WGR

‘General manager Brandon Beane said at his end-of-season press conference that he believes Stefon Diggs is still a true No. 1 wide receiver in the NFL. Diggs’ production at the beginning of the season was certainly on par with that. But from Week 10 on, he topped 50 yards only once, scored only one touchdown, and caught more than five passes only twice. Was it due to diminishing skill? Injury? Was it the result of Joe Brady‘s offense and play-calling? The Bills have to find out the answer to that question as they look assess the position.’

‘Hines, on the other hand, is still under contract with the team. The 27-year-old tore his ACL in an offseason jet ski accident and never played in 2023. The Bills will have a significant salary cap savings of close to $5 million in 2024 if he’s released this offseason. It’s hard to see them holding onto him at a $5.48 million salary cap price. A release or restructure at a lower salary cap are probably the two most likely outcomes.’

‘The only pertinent discussion about Josh Allen this off-season as whether or not the team will restructure his contract to create more salary cap space. Allen is scheduled to count for over $47 million against the team’s cap, but the Bills can convert most of his base salary into a signing bonus and take that number down to below $30 million. That seems like something they’ll be doing, at least in some capacity, if not all of it.’

‘The Bills are increasing Season Ticket package prices by an average of 10% next season, though the per-game price will mostly remain flat for most seating areas.’

‘While the 2024 package price will increase by an average of 10%, the per-game price will remain flat for most areas. The increase is only impacted due to the package increasing from nine games in Orchard Park in 2023 to 10 games in 2024.’

‘Also, Christian Taylor joins the Bills as a defensive quality control coach after being the offensive coordinator and running backs coach for William and Mary’s for the past four seasons.’

‘The Bills have one of the best offenses in the NFL thanks to the man who pulls the trigger, Josh Allen. However, it needs to be better. It needs to be more dangerous, and it needs to be more explosive. Which is why Beane has to address wide receiver early in the draft. Preferably on Day 1, but no later than Day 2.’

‘The Bills need to rejoin the ranks of teams that have terrific receiver tandems. The Miami Dolphins have Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, the Philadelphia Eagles have A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith, and the Cincinnati Bengals have Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, although Higgins will be an unrestricted free agent.’

‘Holcomb replaces Bobby Babich as the Bills’ new linebackers coach after Babich was announced as the new defensive coordinator earlier this week.’

‘”I feel like I take it day-by-day,” said Diggs on Friday. “Obviously, there’s a lot of changes going on, a lot of things going on. I can’t really put the carriage before the horse, you know what I’m saying? But I’ve got a great offseason in front of me to put a lot of work in, and build around what we’ve got and what we’re doing,”‘

‘Babich becomes the first defensive coordinator under head coach Sean McDermott since Leslie Frasier stepped away last offseason. Frazier was heading into the 2024 offseason without a contract with the Bills.’

‘Joe Brady is no longer the interim offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills. Brady got the job on a full-time basis, the team announced on Sunday.’

‘Diggs will be joining teammates Dion Dawkins and James Cook for the 2023 Pro Bowl Games next weekend in Orlando, Florida, as he replaces Cleveland Browns wideout Amari Cooper, who will not attend due to an injury.’

‘Hamlin was able to return to play five regular season games this year after nearly losing his life late last year in a Week 17 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. In those five games, Hamlin played mainly on special teams, but still managed to register two tackles in action on defense.’

‘When it comes to signing outside free agents, as Beane noted, don’t expect any big splashes. The Bills will be shopping for bargains, which is why they really need to hit this draft and have some key contributions coming from players on cost-controlled contracts for the next few years.’