Free-Agent Contracts Bills Must Pursue After Preseason
On paper, the Buffalo Bills have one of the most complete rosters in the NFL.
Buffalo is poised to make a push back to the AFC Championship Game and challenge the Kansas City Chiefs for the top spot in the conference.
Even if the roster looks great, the Buffalo coaching staff should still be scouring the free-agent market for upgrades just in case some players do not live up to expectations.
Buffalo's positions of concern are running back, tight end and defensive end. The Bills have players in all three spots that could eliminate those questions early in the season.
The Bills have to be ready to act if any of those players fail to live up to expectations, especially in a season where the team's overall outlook is sky high.
RB Latavius Murray
Latavius Murray's sudden availability on the free-agent market should intrigue the Bills.
Buffalo will enter the regular season with two young running backs in Zack Moss and Devin Singletary and veteran Matt Breida backing them up.
The Bills could feel content with their current running back room, but it would not hurt to have Murray ready to call in case there is a need for improvement.
Singletary and Moss split time as the primary running back in 2020, but there is a chance neither player grabs hold of the role.
If a running back by committee is used, the Bills could call on Murray to take on valuable touches in the red zone.
Murray produced nine touchdowns as the No. 2 running back behind Alvin Kamara in New Orleans over the last two seasons and he could make the same impact on another postseason contender.
If Murray is brought in, Breida would likely be the odd man out of the rotation. Breida has not played a full season in the last three years and he scored a single touchdown in the last two seasons.
Murray would likely be viewed as an upgrade over Breida and he could be the red-zone back the Bills need to add production in that area of the field and take some pressure off Josh Allen to use his legs.
TE Richard Rodgers
The Bills do not need to make a massive upgrade at tight end in case Dawson Knox does not perform up to expectations.
Buffalo has an abundance of wide receivers Allen can call on in the passing game and it may just need a reliable veteran that has been a second or third tight end throughout his career.
Richard Rodgers fits that mold. He has been a reserve tight end for the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles.
Rodgers could even be a decent backup behind Knox, who had three touchdown catches in 12 games last season.
At minimum, Rodgers could provide Allen with an extra red-zone target and he can help with blocking for the young running backs.
DT Geno Atkins
Buffalo's worst-case scenario on defense is the lack of sacks from 2020 carries over to 2021.
The Bills added edge-rushers Greg Rousseau and Carlos "Boogie" Basham through the 2021 NFL draft to ensure the production goes up in 2021.
If the rookies take time to adapt to the NFL, the Bills may need to look to an interior addition to provide support for the players on the edge.
Geno Atkins is arguably the most valuable defender left on the free-agent market. He has 75.5 career sacks and has been healthy for the majority of his career.
Buffalo currently has Star Lotulelei, Vernon Butler and Ed Oliver at defensive tackle, but if they fail to get consistent pressure on opposing quarterback, a fix needs to be made.
The potential addition of Atkins could increase Buffalo's chances of winning the AFC. He could even be worth the pickup now to ensure the pass rush is more effective than it was in 2020 when no one had more than five sacks.
Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference.