The Bills don’t have a first round pick, but they might not have had the aggressive type of free agency period without the lack of a first rounder either. Rex Ryan has assembled a team that looks ready to compete for a playoff spot in 2015 already, and the draft hasn’t even come to pass yet.

Get your popcorn ready, Buffalo.

Home/NFL Free Agency