The Buffalo Bills got a heck of a 2022 season out of linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.
That’s good in all but one sense for the team: His contract. Edmunds undoubtedly had the best season of his career in the final year of his rookie contract. He’s set to be a free agent.
Because of that, his age (25), and the role he plays as the quarterback of the Bills defense, the front office will want to keep him around.
Hoping and doing are two very different questions. As much as the Bills would welcome him back, the team is approximately $20 million over the 2023 projected salary cap.
Moves can be made to make things work. That heavy lifting is up to Brandon Beane.
But if the team heads in another direction, could another big-time name be the answer? Pro Football Focus makes a case.
The football analytics outlet named one defensive free agent every team in the NFL should consider signing when the market opens. For Buffalo, the pick was a surprise: Dallas Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch.
Vander Esch is a former first-round pick that’s never been doubted in terms of talent. Health is another story, namely a neck injury he previously sustained.
That would be the exact reason Vander Esch could potentially be a cheaper option than Edmunds, though. Keeping one of their own pieces would be the preferred option, but if Edmunds walks, someone has to replace him.
Could it be Vander Esch? Here’s how PFF make the case:
This is by no means an indictment of Tremaine Edmunds, who is coming off a career year, but Buffalo has to start making tough financial decisions if it wants to keep its Super Bowl window open going forward. After extending linebacker Matt Milano in 2021, it’s probably not a great idea to spend around $30 million per year combined at the position when Buffalo may need to replace both starting safeties and address its offensive line.
Vander Esch would be a cheaper option and great pairing alongside Milano as a bigger, more physical player. The former first-round pick earned his best overall and coverage grades since his rookie season in 2022, with 72.8 and 77.0 grades, respectively. Vander Esch also missed a career-low 5.7% of tackle opportunities in 2022 and showed up big time in the wild-card round with seven tackles and two pass breakups, one of which came in the end zone.
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