Written By: Jose Rohdin
The Bills have had very little success over the last 20 years, but in the past four seasons, Head Coach Sean McDermott and General Manager Brandon Beane have turned this team into a Super Bowl contender. This past season, the Bills posted their best record since 1991 at 13-3, and they won their first division title and playoff game since 1995.
This team reached the AFC Championship game, but they lost 38-24 to the Kansas City Chiefs. Just getting to this point cemented the Bills as Super Bowl contenders for a few more seasons.
However, the Chiefs dismantled them and beat them up and down the field, and the Chiefs are not likely to get worse next season. If the Bills want a real shot at beating the Chiefs and making it to the Super Bowl, Beane and McDermott are going to need to get to work in order to take this team to a whole new level.
The Bills front office’s first priority should be to find a way to acquire an elite pass rusher on the defensive line. The Bills’ defensive line as a unit is pretty solid, but there is no star, and they beat you by having several solid guys.
A.J. Klein and Mario Addison tied for the team lead in sacks last season at just five, and for a team who wants to win a Super Bowl, that is unacceptable. It is tough to find a top-notch pass rusher, and with the Bills having the 30th pick in the NFL Draft, it becomes even more challenging. Free agents like Jadeveon Clowney and Yannick Ngakoue could be two targets that the Bills go after, but they might have a high price tag on them. There has also been rumours as of late that former Defensive Player of the Year, J.J Watt and the Bills may have mutual interest, but nothing has taken place as of yet.
Clowney and Ngakoue would both be worth the price though, as they are both elite pass rushers and great in run defense, which is something the Bills have struggled with, last season allowing 4.6 yards per carry. The cheap option could be Ryan Kerrigan, who has been one of the best under-the-radar pass rushers in the NFL, but he will be 33 this upcoming season and is not a long-term option.
The best possible option then may be Von Miller, who already has a massive contract with a team option of $19 million, and that could be the reason behind the Broncos looking for a trade. The Bills could trade this year’s 30th pick and maybe a second or third-rounder for Miller.
Adding a second quality wide receiver isn’t as important as adding a quality pass rusher, but it’s more like insurance for when a defense just outright doubles star Stefon Diggs. The Chiefs defense in the AFC Championship game pretty much did everything they could not to let Diggs beat them, and the Bills offense could not find another option.
John Brown and Isaiah McKenzie saw a total of five targets for three catches for 30 yards. Cole Beasley had a solid game with seven receptions for 88 yards, but also, Beasley should never be your second-best option.
If the Bills could talk someone like A.J. Green into taking a one-year $8 million deal, persuading him with the chance of a Super Bowl ring, that would be perfect, but that isn’t likely to happen. The more likely option is someone like Marvin Jones Jr., who is 31, but still has a lot of quality football left. Jones is more of a red zone threat, catching nine touchdowns in each of his last two seasons. His issue has been injuries, but when he can play 16 games, Jones will get you 90 catches with 1,000 yards easy.
The Bills could also look to the draft as a possibility to get a wide receiver. Players like Rashod Bateman from Minnesota or Amon-Ra St. Brown out of USC are projected to be late first, or second-round draft picks. It would be nice to have an already proven wide receiver to take the pressure off Diggs right away, but if the Bills draft someone who can be molded into the second option come playoff time, that is also optimal. Bateman and Brown have the talent to be that option.
Like adding a wide receiver, adding another cornerback to play the opposite side of Tre’Davious White would be an added luxury. Taron Johnson is a solid cornerback, but he is primarily in the nickel position.
The Bills definitely need to draft a cornerback with high upside in the later stages of the draft. They have the safeties in Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde to protect rookies from horrible mistakes. Shaun Wade out of Ohio State or even Tyson Campbell out of Georgia are solid options, both having gone to top-tier programs and could easily fit in as backup corners.
The same thing goes for running backs. Devin Singletary is a great back, but he is best used as a receiving back. The Bills need to find someone who could run it up the middle, which could be in free agency.
Mark Ingram, and even Carlos Hyde, who has been one of the best bruising running backs in the league for a while, would fit right in, along with being on the cheaper end due to being over 30 years old. The Bills could also go into the draft and use a later draft pick on someone with high upside, but that might have to wait until after the draft combine to see someone who shows out.
The Bills are in the Super Bowl window with a dynamic offense and a young quarterback, and they should do everything they can to capitalize on this window. Getting a star pass rusher is by far the most important target, but after that, solidifying key positions like second cornerback, wide receiver, and running back would go a long way for the Bills in catching the Chiefs.