One thing to love about each of the Bills’ free agent signings
Bills general manager Brandon Beane has established himself as a king of short-term deals in recent seasons
This offseason, he’s putting on a clinic in an NFL version of “Moneyball” by adding low-risk/high-reward players, some of whom saw their market affected by injury in the 2022 season.
Still, the GM has an eye for value.
With that, here is one thing to love about each of the Bills’ free agent signings:
RB Damien Harris
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Harris is a guy who can fill the Bills physically larger back needs in the short term while adding physicality and strength his predecessor Zack Moss lacked at his stage of development with the team.
Something to love about him is the way he keeps going and extends plays to get yardage or into the endzone. Not to mention several 100+ yard games against his new team. He offers that level of performance, as well as insight as to how he attacked the Bills defense to achieve it, making his addition a chess move on multiple fronts as a former New England Patriot.
While he’s never played a full season due to injury, he’s joining a franchise known for keeping its roster healthier than other teams thanks to its state-of-the-art facilities and training staff.
Depending on how he performs and how next year’s offseason and free agency picture takes shape and becomes clearer, with a solid and healthy season he could play his way into more time in Buffalo beyond 2023.
WR Deonte Harty
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Harty was named as one of NFL free agency’s most underrated signings, and that bodes well for the Bills.
Watch tape of him in 2021 and it’s not hard to see why.
One thing to love about Harty is his speed and yards-after-catch ability to exploit coverage and turn that into big gains or points, whether on a slant or screen route.
That Beane committed a two-year pact with him is significant, as he looks to bring more athleticism and play-making ability to the slot position. Last offseason’s solutions didn’t work out and now he has players like catch-and-run hybrid back and receiver Nyheim Hines for depth and receiver Kalil Shakir, Harty can hopefully add another weapon with breakout ability to that group.
WR Trent Sherfield
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While Miami has South Beach, Buffalo had Josh Allen.
And NFL players like receiver Trent Sherfield know it, and cite that as one of the reasons they sign with the Bills over other teams.
One thing to love about Sherfield is, like Harris, he adds impact talent along with an intimate knowledge of a key opponent’s playbook. Like Harty, he brings speed as well.
The Bills are looking to add depth and playmaking talent to a receiver group that struggled to get separation from coverage and was depleted depth-wise by injuries in the 2022 season.
G Connor McGovern
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How does adding young, competitive depth to the trenches on the offensive line, which was oft-cited as the Bills greatest area of weakness after last season?
Good enough that Beane added free agent guard and former Dallas Cowboy Connor McGovern on a three-year deal.
One thing to love about McGovern aside from what he brings to the position group is his mentality. He said upon signing that “if there was a dream team: buffalo was at the top” in free agency. As the Bills like versatility in players’ backgrounds and skill sets, and have been known to run a trick play from time to time, it’s also worth noting that McGovern played full back in high school.
G David Edwards
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Like Harty and Harris, he also missed time to injury last season, but Edwards shined in his first three seasons in the NFL. He brings high upside potential in a one year deal to prove himself in Buffalo’s offense.
One thing to love about Edwards is that he is a winner and a champion, having won a Super Bowl with offensive line coach Aaron Kromer and OLB Von Miller on the Rams.
The addition reunites him with Kromer, who coached him to a super bowl caliber level while increasing the depth at guard. He also played quarterback in high school and tight end for a year in college. The Bills may still add to the group in the draft, but Edwards offers big upside that could result in more time in Buffalo beyond this season.
QB Kyle Allen
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Kyle Allen has played for Carolina, Washington, and Houston, logging time as a starter along the way.
One thing to love about the addition of Allen as a backup is his ability to reinforce the Bills QB1 Josh Allen as a starter. The two train together in the NFL offseason with quarterback coach Jordan Palmer, and have become friends. Kyle Allen’s ability to be a voice and player-coach to assist Josh Allen throughout the season from the film room to the field is the most he’ll have had as a pro as far as presence from that offseason program in his game prep and execution during the regular season.
S Taylor Rapp
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There’s a lot to like about this signing, and potential upside as well.
Rapp was a 2019 second-round NFL Draft pick by the Los Angeles Rams who would be a starter on some other teams around the league. He was a starter on defense with OLB Von Miller when the Rams won Super Bowl LVI.
The defensive back position group talent is deep in this year’s draft class, which may be in part why the safety market underwhelmed free agents like Poyer and others. At only 25 years old, Rapp himself was projected by Spotrac to fetch a three-year deal worth $10 million per season.
Rapp may wish to join a contender and re-test the market after the 2023 season, and GM Brandon Beane may look to sign him to a multi-year deal after that campaign. In the meantime, Buffalo brings him in on a signature BBB one-year deal. The financial terms yet are unknown but will be for less than $2 million this season so as to not impact compensatory draft pick ramifications.
One thing to love about Rapp’s signing is he provides insurance behind starters Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, who both had injuries last season. He offers the Bills a strong rotation piece and next man up on the depth chart.
He also chose Buffalo over New England, who he also visited as a free agent.
