CBS Sports gave the Buffalo Bills a grade of “B” for their work completed during the first few weeks of free agency in 2023.
As promised by general manager Brandon Beane, the Bills were not movers and shakers this offseason. The GM noted in the weeks prior that Buffalo wouldn’t be making moves like they had the offseason prior when signing the likes of Von Miller to a massive contract.
Instead, the Bills suffered a big loss this time around with Tremaine Edmunds heading to the Chicago Bears.
But even with Edmunds’ departure, CBS Sports still likes the body of work completed by Buffalo.
Here’s the breakdown:
Buffalo’s most important moves this offseason came by way of retaining talent that was already on the roster. The team extended Matt Milano and surprisingly was able to bring back star safety Jordan Poyer as well. Poyer seemed to be a likely candidate to leave once he hit the open market, so being able to keep a player of his caliber was a major coup for a Bills team that boasts a Super Bowl-caliber roster. The biggest hit came on the defensive side of the ball with Tremaine Edmunds inking a deal with the Bears, leaving a notable hole at the off-ball linebacker position.
Milano and Poyer were important moves made by the Bills. However, their grade could get a boost in the future if their additions work out.
Essentially Buffalo was looking to upgrade around their roster. Isaiah McKenzie was released and the team shelled out a few more dollars in the hopes of Deonte Harty producing more in that versatile role.
Then along the offensive line, additions were made in the middle via a three-year deal for Connor McGovern and one-year contract for former Super Bowl winner David Edwards. That area was lacking in 2022.
Defensively there haven’t been large additions. However, Taylor Rapp is a versatile defensive back that was brought in who could feature around Buffalo’s defense. Bare minimum, he bolsters the Bills’ safety depth which was tested last season.
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