The NFL offseason is upon us, and teams will begin working to craft their 2023 rosters in the coming months. In this series of offseason previews, we will look at what each team has to work with and their biggest needs. Today we continue with the Buffalo Bills offseason preview.
As a reminder, here are dates to keep in mind for the 2023 NFL offseason:
- March 7: deadline for teams to use the franchise tag
- March 13: legal tampering period opens
- March 15: NFL free agency begins and the new league year starts
- April 21: deadline for restricted free agents to sign offer sheets
- April 27-29: NFL draft
- May 1: deadline for teams to exercise 5th-year options on 2020 first-round draft picks
- July 15: deadline for franchise tag players to sign an extension
You can find previous team’s offseason previews here: Bears | Bengals | Browns | Lions | Packers | Steelers | Vikings | Ravens | 49ers | Broncos | Rams | Chargers | Seahawks | Raiders | Cardinals | Chiefs | Eagles | Dolphins | Giants | Jets |
2022 Summary
The Bills were the odds-on favorites to win the AFC and play in the Super Bowl in 2022. Unfortunately for Buffalo, things don’t always work out the way their drawn up.
Buffalo won the AFC East but were dominated in a snowy divisional round matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals. Joe Burrow and the Bengals ended the Bills season in Orchard Park. A massive disappointment for the Bills by all accounts.
Stefon Diggs was seen visibly frustrated on the sidelines during the season-ending loss. Diggs also bolted from the stadium after the game. While Diggs likely isn’t going anywhere, it was a sign that Buffalo has plenty of work to do before they can realize their lofty expectations.
Key Positional Needs
Hereโs where the Bills need to find help this offseason:
- RB
- G
- S
- CB
- WR
Key Free Agents
Hereโs a look at the Bills upcoming key free agents:
- Tremaine Edmunds (ILB)
- Bobby Hart (G)
- Jamison Crowder (WR)
- Jaquan Johnson (S)
- Shaq Lawson (DE)
- Cam Lewis (CB)
- Dean Marlowe (SS)
- Jordan Phillips (DE)
- Jordan Poyer (FS)
Salary Cap & Draft Capital
Hereโs a look at the salary cap room and draft capital that the Bills have to work with this offseason:
- Current draft picks: 27 (1), 59 (2), 91 (3), 130 (4), 139 (5), 164 (5)
- Cap space: -$16.5M
Offseason Outlook
The Bills have some key free agents of interest. Veteran safety Jordan Poyer is likely on the way out the door. Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds will likely be following him (unless Buffalo places the franchise tag on him). The Bills have to shore up their line, they need help at running back and wide receiver (behind Diggs), and they could use some upgrades in the secondary.
Unfortunately for the Bills, they’re lacking the draft capital and cap space to address these issues head on. Buffalo will have to do some cap gymnastics to even get under the cap.
Center Mitch Morse ($6.3 million), RB Nyheim Hines ($4.8 million), CB Taron Johnson ($4.3 million), and DT Tim Settle ($2.3 million) could be cap casualties. Those four cuts would get them just under the cap, leaving them with $83K in space.
It’ll be an interesting offseason for the Bills.
Related Reading
If you’re looking for more offseason reading, Sam Hoppen at 4for4 (our sister company) is previewing each division:
AFC East: Key Free Agents, Draft Picks & Needs, and Available Cap Space | 4for4