Now that the dust has settled, and free agency has slowed to a halt, I felt it appropriate to grade and rank each one of the Buffalo Bills free agents based on who I think can make the most impact on the field. Outside of one player, every major signing by the Bills was very low risk. A lot of one-year deals with low cap hits. That being said, each player signed by Buffalo are candidates to break out or play well enough to sign longer term deals.
Edge Rusher: Joey Bosa, A+
The third overall pick in the 2016 draft signed with Buffalo on a one year 12.6 million deal. Bosa netted all 72 career sacks as a Los Angeles Charger. Despite his talent, he has had terrible luck with injuries, having not played a full season since 2021. The 29-year-old has a chance to have a career renaissance with a defense full of playmakers. In Buffalo, he will be surrounded by newly extended Greg Rousseau, Terrel Bernard and Matt Milano. This gives Bosa a chance to play on a limited snap count, and in a less reckless manner. All factors in this equation make Bosa the player who could put the Bills over the top.
Cornerback: Dane Jackson, B
Normally signing Jackson wouldn’t be a noteworthy signing, but secondary was a major weakness in the 2024 season. Christian Benford and Taron Johnson were excellent as per usual but the remaining slots in the secondary struggled and were exposed repeatedly. Rasul Douglas is still pending to resign so while we wait on that, Dane Jackson is a strong player who understands the system the Bills run. He knows better than most since he played for the Bills prior to the 2024 season where he spent the season in Carolina. He fills a need and can take over in a pinch if the Bills decide to address corner in the draft.
Wide Receiver: Joshua Palmer, B
My rating of Palmer has nothing to do with the player or his ability. Palmer is an excellent separator and was fairly productive despite being leapfrogged on the depth chart by Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. Palmer has the added benefit of joining a receiving core without an established alpha. I feel he won't be as impactful as the two above because the offense ultimately runs through reigning MVP Josh Allen. Allen had arguably the best season of his career without focusing on a specific target which I do not think will change unless Kincaid, Shakir or Coleman emerge as legitimate game changers. While I do think wideout is a significant need, and Palmer does fill a void the offense was lacking, I never felt the offense was going to suffer if we didn’t pick up a receiver.
Defensive Tackle: Larry Ogunjobi, B-
The Steelers tackle comes to the Bills as a one-year rental. Another fairly low risk buy that could have massive implications, the Bills defense had major trouble stopping the run and rushing the passer. This signing comes with an asterisk as Ogunjobi has been suspended for the first six games of the season due to violating the NFL’s non Performing Enhancing Drug policy. Once returning he could be a strong piece of the Bills defensive puzzle.
Linebacker: Michael Hoecht, B-
Hoecht I feel falls in the same category as Ogunjobi, talented players who most likely serve as depth pieces with intrigue at a higher level. Hoecht’s intrigue comes from his adaptability and position as a swiss army knife of sorts. He is listed as a LB but he is capable of playing tackle, defensive end and has even shown to play small amounts of cornerback. Hoecht is definitely the type of player the current regime loves. He also gets the same rating as Ogunjobi since they will both spend the first six weeks serving a suspension for PEDs. Once he comes back, his uniqueness on the defensive side of the ball will be an interesting wrinkle.
Wide Receiver: Laviska Shenault Jr., C
This is a fairly average signing for me personally. Shenault does not offer much upside as a receiver outside of occasional splash plays which I can appreciate. But in my eyes he was signed as a special teams player to return kicks or punts. As a punt returner he has experience but he likely won't get the job over Brandon Codrington after a very strong year. This would mean he most likely will try returning kickoffs which he doesn’t have as much experience doing. So he could be a player who brings energy to the team at random moments, not a guy I would be counting on play after play but could be useful.
Offensive Guard: Kendrick Greene, C-
Buffalo’s offensive line was one of the best in the league in 2024 being ranked fourth as a unit by Sports Illustrated. I will never be someone who gets mad at signing depth pieces but Greenes pass block and run block stats do not scream someone who gets a lot of reps on the best line in football. Again, most likely a solid depth option in a pinch, not exactly a marquee signing compared to the rest of this list.
It’s very hard for me to give any signing made by the Bills in this time frame a truly negative grade; since no long term commitments were made. The only deal for over one year was given to Palmer on a three-year contract, this contract could prove to be regrettable given time. But the cap hit is so minor in the grand scheme of the team, that the possibility does not pose a threat.
Despite the cap space that General Manager Brandon Beane was able to open up, he was very efficient with the money he had to play with. He made very low-key acquisitions with very little room to truly hurt the Bills in any way, and if all works out deals like Bosa’s and Palmers could be viewed as steals.
The Bills are roughly 5 million dollars under the cap with draft picks they still need to sign, there are also extensions that could provide more room to play with. When you consider the ten draft picks, I have a hard time believing that another move isn’t in the pipeline.
Now we look ahead to the 2025 NFL Draft on April 24 to see what the Bills will do, but until then, Buffalo gets to enjoy a strong free agency.
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