Buffalo Bills News & Rumors

Annually given a low ceiling in the fantasy community due to Allen’s impact in the Bills’ run game, Singletary still offered durability and consistency. The diminutive back started 56 games for the Bills, missing only one game since beginning his starter run midway through his rookie season. Singletary gained between 680 and 870 rushing yards in each of his four seasons, and while he did not do enough as an outlet option (zero 300-plus-yard receiving seasons), he fared well in pass protection. PFF slotted Singletary as a top-10 pass blocker among RBs; Cook rated as the position’s third-worst pass protector. The younger back will need to improve in order to hold onto his three-down role.

Giving the Bills two sub-5-9 skill regulars, McKenzie found his stride as a gadget player and eventual slot weapon. But the 5-8 receiver was not consistent enough in the latter role. McKenzie’s issues and Crowder’s early-season ankle fracture led to a brief Bills-Beasley reunion. This shuffling slot position led to the Bills prioritizing Dalton Kincaid in Round 1.

Extensions and restructures:

• Agreed on four-year, $68MM extension ($24.53MM guaranteed) with DT Ed Oliver
• Reached two-year, $28.33MM extension ($17.15MM guaranteed) with LB Matt Milano
• Restructured QB Josh Allen, DE Von Miller‘s contracts, creating $32MM-plus in cap space
• Handed K Tyler Bass four-year, $20.4MM extension ($12.32MM guaranteed)
• Reworked RB Nyheim Hines‘ deal, doling out $1MM bonus in two-year, $9MM agreement
• Gave DT Tim Settle $600K pay cut

Daron Payne‘s Commanders extension led to the creation of a new second tier for defensive tackle contracts, bridging the gap between Aaron Donald and the field. The Bills did not view Oliver on this level, as the 2019 first-round pick has not produced on the level of Payne, Dexter Lawrence, Jeffery Simmons or Quinnen Williams. The Bills deserve credit for finding middle ground here. Oliver landed south of the Leonard Williams–DeForest Buckner tier that formed earlier in the decade, but after the Bills voiced support for a long-term Oliver stay last year and during this offseason, the sides hammered out a deal.

It is safe to say the Bills will expect more in the sack department from Oliver, who has maxed out at five (in his rookie year). The Houston alum has still flashed as an inside disruptor, helping out Buffalo’s crew of young edge players. Oliver has totaled 14 QB hits in each of the past two years while contributing 19 tackles for loss in that span. At 25, Oliver probably still has a level in his game to unlock. The Bills will bet on him doing so during this contract.

In addition to signaling Edmunds would head elsewhere, the Milano re-up — just before the market opened — created $6MM in cap space for the Bills this year. Chosen in the 2017 fifth round, Milano has been a better all-around linebacker than Edmunds — at least within the confines of McDermott’s system. Not bringing deficiencies in coverage or in the run game, the instinctive defender will now be tasked with anchoring the Bills’ defensive second level without Edmunds’ athleticism factoring into the equation. More will be on Milano’s docket beginning in his age-29 season, but he has been essential to the Bills’ defensive capabilities for several years.

While this $14.2MM-per-year deal provided $17.2MM in additional guarantees, it adds years onto the four-year pact he signed in 2021. Two years remained on that contract, and Milano’s new agreement leaves him signed through the 2026 season. During an offseason in which most teams shied away from big linebacker investments, Milano’s third Bills contract bumped his AAV into the top seven at the position.

Months after the Bills reached an updated agreement with Hines, his tenure with the team is in question. A jet ski accident, one in which another rider crashed into a stationary Hines, left the veteran return man/pass-down back with a torn ACL. Hines, whom the Bills acquired at the 2022 trade deadline, landing on the NFI list has caused a rift between he and the team. The Bills are no longer obligated to pay the former Colts back, who is tied to a $4.1MM base salary this season.

Trades:

• Sent DE Boogie Basham to Giants; teams to swap 2025 seventh-round picks

Beane and ex-lieutenant Joe Schoen agreed on a deal that will give Basham another shot ahead of his third season. Even with the Bills moving Miller to the reserve/PUP list, they have Floyd, Rousseau, Epenesa and Lawson in place at defensive end. This setup, which stands to have Miller leading the way in the not-too-distant future, did not appear to have room for the Bills’ top six. Basham only totaled eight QB hits in two seasons. Although teams inquired about Epenesa as well, the Iowa product showed improvement (6.5 sacks) last season. It made sense the Bills would prioritize Epenesa over Basham, even with the former in a contract year.

Draft:

• Round 1, No. 25 (from Giants through Jaguars): Dalton Kincaid, TE (Utah) (signed)
• Round 2, No. 59: O’Cyrus Torrence, G (Florida) (signed)
• Round 3, No, 91: Dorian Williams, LB (Tulane) (signed)
• Round 5, No. 150 (from Commanders): Justin Shorter, WR (Florida) (signed)
• Round 7, No. 230 (from Buccaneers through Jets, Texans, Eagles and Bills): Nick Broeker, G (Ole Miss) (signed)
• Round 7, No. 252 (from Buccaneers through Rams): Alex Austin, CB (Oregon State) (signed)

Beane held trade discussions with multiple teams for the purposes of landing Kincaid, who became the first tight end to go off this year’s board. Beane and Schoen had trade parameters in place that would have allowed the Bills to move up for the Utah pass catcher. The run on wide receivers that commenced from Nos. 20-23 prompted the Bills to secure Kincaid, but after the Giants traded up for cornerback Deonte Banks, Beane needed to find another team. Worried the Cowboys (at No. 26) were eyeing Kincaid to replace Dalton Schultz, Beane worked out a deal with the Jaguars. While Trent Baalke made Beane reassure him he was not taking an offensive lineman before signing off on the exchange, the Bills finally had their avenue to bring Kincaid to Western New York.

The Bills have not made a secret of their intentions to use Kincaid extensively in the passing game. Beane called 12 personnel with Kincaid “quasi like 11.” The Kincaid pick may have affected the Bills’ interest in adding DeAndre Hopkins. This is a lot of pressure to place on a rookie tight end coming off a back injury. Nearly the consensus top tight end in this class, Kincaid scored 16 touchdowns over his final two seasons at Utah and finished his junior year with 890 receiving yards.

The odds are still against Kincaid as a rookie. Since 2008, only three tight ends (Kyle Pitts, Evan Engram, John Carlson) have eclipsed 600 yards as rookies. Granted, this could be a plus setup for Pitts, given Allen’s talent. Kincaid may be a great future investment, but with the Bills needing to maximize this window while Stefon Diggs (30 in November) is in his prime, relying on steady production from a rookie tight end represents a dice roll.

Looking like he prevailed in a position battle with Ryan Bates, Torrence is on track to start at right guard from the jump. NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah slotted the first-team All-American blocker as this year’s No. 36 overall prospect. While Peter Skoronski has shifted to guard after a college career spent on the edge, ESPN’s Scouts Inc. graded Torrence as this class’ top guard. The Bills have seen quick progression from Torrence, a near-350-pound presence who will certainly improve this pass-heavy team’s physicality in the run game. If Torrence sticks as a starter, Bates and Edwards will double as two of the NFL’s top backup O-linemen. No guaranteed money remains on Bates’ Bears-built contract after this season.

Other:

• Reached extension agreements with GM Brandon Beane, HC Sean McDermott
• DC Leslie Frazier steps down from post; McDermott to call defensive plays
• Pursued WR DeAndre Hopkins; discussed trade with Cardinals
• S Damar Hamlin returns to action after January cardiac arrest
• Hired Al Holcomb as senior defensive assistant

The second round of extensions for the “McBeane” power duo run through 2027. While the Bills’ past two seasons have brought unfortunate endings, this HC-GM combo rescued the franchise from a 17-year post-Music City Miracle playoff drought.

The Bills have won three AFC East titles for the first time since 1989-91, and Beane’s two-trade-up first round in 2018 — a process that brought Allen from Wyoming to Buffalo — stands as one of the most important draft moves of the past decade. The Bengals’ back-to-back AFC championship game appearances have knocked the Bills down a peg, but having beaten the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in back-to-back Octobers and having posted two 13-win seasons in the 2020s, this remains one of the NFL’s top operations.

While McDermott gained some security through his latest extension, the ex-Andy Reid lieutenant will have more responsibilities this season. Be it a quiet dismissal or a true step back, Frazier is no longer with the Bills. Some what-ifs cloud the former Vikings HC’s recent Buffalo work, which mostly featured top-five finishes. The Bills finished as a top-two scoring defense in 2019, 2021 and 2022. By the time the 2021 and 2022 squads suited up for the playoffs, however, Frazier was down Tre’Davious White (’21) and Miller and Hyde (’22). An argument can be made the Bills are the Super Bowl LVI favorites had White played against the Chiefs in that divisional-round classic, but after the Bengals’ dominant performance in Orchard Park, McDermott (with ex-Panthers DC Holcomb as a key consigliere) will take over.

The Chiefs not landing Hopkins serves as a bonus for the Bills, who joined their rivals as the only teams to negotiate trade terms with the Cardinals before the former All-Pro’s release. Beane ended up talking directly to Hopkins this offseason, with the receiver agentless for a stretch. Despite Oliver’s extension creating cap space, the Bills used much of the mid-offseason gain to add Floyd. Hopkins, 31, would have obviously brought intrigue. But he also has been a target hog for much of his career. How Hopkins would mesh with Diggs and his impact on Kincaid is believed to have affected the Bills’ interest in bringing in the ex-Texans All-Pro.

The main principals have said the right things re: the Diggs-McDermott minicamp spat, but the mercurial wideout’s status should be monitored as he begins a fourth Buffalo season. A disagreement about Diggs’ usage in Minnesota in 2019 preceded the 2020 trade. The Pro Bowl target storming out of the locker room after the Bills’ divisional-round defeat and then being sent home from a minicamp workout is not exactly a good look. Diggs has denied he wants out of Buffalo and denied he is dissatisfied with his role in the offense. Only Davante Adams has seen more targets than Diggs since the latter was dealt to the Bills.

Diggs made a transformative impact on the Bills upon arrival in 2020, leading Allen to his present place as a locked-in franchise quarterback. The partnership forming created realistic Hall of Fame paths for both parties. Any sort of turbulence could affect a Bills foundation that has seen injuries produce some cracks during this ascent.

The likely 2023 Comeback Player of the Year award winner, Hamlin is less than two weeks from returning. Since Hamlin’s collision with Tee Higgins in Cincinnati induced commotio cordis — an extremely rare condition that emerges after chest trauma produces waves of electricity that can alter heart rhythm — and led to the young safety needing ventilator assistance in the immediate aftermath, his inspirational recovery has gone smoothly. Hamlin participated in OTAs and minicamp and received full clearance for contact early in training camp. Hamlin, 25, will be set to return to the backup role at which he began the 2022 season.

With Rapp in the mix, Hamlin might not see too much time on defense. But with Hyde and Poyer being 32, odds are against 17-game seasons. Even if Hamlin will be a depth piece upon coming back, his return to Highmark Stadium will be a must-see NFL moment.

1. Josh Allen, QB: $18.64MM
2. Tre’Davious White. CB: $16.24MM
3. Stefon Diggs, WR: $14.88MM
4. Dion Dawkins, T: $14.85MM
5. Mitch Morse, C: $11.36MM
6. Micah Hyde, S: $10.57MM
7. Taron Johnson, CB: $9.25MM
8. DaQuan Jones, DT: $8.58MM
9. Von Miller, DE: $7.94MM
10. Matt Milano, LB: $7.99MM

Allen did not end up undergoing surgery to repair his partially torn UCL, which clearly hampered the star QB (and, thus, the team) during the season’s second half. This season marks the first on Allen’s six-year extension. With Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson and Justin Herbert each signing deals for at least $51MM per year, the Bills having Allen signed through 2028 at $43MM per annum reflects a prescient extension framework on the Bills’ part in 2021. Should Patrick Mahomes end up receiving a contract adjustment, it would not surprise to see Allen’s pact updated. For now, the Bills have one of the league’s best five QBs tied to contract that has drifted off the top tier.

The Bills have dropped off the Super Bowl favorite perch, though their AFC East throne may be under fire due to the enhancements the challengers have made. Even with Aaron Rodgers, Vic Fangio and a Patriots offensive coordinator with sufficient qualifications in the division now, Allen still makes the Bills the safest bet. That said, Buffalo will be under considerable pressure to turn this well-built nucleus into a Super Bowl team. And McDermott’s bunch must navigate a deep conference to complete this odyssey.