P.J. Walker, 4 other XFL players Bills should pursue

Now that XFL players are free to sign with NFL rosters, here are five players the Buffalo Bills should pursue.

As NFL free agency begins to heat up, players who hoped to better their stock by playing in the XFL are now looking to cash in on their risk.

The league, which prematurely concluded its season last week due to the COVID-19 outbreak, has informed players that they are free to sign with NFL teams if they so choose, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

As first-and-second-tier free agents begin to ink deals with new franchises this week, teams may start to look to XFL alumni to add competition to their roster.

Though the Buffalo Bills have wasted no time in adding elite talent to its roster this offseason, there are a few XFL veterans who could prove to be interesting and valuable additions.

Here are five former XFL players that the Bills should pursue.

QB P.J. Walker

Former Houston Roughnecks QB P.J. Walker. (Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports)

When put up against fellow NFL rejects and cast outs, P.J. Walker shined.

He was dubbed ‘the Patrick Mahomes of the XFL’ by many, finishing the inaugural XFL season with a 65 percent completion percentage and a 15-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

Walker dominated the XFL news cycle throughout the entirety of the season, leading the Houston Roughnecks to a 5-0 start. Had the league been able to conclude its campaign, Walker likely would have been named MVP at year’s end.

He was the reason why many people tuned into the XFL each and every week. Despite this, don’t expect the 25-year-old to continue his stretch of dominance should he ultimately land on an NFL roster. Walker is a talented quarterback who showed exceptional athleticism and intelligence throughout his short stint in the XFL.

He did so, however, when facing off against teams made up of NFL camp bodies and those looking to prolong their professional football careers. Walker, himself, was once an NFL camp body, spending the 2017, 2018, and 2019 preseasons with the Indianapolis Colts, never making the team’s 53-man roster.

Walker undoubtedly showed upside in the XFL, but it’s important to note the context in which he showed this upside. Though he was the best player in the spring league by a longshot, don’t expect an NFL team to bring him in and allow him to compete for its starting quarterback job.

Though it’s unrealistic to expect the uncrowned XFL MVP to win a starting job in the NFL anytime soon, he’s still an incredibly intriguing option for teams looking to improve their quarterback room.

This is why Buffalo should have some interest.

The Bills currently have just three quarterbacks on their roster – Josh Allen, Matt Barkley, and Davis Webb, a now fourth-year signal-caller who spent the 2019 season on Buffalo’s practice squad. Though one could argue that Walker would not be an upgrade at the bottom of the depth chart, his play-style makes the idea of his addition intriguing,

Walker is an instinctive quarterback. Throughout the XFL season, he consistently showed confidence in the face of pressure and wasn’t afraid to improvise when plays broke down, often using his athleticism to buy time for a receiver to get open or to simply pick up yardage with his legs.

Though one would never physically mistake the 5-foot-11 Walker for the 6-foot-5 Allen, the impromptu nature of both of their games is what makes Walker a potential fit in the Bills’ offense.

Walker is at least more instinctive and athletic than Barkley, a relatively immobile passer who failed to impress in limited action last season. Though Webb is far from a poor athlete, he lacks the on-the-fly decision-making ability that made Walker the player that he was in the XFL.

Given his instinctive nature and underrated arm strength, Walker is perhaps more similar to Allen than either Barkley or Webb, something that would allow Buffalo’s offense to continue in rhythm should Allen ever be forced to leave the field for an extended period of time.

The Bills’ offense, at times, benefits from Allen’s improvisation. Having a backup quarterback who is capable of an at-least similar level of impromptu play certainly wouldn’t be a bad idea.

There’s no risk in allowing Walker to compete for the Bills’ backup quarterback job. If he’s unable to supplant Barkley and Webb on the depth chart, Buffalo can release him at the end of the preseason – no harm, no foul.

If he ultimately wins the team’s backup role, however, he’d be a high-upside safety net that would allow the team’s offense to semi-normally operate in the event of an Allen injury.

 

B/R sends Alshon Jeffery to Bills in ‘ideal offseason trade scenario’

Bleacher Report thinks Philadelphia Eagles’ wideout Alshon Jeffery would be an “ideal” addition for the Buffalo Bills this offseason.

Though the Buffalo Bills’ offense did enough to win 10 games throughout the 2019 NFL season, to say that the unit was good would be a bit too generous.

Buffalo finished the campaign with the league’s eighth-worst offensive unit, averaging a total of just 330.2 yards per game. The grouping struggled to consistently move the ball through the air, with its 201.8 passing yards per game besting the weekly average of just six other teams.

While the Bills’ lack of success in the passing game can be partially attributed to quarterback Josh Allen’s lack of polish, it can also be attributed to his lack of weapons. Though John Brown and Cole Beasley shined in their debut seasons in Buffalo, combining for 1,838 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns, that’s where the receiving corps’ production started and stopped.

Isaiah McKenzie finished the season as the team’s third-most productive wide receiver, totaling 254 – yes, 254 – receiving yards.

As Buffalo enters the 2020 offseason, it’s clear that it needs a true No. 1 weapon, a player who can become the centerpiece of its offense.

According to Bleacher Report, Alshon Jeffery may be a perfect fit.

In a recent article in which he described “ideal offseason trade scenario[s]” for each NFL team,  B/R identified the Bills as a realistic suitor for the 29-year-old wideout, who he feels the Philadelphia Eagles may look to move this offseason:

The process [to revamp the offense]  began a year ago when general manager Brandon Beane revamped the offensive line and signed free-agent wide receivers John Brown and Cole Beasley. These moves helped lead the team to a playoff appearance, but they didn’t quite go far enough, particularly at wide receiver . . .

. . . The Philadelphia Eagles somehow thrived during their latest playoff run despite being down to three healthy wide receivers, a couple of which came from the practice squad. That’s not the way to build a roster, of course. But circumstances showed the offense doesn’t require big-dollar receivers on the outside to win, which makes Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson expendable.

Buffalo has more than enough to absorb Jeffery’s $9.9 million base salary and complete its skill positions.

Though Jeffery certainly wouldn’t be a poor addition to a receiving corps that is in desperate need of a proven primary producer, whether or not Jeffery is still a ‘proven primary producer’ is debatable.

He hasn’t bested the 1,000-receiving yard plateau since 2014. Though he’s been impactful throughout his three years in Philadelphia, tallying an average of 707 receiving yards per season with the Eagles, he’s only appeared in all 16 games for the team once.

He missed the first three weeks of the 2018 season following offseason surgery. He missed six regular-season games throughout the 2019 campaign, including the final three and the postseason with a hip injury.

While Jeffery has still been relatively productive, his recent injury history is certainly a cause for concern.

Combine that with his upcoming $9.9 million cap hit, and you have a recipe that may give some teams pause while looking at a potential trade.

Buffalo could afford to take on Jeffery’s contract, as its set to enter the offseason with north of $80 million in cap space, according to OverTheCap.

But devoting an eighth of that cap space to a borderline injury-prone wide receiver who will be 30 years of age when the 2020 season commences does not seem incredibly intelligent.

Should Buffalo ultimately acquire the wideout, its Week 1 receiving corps in 2020 would be likely headlined by Jeffery, Brown, and Beasley – all of whom would be at least 30 years old.

Acquiring Jeffery would certainly push wide receiver down on the team’s list of needs entering the 2020 NFL Draft, but it wouldn’t eliminate it entirely. The Bills’ receiving corps would go from untalented to aging, in need of a young, developmental option that the team could look to pick up as early as day two.

Though there are certainly a bevy of reasons as to why Buffalo should be cautious should it choose to pursue Jeffery, a quick eye-test suggests that he could be a valuable addition.

He’s perhaps exactly what the Bills’ offense is in need of – a big-bodied wide receiver who is not afraid to go up and get the football. Though he’s soon to be on the wrong side of 30, and his injury history is certainly concerning, it’s hard to make an argument against adding talent.

Jeffery would immediately become the most talented wide receiver on Buffalo’s roster.

Bleacher Report suggests fourth-and-sixth round draft picks as compensation for Jeffery. Should the Bills acquire the former Pro Bowler for a handful of day three picks, even with his laundry list of potential hiccups – it’d be hard to be upset.

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PODCAST: Which Bills’ offensive position groups need to be improved?

Kyle Silagyi is joined by Justin Diloro and McKenna Middlebrook to talk about the offensive position groups the Buffalo Bills must improve.

Though the 2019 NFL season was a successful one for the Buffalo Bills, the team’s offense left a bit to be desired.

The team finished with the league’s 24th ranked offense, averaging a total of just 330.2 yards per game. Though quarterback Josh Allen improved in his second professional season, he sometimes showed lapses in judgment, resulting in turnovers and frequent errant throws. The receiving corps showed glaring holes throughout the entire season and the backfield, while talented, struggled to consistently produce.

On this episode of The Kyle Silagyi Variety Hour, host Kyle Silagyi is joined by BillsWire staff writers Justin DiLoro and McKenna Middlebrook to explore the offensive position groups that Buffalo needs to improve in the offseason. They also rant about the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres and briefly talk about the world of English football.

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PODCAST: Which pending FAs should Bills re-sign?

Kyle Silagyi, Rich Kowalski, Justin DiLoro, and McKenna Middlebrook discuss which pending free agents the Buffalo Bills should re-sign.

A potentially franchise-altering offseason lies ahead for the Buffalo Bills.

The Bills, who are coming off a breakout 10-6 season and Wild-Card round loss, are set to have more than $80 million in salary-cap space in the offseason, a perfect opportunity to add substantial quality to an already talented young roster.

Before the team identifies potential additions through free agency, however, it must first re-sign its own players who are set to hit the open market. The contracts of 17 Buffalo players are set to expire, leaving general manager Brandon Beane with a bevy of difficult decisions to make.

On this episode of The Kyle Silagyi Variety Hour, host Kyle Silagyi is joined by BillsWire staff writers Rich Kowalski, Justin DiLoro, and McKenna Middlebrook to discuss the pending free agents who they feel the Bills should look to re-sign. They also briefly preview Super Bowl LIV and talk about the latest news in the world of English football.

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8 takeaways from Brandon Beane’s year-end press conference

Here are eight takeaways from Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane’s year-end press conference.

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane took to the podium for the first time in months Tuesday morning, breaking down his team’s successful season with a 40-minute year-end press conference.

Though disappointed with a Wild-Card round postseason exit, Beane was still pleased with the progress he saw within his team throughout the 2019 campaign.

Here are eight takeaways from Beane’s end-of-season press conference:

Wants overall improvement: ‘We’re not one player away’

Buffalo took a step forward as an organization in the 2019 season, constructing its first double-digit win total of the 21st century.

Despite his team’s 10-6 record, postseason berth, and consistently stout defensive play, Beane does not feel as though his roster is complete.

In fact, he does not see an area that’s not in need of at least some improvement.

“We have to keep our defense strong,” Beane said. “They had a really good year. I would say you have to be strong in all three phases, we want to be better on special teams. Our special teams, I did think improved from a year ago, but we’re not happy with that. Offensively, we did show some improvements statistically, and Josh [Allen] improved and we scored more points. At the end of the day, we didn’t score enough points.

“A lot of times, if you make the playoffs, your last game is kind of emblematic of, if you don’t win at all, whether you go to the championship game or you lose like we did, a lot of times it kind of shows you how your season went, and where you’re good and where you need to get better. I thought we saw that, we just didn’t score enough points.”

With a roster that’s in need of offensive firepower and overall depth, Beane does not feel as though the Bills are one splash signing away from cementing themselves as Super Bowl contenders.

Since taking over as Buffalo’s general manager in the 2017 offseason, Beane’s roster additions have been consistent and concentrated, often making under-the-radar moves that prove to be more impactful than initially thought. With roughly $90 million in cap space to play with in the offseason, Beane again plans to make careful and well thought out moves that may not steal headlines, but will improve the team’s roster.

“I don’t think we’re one player away,” Beane said. “I never think you are, and I definitely don’t think we’re one player away. You lose the first round of the playoffs, that doesn’t say to me [that] the Bills are one player away from being exactly where they want to be.

“We’re a lot of positions away that we’ve got to clean up or answer.”

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