The Buffalo Bills are in the market to improve their offense during the ongoing offseason. Free agency could be were the Bills do so.
Once again under head coach Sean McDermott, the Bills had a fantastic, top-tier defense last season. In 2019, the offense caught up, but didn’t catch the defense. That’s where the Bills need to improve.
ESPN recently laid out some free agency trickle-down effects across the NFL. In that piece, perhaps the most intriguing idea of them all involves the Bills.
As free agency typically, works, there’s the top options. Then you go to the next, and so on. The worldwide leader laid out a few of those scenario’s via Bill Barnwell. Starting with quarterback Phillip Rivers moving on to the Colts, eventually the trail of breadcrumbs leads Saints quarterback/ utility man Taysom Hill to the Bills.
But as it’s explained, Hill wouldn’t be taking the throws from Allen:
While the Bills are happy with Josh Allen’s development, you could understand if the coaching staff wanted to see its quarterback of the future take fewer hits in 2020. Allen excels on designed runs, but Hill can take some of those snaps and continue to make an impact without threatening Allen’s role as the long-term starter.
While an interesting idea, there might be one big problem: Hill himself. Hill told the AP ahead of the Super Bowl recently that he wants to play quarterback, not the utility thrower/ rusher/ special teamer role he’s playing with the Saints.
“I definitely view myself as a franchise quarterback,” Hill said. “I think as you look at, you know, the other questions, is it New Orleans? Is it somewhere else? As you go into free agency, this is the time that you start to find out how people view you. We haven’t gotten into free agency long enough to really know how guys view me and we’ll just handle it as it comes.”
Because of Hill’s feelings, if another team opts to give him a try under center, he’ll probably prefer them over the Bills. But if he falls back into his current role and leaves the Saints, the Bills might be a perfect fit the way Brian Daboll likes to keep opponents on their toes with trick plays and gadget options.
The next offensive weapon the Bills appear in, involves Falcons rusher Devonta Freeman. In a scenario involving Chargers running back Melvin Gordon signing with the Redskins, ESPN finds a scenario where Freeman replaces Frank Gore:
With Freeman likely to be cut by the Falcons and veteran Frank Gore moving on from Buffalo, the Bills need a back to take some of the reps away from Devin Singletary. Freeman would take over as the goal-line and early-down specialist.
ESPN predicts a one-year, $3 million deal for Freeman with the Bills. That deal would be in line with the type of minimal deal the Bills would want to give to a veteran back, like they did with Gore.
Freeman would feature in a veteran role with Singletary, while also providing a better option in the receiving game. He cause 59 catches in 2019 with the Falcons and 257 in his career, including 73 in 2015.
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