The Buffalo Bills are the first team of 2018 and they need to fill out their roster with a few key free agents. Here is who I think they should target: 4th Pick in FA, WR Allen Robinson, RB Carlos Hyde
The “buffalo bills salary cap 2022” is a ranking of the 4 players the Buffalo Bills must target this offseason. The list includes Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield, Lamar Jackson, and Saquon Barkley.
Thirteen seconds have passed. The AFC Championship Game was 13 seconds away for the Buffalo Bills. The Bills, however, fell in overtime to the Kansas City Chiefs after a tremendous failure on practically every level. They’ll now have to deal with the fallout from what may have been.
Despite the devastating ending, the Bills still have one of the most talented rosters in the league, and free agency this summer will be all about adding players who can help them go to the next level.
Here are four free-agent players the Bills must pursue in 2022 to build a squad capable of going 60 minutes and 13 seconds further to win the franchise’s first Super Bowl since 1993.
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The salary cap situation of the Buffalo Bills
(From left to right) Cordarrelle Paterson, Rasul Douglas, and Tyrod Taylor | Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images, Patrick McDermott/Getty Images, and Michael Reaves/Getty Images
The Buffalo Bills are now $1.3 million above the salary limit for 2022. This does not, however, imply that the team will not participate in free agency this year.
The Bills may dramatically reduce their cap hit by eliminating, restructuring, or extending a few veteran contracts. The Bills may save up to $42 million against the cap if they address the contracts of wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Cole Beasley, center Mitch Morse, offensive lineman Daryl Williams, defensive tackle Star Lotulelei, and safeties Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde.
The Bills’ general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott will not go out and sign players to huge contracts now that they have some financial breathing space. Nonetheless, it will enable them to target particular players who meet the exact demands of a club poised to compete for the Super Bowl next season.
With that in mind, these are the four free agents the Buffalo Bills should pursue in 2022.
4. QB Tyrod Taylor
Mitchell Trubisky, the team’s high-end backup quarterback this season, is expected to get a big contract this summer. After a season of repairing his reputation in Buffalo, he should be able to challenge for a starting role. Fans of the Buffalo Bills would want to see a previous fan favorite return to Orchard Park in 2022 to back up Josh Allen.
While having a shirtless Ryan Fitzpatrick back on the sidelines would be entertaining, Tyrod Taylor is the best fit for the Bills next season. Taylor is prone to injury and only appeared in six games for the Houston Texans in 2021, but he passed for 966 yards and carried for another 151 yards.
Taylor isn’t a consistent starter anymore, but if Josh Allen is injured (cross your fingers, spin three times, and spit, Bills fans), Taylor can go in, run the same offense, and win a game or two. If the worst-case scenario occurs, this should help keep the team’s Super Bowl hopes alive.
Cordarrelle Paterson (RB) is number three on the list.
Devin Singletary and Zack Moss’ thunder and lightning were more like a gentle rain this year. The Bills ran for 2,209 yards this season, thanks to RB Matt Breida. That was the NFL’s sixth-best total. When Josh Allen’s 763 running yards (the second-most on the team) is removed, the Bills’ rushing offense in 2021 drops to 31st.
That’s why the Bills need to get another experienced back this summer who can challenge, compliment, or perhaps replace Singletary and Moss. Cordarrelle Patterson is the ideal running back who brings something new to the table.
In an ineffective Atlanta Falcons offense, Patterson has 618 running yards and 548 receiving yards this season. His Swiss Army knife skills would be a terrific weapon for new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey to use, and lining up alongside Josh Allen and other flexible guys like Isaiah McKenzie would drive defenders crazy (if the Bills re-sign him).
WR Juju Smith-Schuster is ranked No. 2 in the NFL.
The Bills are set to release Cole Beasley and let Emmanuel Sanders, 34, depart. Stefon Diggs is still on the roster, and third-year rising prospect Gabriel Davis will have to be the No. 2 wide receiver in 2022. Isaiah McKenzie should be brought back, but there is still a need for an established No. 3 target in the slot.
The Bills should go after Juju Smith-Schuster, one of the greatest free-agent wide receivers available in 2022. He’s clearly superior than a third receiver. Still, after many injury-plagued and antics-filled seasons, the gifted wideout may choose for a lesser, shorter contract in order to rehabilitate his reputation and worth while pursuing a Super Bowl ring.
With a poorer club, Smith-Schuster may get a better contract. However, if he puts his faith in himself for a season and helps the Bills win their first Super Bowl while putting up huge numbers with Diggs and Davis pulling coverage away from him, he may get a monster contract in 2023.
1. CB Rasul Douglas
Rasul Douglas was stopped by a security officer at the practice facility early in his stint with the Cardinals practice team because the guard didn’t know him.
He made the game-winning interception against his old club in October.
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/CbjUNkdO3c
— The Ringer (@ringer) January 20, 2022
Tre’Davious White, an All-Pro cornerback, was sidelined for the season on Thanksgiving Day due to a knee injury, so who knows when he’ll be back at full power in 2022. Even if the injuries weren’t an issue, Levi Wallace is a free agent, and Taron Johnson is a competent, but not outstanding, cover corner with just three career interceptions in four seasons.
The Buffalo Bills are in desperate need of a cornerback this summer, and finding a legitimate No. 2 should be a top priority. Rasul Douglas of the Green Bay Packers would be ideal for the job. The pay cap in Green Bay is a disaster, and Douglas is a possible casualty.
In 2021, the fifth-year veteran from West Virginia had a career year, intercepting five passes and returning two for touchdowns. He can play No. 1 CB for the Bills early in the season and then be a dangerous companion for White after he returns. That’s why Douglas should be a free agency target for the Bills in 2022.
Pro Football Reference provided all numbers, while Spotrac provided contract statistics.
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The Buffalo Bills are in the market for a new quarterback, and they have 4 players that they must target. Reference: buffalo bills contracts.
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