Working on the initial draft of the free agency story for the magazine, one team stands out as taking quite a few hits thus far. The Buffalo Bills come off their first playoff appearance since 1999, but they've done very little to suggest they'll make it two in a row.
Not only have the Bills lost some key players on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball, but they haven't made much in the way of noteworthy additions. One addition stands out in former Panther Star Lotulelei, but everywhere else they look like they've taken a step backward. Here are the gains and losses thus far.
| BUFFALO GAINS/LOSSES, 2018 OFFSEASON | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Gains | Losses | Comment |
| QB | AJ McCarron | Tyrod Taylor | Team didn't want to invest in Taylor, but McCarron unproven and lightly regarded |
| RB | Chris Ivory | -- | Ivory a serviceable backup |
| LT | -- | Cordy Glenn | Bills think Dion Dawkins will be adequate replacement; definitely cheaper |
| C | Russell Bodine | Eric Wood | Wood's retirement due to a neck injury leaves the team worse at center |
| RT | Marshall Newhouse | Seantrel Henderson | Henderson has disappointed, but Newhouse has been one of the league's worst tackles |
| DT | Star Lotulelei | -- | Good player! Defensive line should be better |
| LB | Trent Murphy | Preston Brown | Brown shared the league lead in tackles last year; Murphy had 9 sacks two years ago but missed all of last season to injury/suspension |
| CB | Vontae Davis | E.J. Gaines | Gaines is a quality corner; Davis barely played last season and is coming off groin surgery. Former Raider Phillip Gaines is another possibility (and steep downgrade) |
Buffalo also has one of the more bizarre off-field stories of the offseason, involving last year's second-rounder Zay Jones. A video showed a naked Jones putting his foot through a window and apparently trying to jump off a hotel balcony. The Bills say the incident won't affect Jones' future with the team, but a troubling story for a player the team needs to step up in year two.
There's still the NFL Draft to add talent, but the Bills appear very likely -- desperate, according to one story -- to sacrifice some extra draft picks to move up for one of the top incoming college quarterbacks. If they do, they'll be surrounding that youngster with questionable talent, both on the line, and at receiver.
--Andy Richardson