Notable Free Agents
TE- Scott Chandler
OT- Thomas Welch
DE- Alex Carrington
LB- Arthur Moats
S- Jairus Byrd, Jim Leonhard
K- Dan Carpenter
2014 Draft Picks
1. Round one, pick nine
2. Round two, pick nine
3. Round three, pick nine
4. Round four, pick nine
5. Round five, pick nine
6. Round six, pick nine
7. Round seven, pick nine
Biggest Offseason Needs
1. Offensive guard: Easily the biggest weakness for the Bills right now is their offensive line. E.J. Manuel had no one to protect him this season up front, which could have been a factor in the number of injuries he sustained this season. A good place to start to help the offensive line would to bring in a guard on either side. Center Eric Wood is a solid lineman, but after losing Andy Levitre in the offseason last year, the Bills couldn’t find a guard combination that worked for them, trying Colin Brown and Doug Legursky, neither of whom worked out. Manuel can be a playmaker, but first, he needs someone to give him time in the pocket.
2. Wide receiver: Sticking with the “Get Manuel Help” theme, he has no one to throw to. If the Bills don’t bring back Chandler, they will be in serious trouble in the passing game. Steve Johnson is a big question after the down year he had this season, and besides Robert Woods, that ends their list of legitimate receiving options. Johnson has shown he can be in a No. 1 receiver in the past, but they could use a guy to come out of the slot or to start in the event that Johnson gets hurt again or Woods doesn’t work out.
3. Linebacker: Buffalo already has one of the better defenses in the AFC, and could be a powerful force in the near future with the young assets they have. But besides Kiko Alonso and Manny Lawson, the Bills don’t have enough defensive playmakers. If they were able to draft a linebacker to play on the opposite side of Lawson, this would be a front seven that teams should worry about.
One Player Buffalo Should Target
On the offensive line, the Bills would do themselves a lot of good by going after Matt Slauson. Slauson, a left guard, just got done playing with the Chicago Bears this season after spending his first three in the league with the New York Jets. He has started every game since the 2010 season, and was ranked as the fifth-best guard for the 2013 season by Pro Football Focus. Starting him on the left side next to Cordy Glenn at tackle would pay off in the long term for Buffalo, with Slauson only being 28 years old.
One Player Buffalo Must Retain
Jairus Byrd will be on a lot of team’s radar this offseason because of his playmaking ability, but the Bills need to keep him. Scott Chandler was the leading receiver this season, but it’s a lot easier to find a tight end than it is to find a free safety that plays as well as Byrd. He didn’t take very kindly to being franchise tagged last season, and he sat out the whole preseason, but the tag could be a possibility again this offseason with Byrd coming off a season shortened by injury. He has said before he wants to be the highest-paid safety in the league, and that may be a little too high of an asking price, but Buffalo needs to make its best attempts to keep Byrd, who has 22 interceptions in his first five years in the league.
Player in Need of an Extension
Aaron Williams: Williams is a part of the previously mentioned young defense. This extension suddenly becomes even more important if Buffalo can’t lock up Byrd, because of how strong Williams was at strong safety this season. He finished second on the team in tackles with 82, and also recorded four interceptions while defending 11 others. Williams is only making a hair over $1.6 million next season, so he would probably want more than that if the Bills went into talks about an extension. But, he’s only 23, so a long-term deal could end up be worth a lot more to Buffalo.
Overall Offseason Outlook
Things are actually looking better in Buffalo than they have in the past several years. There are still some questions at quarterback with Manuel and whether he can be a franchise guy, but the Bills could be an interesting team next year if Manuel can stay healthy. If they get some offensive line help this offseason and get another offensive playmaker, a Byrd-led defense paired with that offense could surprise a few teams next season.