The Buffalo Bills will have to make several difficult decisions this offseason. After another playoff loss to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, the Bills are projected to be $50+ million over the salary cap heading into March’s free agent period.
Even if Buffalo uses every financial lever at its disposal to create additional cap space, general manager Brandon Beane may only have $10-15 million to work with. Which internal free agents will the Bills prioritize when the market opens?
Who Are the Bills’ Upcoming Free Agents?
WR Gabe Davis
Gabe Davis’ 2023 receiving line was nearly identical to his 2022 production. One of the most mercurial wideouts in the league, Davis scored at least six touchdowns for the fourth consecutive year but also went catchless in five games.
While Davis’ deep-ball prowess meshes with QB Josh Allen’s skill set, the Bills don’t have the cap space to re-sign their WR2. Stefon Diggs’ contract will likely require Buffalo to retrain him, while rookie TE Dalton Kincaid was Allen’s second-most-targeted pass catcher last season.
Davis, 24, is still young enough to receive a significant free agent contract, especially if fellow WRs like Tee Higgins and Michael Pittman Jr. are franchise-tagged. But if teams are concerned by his streaky nature, Davis might have to settle for a one-year deal.
S Micah Hyde
Despite their advanced combined age, Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer still comprise one of the best safety duos in the NFL. Poyer accepted a below-market deal when he reached free agency in 2023, signing a two-year pact worth $12.5 million. Will Hyde do the same thing to stay with the Bills?
Hyde will enter his age-33 campaign in 2024 and is contemplating retirement. With Buffalo facing salary cap problems next year, Hyde might have to decide if it’s worth taking less to remain a Bill.
EDGEs Leonard Floyd and A.J. Epenesa
Leonard Floyd became an absolute bargain for the Bills after inking a one-year, $7 million contract last June. He turned back the clock, leading Buffalo in sacks (10.5) and QB hits (19) in a rebound season. The 31-year-old Floyd is probably still an NFL mercenary at this point in his career, but he could find a slight pay raise ($10 million?) on the open market.
A.J. Epenesa is much younger than Floyd but has a much shorter track record. A 2020 second-round pick, Epenesa hadn’t shown much development as a pass rusher until last year when he tied his career high in sacks (6.5) while setting a new personal best in pressures (33).
RBs Damien Harris and Latavius Murray
Damien Harris was supposed to serve as the thunder to James Cook’s lightning, but he went down with a scary neck injury in Week 6 and spent the rest of the season on injured reserve. Beane said in January that Harris will be healthy when free agency opens.
Latavius Murray essentially took over as the Bills’ power back, managing a 57% success rate on the ground while seeing 22 targets in the passing game. Buffalo might try to get younger behind Cook. If they don’t draft a back, there’s no reason Murray can’t return on a league-minimum deal, even at age 34.
CB Dane Jackson
An authentic NFL success story, Dane Jackson has worked his way up the Bills’ depth chart throughout his career. The former seventh-round draft choice primarily played special teams over his first two seasons with Buffalo before joining the starting lineup in 2022.
Injuries ahead of Jackson forced him back into a starting role last season. He allowed 10.2 yards per completion, the 20th-best mark among 95 CBs with at least 500 defensive snaps.
Buffalo lost faith in 2022 first-rounder Kaiir Elam, but the club acquired fellow CB Rasul Douglas (under contract through 2024) at last year’s trade deadline. If the Bills think they can pencil in Douglas and Christian Benford as their starting corners next season while waiting for Tre’Davious White to return from a ruptured Achilles, Jackson could find playing time elsewhere.
Every Non-Ed Oliver DT
It’s a good thing the Bills locked up Ed Oliver on a four-year extension last summer — because every other defensive tackle on Buffalo’s roster will hit free agency in 2024.
DaQuan Jones, Jordan Phillips, Tim Settle, Poona Ford, and Linval Joseph are all pending free agents.
Jones suffered what was thought to be a season-ending pectoral injury in Week 5 but returned and played well from Week 16 onward. Meanwhile, Phillips ended the year on IR after dislocating his wrist and will consider retiring this offseason.
Other Bills 2024 Free Agents
- QB Kyle Allen
- RB Ty Johnson
- WR Trent Sherfield
- OL David Edwards
- EDGE Shaq Lawson
- LB Tyrel Dodson
- LB Tyler Matakevich
- CB Cam Lewis
- S Taylor Rapp
KEEP READING: Bills’ 2024 Opponents
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