After each of their two previous seasons ended with a devastating playoff loss, the Buffalo Bills will enter 2023 as one of the NFL’s top Super Bowl contenders. But, following an offseason in which they signed or extended veterans like Ed Oliver, Matt Milano, Jordan Poyer, and Leonard Floyd, the Bills are nearly capped out.
Buffalo currently has just $5.3 million in available cap space, so they’re unlikely to make any more significant additions. Still, Buffalo will have several issues to consider when they officially begin training camp next week.
3 Final Moves for the Buffalo Bills
Resolve Any Outstanding Issues With Stefon Diggs
June was a strange month for the Bills and All-Pro wideout Stefon Diggs. Head coach Sean McDermott initially said he was “very concerned” by Diggs’ absence from the first day of Buffalo’s mandatory minicamp, but any drama was theoretically defused when Diggs showed up for Day 2.
Since then, the Bills have indicated that everything is fine. McDermott said the two sides are “in a good spot.” Left tackle Dion Dawkins claimed, “There’s nothing to really be worried about.”
“I love him. That’s my guy,” Josh Allen said earlier this month. “The media has blown this so far out of proportion. We are in minicamp. We’re not playing a game for four months. He doesn’t show up for one day, he’s still there, coach asked him to go home, they’re in talks, they’re trying to resolve some things. They’re still talking about it. Let it go. There’s no reason to continue talking about it.”
Still, Diggs hasn’t yet addressed what happened during minicamp, so it will be interesting to hear what he says during training camp. Diggs just signed a four-year, $96 million extension with the Bills in April 2022, so any issues are unlikely to be contract-related. Ben Volin of the Boston Globe indicated in June that Diggs was frustrated with his role in Buffalo’s offense and his lack of input with play-calling.
Determine Whether Von Miller Will Be Placed on the PUP List
Von Miller managed eight sacks for the Bills before going down with his second career torn ACL on Thanksgiving, but the 34-year-old is ramping up his projected return timetable. After initially suggesting he could be sidelined until Week 6, Miller has since indicated he could be ready for the start of the regular season.
“I have good information from my doctor, and my knee is all healed up,” Miller said in mid-June. “It’s all about me and how confident I can be the next three months.”
It’s fair to wonder if the Bills should take an overly cautious approach with Miller, given both his age and importance to the club’s defensive production. Buffalo might be willing to rest Miller at the outset of the season if that means he’ll be at full strength later in the year and into the playoffs.
If the Bills place Miller on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list and keep him there into Week 1, he’ll have to miss at least four games. Miller won’t be eligible for the PUP list if he practices even once during training camp, but Buffalo could still place him on injured reserve (another four-game absence) in that scenario.
Consider an Extension for Gabe Davis
The Bills have several notable players entering their contract seasons (including veteran safety Micah Hyde and former second-round pick A.J. Epenesa), but wideout Gabe Davis is probably the only contributor they might consider extending heading into the 2023 campaign.
Buffalo is already projected to be over the salary cap in 2024, when a potential Davis extension would take effect. Still, they could pull several financial levers to create additional space, including restructuring Allen and/or Diggs’ contracts and parting ways with veterans like center Mitch Morse.
Locking in Davis now would give the Bills long-term cost certainty. Given how the wide receiver market has exploded in recent seasons, it might be wise for Buffalo to hammer a deal out before Davis posts an explosive campaign.
Of course, there’s risk in an extension, especially after Davis struggled in 2022. Davis was the recipient of many deep targets and ranked 15th in the league in air yards, but he finished 75th among 84 qualifying wide receivers in contested catch rate, per PFF. After managing 2.03 yards per route run in 2021 (13th in the NFL), Davis fell to 43rd last season.
If the Bills believe Davis can revert back to his 2021 production and become a long-term piece of their offense, a team-friendly extension could make sense.