The NFL lockout is officially over and teams can finally get back to business. This next week is going to be an exciting time as teams try and cram months of work into seven days or less. The Bills don't have much time as they open camp on Friday but sit in a better spot than most teams. This is how I see the next week going.
Re-sign key players
The Bills are already under the salary cap so they don't have to worry about cutting any players if they don't want to but they do have free agents from last year that they need to focus on, specifically Paul Posluszny and Drayton Florence.
The Bills have eleven free agents including tendered restricted free agent Scott Chandler and non-tendered restricted free agents Brian Brohm, Quinton Ganther, and Jonathan Stupar. Out of this group, I can only see Stupar possibly coming back.
The Bills also have seven unrestricted free agents, all on the defensive side of the ball, which include Paul Posluszny, Drayton Florence, Donte Whitner, John McCargo, Aston Youboty, Akin Ayodele, and Keith Ellison. I expect them to let Ellison, McCargo, and Youboty walk and possibly bring back Ayodele as depth at the linebacker position.
It has already been made clear that safety Donte Whitner will be playing somewhere else, which I think will be a huge mistake. He unfortunately had to live with being the eighth overall pick in 2006 and while productive was not the playmaker fans expected. I don't believe this had as much to do with his skill set as it did with what he was asked to do. He was lined up all over the field during his five year career at both safety positions, nickel position and sometimes down in the box as an extra linebacker.
Poz has already said he will test free agency but I expect him to get re-signed. He has been hurt on and off for a few years now but he is a difference maker when he is on the field. I am afraid that he may end up getting offers that are just too much for the Bills to match. Along with signing Poz, Buddy Nix said this morning, Drayton Florence is just as important to bring back. He is also a gamble as he is getting up there in age but I think if the Bills can sign him for a three year deal, it would minimize some of the risk.
Bring in free agents
The Bills obviously have some holes that will need to be filled. I think if they lose Poz, middle linebacker is a top priority. The Sports XChange mention Kevin Burnett from San Diego as a possible replacement and I think that would be a perfect fit for Buffalo. He is still relatively young, has been productive and has already played with outside linebacker Shawne Merriman.
After middle linebacker, they should really think about addressing the offensive tackle and guard position. I think moving Eric Wood back to his natural position of center will strengthen the line, creating a need for right guard. Dallas released guard Leonard Davis, who would be a nice one year fill in for this season. At the tackle position, the Bills could move Demetrius Bell to right tackle and go after someone like Jared Gaither, who was connected to the Bills last year in possible trade discussions.
Finally, the Bills will need to address their back up quarterback position. Due to Ryan Fitzpatrick's style of play, there is an increased risk of injury and the Bills need a capable back-up and no I am not saying for Buddy Nix to call Brett Favre. I do think he should be calling Tyler Thigpen, who fits perfectly in Chan Gailey's system, something they showed together in Kansas City a few years ago.
While the Bills are addressing these key areas, they need to be signing as many undrafted rookies as possible to fill out their roster. They need to get to 90 players by this weekend and currently sit at 64, so they will be busy over these next five or so days.
Sign Draft Picks
This should be the last thing the front office focuses on because the Bills already own their rights. Now while it would be nice for the rookies to be in training camp on Day 1, it is more important to go after these key free agents and re-sign the key players from last year. Not to mention, the new CBA has a rookie wage scale, this should cut down on hold outs and make signing draft picks much easier.
It is going to be an interesting week and I will do my best to keep everyone up to date as the transactions become official. I think if the Bills can bring back Poz, sign a few key free agents and get all the rookies into camp, the future looks very bright in Buffalo.
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