Going into the 2019 free agency, one thing was certain for Bills fans:
This free agency period would be make or break for the current regime.
As the free agency tampering period approached, no one was sure how active the Bills would be. Bills General Manager, Brandon Beane wasted no time and acquired former 1st-round cornerback Kevin Johnson. This was a very smart move by Beane because it addresses a need for the Bills: CB2. Not to mention, Johnson fits the Bills defensive scheme.
Shortly after the Johnson signing, the Bills went to work on their offense. The Bills signed 36 year-old running back, Frank Gore. At first, I was confused. Why the Bills would want to pair Gore with Shady (30) and Ivory (30), which created the NFL's oldest backfield? Then a theory popped into my mind. Ivory can be cut before camp. So, the Bills can then draft a running back with a lot of potential in the mid to late rounds and allow him to sit behind Gore and Shady, which are two future hall of famers. Both Gore's and Shady's contracts expire next year and that young running back can take control of the backfield.
The Bills would then look to improve at the tight end position by signing Bengals tight end, Tyler Kroft. Kroft was a great addition for the Bills. At 6'6, 240 lbs, Kroft is the ideal size for a tight end. In addition to his size, he is a great red zone target and a solid blocker. Kroft is also only 26 years old and in 2017 he had seven touchdowns with the Bengals.
Rumors then floated around that the Bills were seeking to add Broncos center, Matt Paradis, but would have to battle the Jets for him. A couple hours later, the Bills signed the Chiefs center, Mitch Morse. Morse was yet another great addition by Beane. Morse addresses the Bills need for a solid center, and at the age of 26, Morse has a lot of years left in him. Morse was ranked the ninth best center in the league per Pro Football Focus.
That would end the Beane's activity for day one, but Beane was not done when day two came along.
The Bills lacked depth at wide receiver and it was apparent in the 2018 season. Beane wasted no time to address this by signing Ravens wide receiver, John Brown. Brown is known for his speed and at the young age of 28, Brown has some solid years left in him.
Beane would waste no time to add more depth at wide receiver. He then went on to sign Cowboys wide receiver, Cole Beasley. Beasley is one of the best slot wide receivers in the league and should really help Allen in the short passing game. Beasley is fast, has great route running and has great run after the catch ability.
After adding the two wide receivers, Beane would refocus his attention on the need for offensive linemen. Beane signed Redskins offensive tackle Ty Nsekhe. At 6'8, 325 lbs, Nsekhe is the ideal size for an offensive tackle and based on what we heard from Redskins fans, they believe he will start in Buffalo. But there's only one problem. Nsekhe is 33 years old. Hopefully this is another Lorenzo Alexander story where he comes along later in his career, but I wouldn't get too excited.
Beane would then continue to add depth at offensive line and sign Raiders offensive guard Jon Feliciano. Similar to Nsekhe, we got great responses from Raiders fans about Feliciano. This is most likely a depth signing, but one Raiders fan seemed to believe he has starter potential.
Not only are these all great signings, but there's one thing we forgot to mention: All of these contracts are team friendly. Beane is throwing money at these players early in the contract. The players love this and so does the team, which gives the Bills the opportunity to easily manage their cap space in the future.
Beane seems to have this organization going the right direction, but for know we can only hope that he continues with these tactics.
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