Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - Welcome to, what should be, a busy week around the National Football League, Buffalo Bills fans.
Monday officially marks the start of the legal contact period, meaning free agent players and their agents can begin negotiating deals with teams around the league.
Then on Wednesday, the new league year will open. At that point, teams can officially sign those free agents, as well as consummate any trades.
The Bills have a number of needs that should be addressed, whether it's through free agency, trade or the NFL Draft in April.
The biggest needs are on the defensive side of the ball, and I'll get to those in a moment.
We all know the strength of the Bills is their offense, and if the Bills are going to win a Super Bowl, it will be largely on the shoulders of MVP quarterback Josh Allen and the offense.
The Bills need to take care of a major need on that side of the ball.
Buffalo is one year removed from seeing their top-two wide receivers go elsewhere. Following the 2023 season, Stefon Diggs was traded to the Houston Texans, while Gabe Davis left in free agency to sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The 2024 group of wide receivers was good, but good isn't enough when you're trying to win a Super Bowl.
The Bills need to add a wide receiver who strikes fear into opposing defenses. They need to find a receiver, or receivers, who can do a better job of getting separation than the current group.
It would really help to add a speedster who can either beat defenses over the top or tack on some serious yards after the catch.
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Now back to the defensive side of the equation.
During his end-of-season press conference, general manager Brandon Beane was asked if he will make his offseason moves with the Kansas City Chiefs in mind. Beane said it always starts with the division, creating a roster to be the best in the AFC East, because that guarantees a playoff spot.
While Beane is technically correct, he needs to build a defense that can beat the Chiefs, the biggest postseason road block for the Bills in the Allen era.
In the four playoff losses to the Andy Reid/Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs, the Bills have given up 38, 42, 27 and 32 points. I'll save you from doing the math: That is an average of 34 points a game.
Just atrocious.
Beane and head coach Sean McDermott are big believers in building a team from the trenches. While destroying the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, the Philadelphia Eagles showed what a dominant defensive front can do.
Adding players at both the edge and tackle positions should be a priority for Beane and the personnel department.
If you look at the edge position, the Bills made a big move last week as they extended the contract of Greg Rousseau through the 2029 season. Rousseau led the team in sacks last season (8.0) and has 25 over his first four seasons in the NFL.
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A.J. Epenesa is going into the final year of his contract.
Von Miller was just released for salary cap savings, although the Bills could re-sign him to a more cap-friendly deal.
That leaves Dawuane Smoot and Javon Solomon.
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I would love to see the Bills add an established edge guy/pass rusher through free agency or trade, but even if they do, drafting an edge player should be on the list of things to do with one of the Bills' three picks in the first two rounds.
Defensive tackle is another important area for the Bills.
Buffalo absolutely needs to help out Ed Oliver, who is coming off an up-and-down season. If you look at the tackle group, DeWayne Carter is the only other player besides Oliver who is under contract beyond the 2025 season.
In recent seasons, the Bills have tended to hand out one-year deals to veteran players at that position, but a Day 1 or Day 2 draft pick is a necessity to bring in a longer term answer.
Cornerback should also be on Beane's list of needs too.
It will be an even bigger need if the Bills are unable to sign starting corner Rasul Douglas, who is an unrestricted free agent. I'd like to see the Bills sign him, but it shouldn't be more than a two-year deal for Douglas, who will turn 31 in August.
Whether Douglas re-signs or not, cornerback is still a major need.
The Bills' best outside corner, Christian Benford, only has one year left on his rookie contract. The Bills have recently extended contracts for Rousseau, Terrel Bernard and Khalil Shakir. I wouldn't be surprised if they're trying to get a deal done to lock up Benford as well.
It sure looks like the selection of Kaiir Elam was a miss, which is another reason why the Bills should prioritize the position at next month's draft.
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Let the offseason fun begin.