Free Agents we like for the 2025 Bills?

[Rigotz]

Am I the only person not clamoring for a Wide Receiver?

 

Wide Receiver is not the reason we lost to the Chiefs. We could draft a fast guy and get a veteran for cheap.

 

The $30M/YR contract needs to go to D-Line. Hell, I'd even take a safety and corner with that money.

[BuffaloBillsGospel2014]

3 hours ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

 

Keep in mind he's only played 12 games each of the last 2 seasons  + has Chase taking away top defenders 

 

He'd still be an upgrade and was the #1 before Chase got there.

[Cash]

On 2/24/2025 at 6:30 AM, GunnerBill said:

 

I've mentioned him in this thread..... and he played primarily wide this season (67%). He is small but he is not primarily a slot guy. 

 

For me it is Hollywood or take a punt on Atwell or Dyami Brown. 

 

In your opinion, are any/all of those names capable of playing both outside spots?  Tutu and Hollywood strike me as Z only, but I'll admit that's based only on them being small.  I know even less about Dyami Brown.

[GunnerBill]

10 minutes ago, Cash said:

 

In your opinion, are any/all of those names capable of playing both outside spots?  Tutu and Hollywood strike me as Z only, but I'll admit that's based only on them being small.  I know even less about Dyami Brown.

 

It's a really fair question. In a prototypical X sense, no. Brown has probably the best shot - he was an X in college but has been mainly a Z for the Commanders because of the presence of McLaurin. 

 

But I think they can all win veritcally outside and that is a major need for Buffalo even if they would still be without a pure X. I mean they seem to think Coleman is an X. He isn't.

[Buffalo_Stampede]

Mentioned his name before but Darius Slayton. Speed, good separation stats.

[2003Contenders]

21 hours ago, Rigotz said:

Am I the only person not clamoring for a Wide Receiver?

 

Wide Receiver is not the reason we lost to the Chiefs. We could draft a fast guy and get a veteran for cheap.

 

The $30M/YR contract needs to go to D-Line. Hell, I'd even take a safety and corner with that money.

You're not the only one.

 

We saw last year how much $$$ went to mediocre WR free agents (including Gabe Davis). The FA market isn't great this year, so I expect the few "name" WRs to command over-priced contacts again. I just don't see Beane investing that much money when there are pretty big needs along the DL and secondary.

 

Simply maintaining the status quo at the position (as underwhelming as it was) from 2024 won't even be easy. They just re-signed Shakir to a decent contract, and I expect that they will do whatever they can to retain Mack. Will they try to bring back Cooper at a reasonable deal?

[Buffalo_Stampede]

21 hours ago, Rigotz said:

Am I the only person not clamoring for a Wide Receiver?

 

Wide Receiver is not the reason we lost to the Chiefs. We could draft a fast guy and get a veteran for cheap.

 

The $30M/YR contract needs to go to D-Line. Hell, I'd even take a safety and corner with that money.

That’s a smart plan. 

[Kelly to Allen]

21 hours ago, Rigotz said:

Am I the only person not clamoring for a Wide Receiver?

 

Wide Receiver is not the reason we lost to the Chiefs. We could draft a fast guy and get a veteran for cheap.

 

The $30M/YR contract needs to go to D-Line. Hell, I'd even take a safety and corner with that money.

 

Egbuka and Golden are pretty awesome man. I can't get mad if they take one of those guys

[Warriorspikes51]

18 minutes ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Mentioned his name before but Darius Slayton. Speed, good separation stats.

 

 not a big fan but I suppose I can be convinced 

[Buffalo_Stampede]

5 minutes ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

 

 not a big fan but I suppose I can be convinced 

What’s not to like? Outside WR. Speed. Separation. 
 

Only thing I’m not liking is it looks like he may be looking for a similar deal as Shakir. Would rather have Marquis Brown if the money is that high for Slayton. 

 

Slayton has multiple years rated high in separation. He’d be a breakout candidate with Josh Allen.
 

 

Edited Tuesday at 08:55 PM by Buffalo_Stampede

[Desert Bills Fan]

3 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

What’s not to like? Outside WR. Speed. Separation. 
 

Only thing I’m not liking is it looks like he may be looking for a similar deal as Shakir. Would rather have Marquis Brown if the money is that high for Slayton. 

 

Slayton has multiple years rated high in separation. He’d be a breakout candidate with Josh Allen.
 

 

Great metrics in a chart! Shows why the interest in Slayton, Dyami Brown and even Atwell.

and maybe why the skeptics are professing that Higgins and Metcalf are not worth the cost…

[The Jokeman]

On 2/24/2025 at 6:02 PM, Rigotz said:

Am I the only person not clamoring for a Wide Receiver?

 

Wide Receiver is not the reason we lost to the Chiefs. We could draft a fast guy and get a veteran for cheap.

 

The $30M/YR contract needs to go to D-Line. Hell, I'd even take a safety and corner with that money.

I'd like to add a veteran WR but DT, DE, CB are all higher on my list. 

[finn]

Agree that the offense was not the problem last year, although that's not because the WR was good but because the other units made up for its deficiencies. Still, a Hollywood Brown or Darius Slayton would be lovely. 

 

But I don't agree with the conventional wisdom that the Bills are thisclose and just need a big-time player to get over the hump. The turnover differential saved the season, and that's not something you can count on year after year. The truth is the defense was really quite bad. No pass rush, poor safety play, mediocre linebackers, soft against both the run and pass. No areas of strength at all, except creating turnovers. Not putrid, but not a playoff defense either.

 

Sorry to say, but pretty much all the Bills resources need to go into the defense. Douglas can give you one more year to buy time for a talented cornerback to develop, so that can be like a fourth-round pick, but Rapp and Bishop won't get you to the Super Bowl, and Rapp will be injured most of the year. Need a top veteran back there from free agency (= $). Need a quality linebacker to back up Bernard, who is also injury prone. Another fourth rounder. Need a powerful defensive tackle and a right defensive end with juice, maybe trading one of the second round picks to move up. The rest of the picks can go to depth, and if any money is left it can go to Slayton or Brown. 

 

It CAN be done. It has been done. But, frankly, it could go the other direction, too, if Beane misses yet again and injuries pile up.

 

A big offseason for the Bills. 

[billsfan89]

On 2/24/2025 at 6:02 PM, Rigotz said:

Am I the only person not clamoring for a Wide Receiver?

 

Wide Receiver is not the reason we lost to the Chiefs. We could draft a fast guy and get a veteran for cheap.

 

The $30M/YR contract needs to go to D-Line. Hell, I'd even take a safety and corner with that money.

 

The Bills offense the last few games before Cooper was added did show signs of struggling as teams were basically forcing the Bills to beat their corners on the boundary one on one and the Bills couldn't do so because there wasn't a WR on the boundary that teams respected. Cooper even if his stats weren't huge at least commanded the respect of the defense. 

 

The Bills don't need a complete top 10 WR but they need a good boundary WR.

[GunnerBill]

4 hours ago, finn said:

Agree that the offense was not the problem last year, although that's not because the WR was good but because the other units made up for its deficiencies. Still, a Hollywood Brown or Darius Slayton would be lovely. 

 

But I don't agree with the conventional wisdom that the Bills are thisclose and just need a big-time player to get over the hump. The turnover differential saved the season, and that's not something you can count on year after year. The truth is the defense was really quite bad. No pass rush, poor safety play, mediocre linebackers, soft against both the run and pass. No areas of strength at all, except creating turnovers. Not putrid, but not a playoff defense either.

 

Sorry to say, but pretty much all the Bills resources need to go into the defense. Douglas can give you one more year to buy time for a talented cornerback to develop, so that can be like a fourth-round pick, but Rapp and Bishop won't get you to the Super Bowl, and Rapp will be injured most of the year. Need a top veteran back there from free agency (= $). Need a quality linebacker to back up Bernard, who is also injury prone. Another fourth rounder. Need a powerful defensive tackle and a right defensive end with juice, maybe trading one of the second round picks to move up. The rest of the picks can go to depth, and if any money is left it can go to Slayton or Brown. 

 

It CAN be done. It has been done. But, frankly, it could go the other direction, too, if Beane misses yet again and injuries pile up.

 

A big offseason for the Bills. 

 

I disagree that you can get another year from Douglas. I am paying that man not another dime to start at corner for me. He was woeful in 2024.

[Magox]

I was making this case a couple days ago

 

 

 

He would be a very low cost option, most likely under $7m a year and from an analytics standpoint he is a good separator, wins against man to man and apparently is good at winning vertical routes.

 

This should be a serious consideration for the Bills and pair it with a WR draft choice.    Moneyball!

[Warriorspikes51]

2 minutes ago, Magox said:

I was making this case a couple days ago

 

 

 

He would be a very low cost option, most likely under $7m a year and from an analytics standpoint he is a good separator, wins against man to man and apparently is good at winning vertical routes.

 

This should be a serious consideration for the Bills and pair it with a WR draft choice.    Moneyball!

 

I'd prefer a more impactful move....but this seems like potential to work really well.    Nice idea! 

[Magox]

2 minutes ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

 

I'd prefer a more impactful move....but this seems like potential to work really well.    Nice idea! 

 

I would love to have someone more proven or athletically gifted as well, but apparently based off analytics he can serve a role that the Bills need and if they can get him this cheaply and then draft a WR with one of their 3 premium picks who could turn out to be a long-term answer, then I think this could make a lot of sense.

 

It would be a low cost, potential high reward sort of signing.   And it would leave more money to go after  DE, DT, CB and Safeties in a more substantive manner via FA or trade.

[BlueRed]

I could see the bills making a “chase claypool” type offer to Terrace Marshall jr. He’s done next to nothing so far in the NFL but has ties back with Joe Brady at LSU if he wants a final crack at making it in the NFL. He has good speed if I remember correctly but he may be a good lotto ticket WR to bring in with some of the other WR types mentioned above. 

[Maine-iac]

Mike Williams on a one year prove it deal.  Probably under 5m to sign him.  Don't think we need 4 RB's but would love to have AJ Dillon to fall forward in some short yardage situations to maybe have some options to the tush push. Blackmon at safety would fit like a glove.  Some CB chops in his past.

Edited 15 minutes ago by Maine-iac