Curtis Samuel signed with the Buffalo Bills due in part to his familiarity with offensive coordinator Joe Brady during his time as a member of the Carolina Panthers. Additionally, from watching from a distance, he had a preconceived notion about what it’s like to play for the Bills.
“From the outside looking in, great team, you can tell they have that family bond, great coaching staff, great organization as a whole,” Samuel stated. “You can tell by how far they go every year and just about how they move around, how they carry themselves.”
Playing with Josh Allen and being a part of a club that has made five straight playoff appearances has made Buffalo an attractive destination for free agents, a far cry from the historic playoff-less stretch that plagued the Bills.
The most notable free agent addition to date is Samuel. The Bills did not expect big-time signings after going over the salary cap by more than $40 million, as general manager Brandon Beane stated at the conclusion of the season.
In spite of this, the Bills have made a number of notable extensions, restructured contracts, made cuts, and added veterans to fill essential positions during the course of the month.
They have added players to both sides of the ball, and they are tied for the most picks in the upcoming draft with 11 coming from next month’s class. However, a lot more work remains to be done.
While a strong draft will be important, Buffalo is used to making late signings as well.
Leonard Floyd, who the Bills signed for a one-year contract in June of last year, was one of the team’s top free agent acquisitions. It’s important to remember that cornerback Tre’Davious White will become available with an additional $10.2 million in cap space as he has been designated as a post-June 1 release.
What are the Bills’ initial takeaways, and where are the gaps still there, considering the substantial work that remains to be done?
For the Bills, it all began on March 6, a day that will go down in team history due to the roughly twelve transactions that were made that day. This involved the return of players like David Edwards, who is currently in the NFL, and the release of players like center Mitch Morse, White, and safety Jordan Poyer, among others.
The Bills have since started the process of assembling this year’s squad and acquiring players for next seasons. Three players who were expected to be among the highest-paid players on the team in terms of cap space—Allen, tight end Dawson Knox, and pass-rusher Von Miller—had their contracts altered in a number of ways to open money for 2024 as part of the budget-cutting efforts.
Two Bills draft picks, left lineman Dion Dawkins and nickel corner Taron Johnson, inked three-year contracts to remain with the organization, further demonstrating the importance of the deals. These transactions reflect the team’s draft, develop, and re-sign strategy and represent investments in players who are coming off successful seasons.
“I’m going to get better,” Dawkins declared. “If we’re talking about personal things, I intend to have more Pro Bowls, all-pros, and other accomplishments. In other words, I intend to consistently be the best version of myself.”
Despite changes in the backfield, Johnson’s deal was important since it kept a valuable component of the secondary with the team.
A wide receiver in the opening selection?
During the first round of free agency, the Bills signed two wide receivers: Mack Hollins, a one-year contract, and Samuel, a three-year agreement. Both players will provide depth and help on special teams.
These actions do not imply that the team has finished addressing the position or even should have.
Not quite on the roster is a reliable replacement for the precise position that Gabe Davis, who is currently with the Jacksonville Jaguars, held. Even though Samuel can line up in a number of areas as a rusher and receiver, he cannot replace Davis. In 2020, with Brady calling plays for the Panthers, Samuel’s reception percentage was 22.5% outside the slot and 53.1% inside. Along with Brady, he set a career high in rushing.
Samuel described being tutored by Brady as “really just trusting in him to put me in the right spots, the right locations to be the best playmaker I can possibly be on the field.” “And I felt like he did a great job at that.”
With this being a deep receiving class, the Bills will likely want to explore this early in the draft and possibly with multiple picks.
