FOXBOROUGH, MA – DECEMBER 28: Head coach Sean McDermott of the Buffalo Bills looks on during a game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on December 28, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
The Bills are on the rise with Josh Allen at the controls of their offense, but they need a productive free agency period to make a playoff un in 2021.
Sean McDermott and the higher-ups in Buffalo know they can’t afford to rest on their laurels after a memorable 2020 campaign. There’s no shame in the Bills coming up short against the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game, but the team needs to improve in the offseason if it wants to reach even greater heights in 2021.
The challenge the Bills face is that they don’t have much cap space to work with in free agency. Most of their needs will need to be filled via the draft. Every dollar Buffalo wishes to spend on veteran players this offseason needs to be heavily scrutinized.
That doesn’t mean GM Brandon Beane and his staff can sit free agency out. It just means they need to be smarter than their competitors. Targeting the five following players would help the Bills succeed on a budget.
5. Brian Poole
Any team charged with stopping Patrick Mahomes in the playoffs needs to have as many talented cornerbacks as possible. Poole isn’t a big name in this free agent class, but he has the ability to be a difference-maker in the postseason for Buffalo.
His lack of light relegates Poole to duty in the slot, but the Bills could use some help on the inside. Josh Norman was a huge question mark for Buffalo for long stretches of the season. Taron Johnson really struggled to hold down his starting spot as the team’s nickel back. If Poole slips under the radar Buffalo should try to nab him on a team-friendly deal.