The Bills tapping into that sweet Carolina Panthers sauce to try and upgrade their own roster, a tale as old as time.
ESPN laid out trickle-down free agency scenarios this week ahead of the NFL’s open market in March. Defensively the Bills go into those roots to land two players who played under Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott in Carolina.
The first is Mario Addison, who’d help boost Buffalo’s average pass rush:
Sean McDermott has brought in plenty of his favorites from Carolina and just hired former Panthers defensive coordinator Eric Washington as defensive line coach. Addison has been wildly underrated for years — he’s 11th in the league in sacks since 2016 — and would step in for Shaq Lawson in Buffalo’s defensive line rotation.
Not only step in, but likely improve upon. And that rotation might serve the Bills well here. Addison would be entering his 10th season and if the money is right, a rotation might serve his body well.
Last season Addition had 9.5 sacks. His lowest total since 2014 in a single season is six. Lawson’s career high is 6.5. Addison signs a three-year, $42 million deal with the Bills in this scenario, and that’s probably the type of deal Lawson is looking for so by the easy numbers, Addition would be the better option.
This Addison to Bills deal comes in a scenario where Jadeveon Clowney starts things off in pass-rusher free agency by signing with the Ravens.
In the other scenario, the Bills would be rolling the dice a bit. Cornerback Josh Norman finds his way to the Bills:
Norman has been a below-average player since signing a record-setting deal with Washington. He could retire, but I wonder if the Bills would give him a chance. Sean McDermott was the Panthers’ defensive coordinator when Norman broke out in 2015, and the deal likely wouldn’t have much guaranteed money.
This move is sprung by cornerback Chris Harris going to the Texans. But McDermott is again the key. Norman has been brutal during his time with the Redskins. But that 2015 season? An All-Pro season for Norman, playing in McDermott’s defense.
Norman, All-Pro, with Tre’Davious White, All-Pro? Need we say more? That could work, if Norman get back in form.
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