No one knows sorrow like a Buffalo Bills fan. Sure there are other teams that have had bad stretches or bad losses. But they have not gotten as close to greatness as the Bills have had while just falling short. And I’m not just talking about losing four straight Super Bowls. 

At times it feels like the Bills have done everything right and are the good guys in the story only to have the rug pulled out from under them time and time again. But the fact of the matter is that this Bills team CAN beat anyone. They have the franchise quarterback and a lot of the key pieces. They just need some help on defense and some retooling at key offensive spots. 

Today, we’re going to take a look at the depth chart of offenses weapons both from an NFL and fantasy football standpoints to see what the Bills might be able to do in free agency leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft. 

*The salary cap numbers referenced in this article come courtesy of our friends over at Spotrac.com*

 

Fantasy Football Depth Chart: Buffalo Bills

Quarterback

Josh Allen

Kyle Allen

  

Running Back

James Cook

Nyheim Hines

Ty Johnson

 

Running Back

Latavius Murray

Damien Harris

Leonard Fournette

 

Wide Receiver

Stefon Diggs

Justin Shorter

  

Wide Receiver

Gabe Davis

Deonte Harty

  

Wide Receiver

Khalil Shakir

Trent Sherfield

  

Tight End

Dalton Kincaid

Dawson Knox

Quintin Morris

Zach Davidson

Fullback

Reggie Gilliam

   



 White = unrestricted free agent

Green = role is safe

Yellow = role could be in jeopardy

Red = could be traded or released

PROJECTED 2024 SALARIES: $295M

ESTIMATED 2024 CAP SPACE: -$51M

Quarterback

Josh Allen: Josh Allen is locked up to a long-term deal as the franchise quarterback and the face of the team. We know he’s capable of beating all of the other AFC powerhouses because we’ve seen him do it. 

Allen is experiencing the same problem that guys like Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers etc. did before him with Tom Brady. Patrick Mahomes is the guy to beat right now and only one team gets to win the Super Bowl. Josh Allen is absolutely capable but it’s a tall task. 

Kyle Allen: Kyle Allen is an unrestricted free agent this year and there’s no guarantee they bring him back. There’s one name in particular to discuss below that could be a prime candidate as the backup for the Bills. 

BILLS QB FREE AGENCY TAKE: They have their starting quarterback so all they need is someone they can trust to keep the team afloat for a couple games if Josh Allen goes down. At one point, former Bears QB Mitch Trubisky made a stop in Buffalo for a one-year backup stint before taking an opportunity with the Steelers. 

They agreed to mutually part ways this week so maybe Trubisky will find his way back to Buffalo? Here are some options that could work as the backup to Allen. The Bills obviously have to be weary of salary - some of the options out there might be asking a little too much. 

POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: Mitch Trubisky, Kyle Allen, Tyler Huntley, PJ Walker, Matt Barkley

 

Running Back

James Cook: James Cook is locked into a roster spot and locked into a role. The reason he is yellow on the chart is that we don’t know for sure what that role will be. In 2023, he led the backfield in both carries and receptions - the upside is that he remains the full-time, three-down back. At the very least, he has the pass-catching chops to lead the RB group in routes run and targets.

The concern is that they might bring in another back that has a little more size to handle the short-yardage duties. The Bills actively tried to find an option for that with Latavius Murray, Damien Harris, and Leonard Fournette. James Cook also struggled in pass blocking (Pro Football Focus had him graded as RB #129 out of 138 in 2024). That led to Latavius Murray actually being asked to pass block on more snaps than Cook, especially over the second half of the season. 

This type of issue is what caused the timeshare we saw in previous years in Dallas with Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, despite Pollard being the more explosive player. So, for fantasy football, we have to keep an eye on who else the Bills might bring in.

Latavius Murray: Latavius Murray is a consummate pro and he handled his role well. They could be willing to break him back for cheap to operate in the same capacity he did last year but he’s also 34 years old. What happens with Murray depends entirely on whether they want to try to “upgrade” his role via free agency or the draft. 

Nyheim Hines: The Hines situation is an interesting one, no question. Typically, you would think that a guy with his special teams ability would be one you keep around. I mean, he pretty much singlehandedly beat the Patriots in a key game in 2022. But here’s the thing - Hines suffered a non-football knee injury in a jet ski accident last summer and missed the entire season. 

He’s working his way back from the torn ACL tight as the Bills find themselves crunched for cap space. Regardless of the knee injury, he might have found himself on the chopping block as he can be released for almost $5 million in savings with only half a mil in dead cap. We’re rooting for Hines to make a comeback but it might have to be elsewhere.

Ty Johnson: With Nyheim Hines out for the year, Ty Johnson stepped into his role and led the team in kick returns. He didn’t need to operate much on offense with Cook and Murray handling most of the work. His return to the team in free agency will likely depend on whether they want him back for kick return duty. 

Damien Harris: Harris never really panned out as the bruiser back in Buffalo and was essentially beat out by Murray. So, he’ll try his hand elsewhere in free agency most likely. 

Leonard Fournette: Playoff Lenny also couldn’t really prove he deserved the role over Murray. He was actually released from the practice squad before the season was even over, so he’s done in Buffalo. 

BILLS RB FREE AGENCY TAKE: The Bills really don’t have the cap space to go out and buy one of the top free agent RBs. But, as I alluded to above, I would not at all be surprised to see them bring in a back to complement James Cook. They’re going to need to fill out this depth chart somehow as they can’t just go into the season with only Cook and Nyheim Hines anyway. 

Here are some potentially affordable options in free agency to either serve as that big-bodied back or help in the return game. The top one is a bit of a pipe dream given the likely price but we can dream right?

POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS (BRUISER): Derrick Henry, Gus Edwards, Ezekiel Elliott, AJ Dillon, D’Onta Foreman, Latavius Murray

POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS (RETURN MAN PLUS): Nyheim Hines, Ty Johnson, Antonio Gibson, Deejay Dallas, Craig Reynolds, Trayveon Williams

 

Wide Receiver

Stefon Diggs: Look, I think Stefon Diggs will be a Buffalo Bill. But he has to be red on the chart because he himself has given credence to possible trade rumors, saying he’s ready no matter what. 

He’s been an outspoken player going back to his time in Maryland and there’s no doubt he’s been outspoken with his thoughts in Buffalo as well. So, we have to consider the possibility. The key date is March 18th when all of the salary for 2024 for Diggs becomes guaranteed - if he’s on the team at that point then he’s not going anywhere. The options to move on from him honestly aren’t super appealing as they incur a $31 million dollar cap hit no matter what. 

If any trade or release were designated a post-June 1 move they could spread the cap hit over two years which saves $19 million this year but it’s not like that money just disappears, some of it just goes on the books for next year. That’s why I think Stefon Diggs ends up staying with the Bills. He’s still a great player and the benefits of moving on him now aren’t worth it even if you get picks back.

Gabe Davis: Gabe Davis is a fine player, but he was better served in his previous role as the “next man up” behind guys like Emmanuel Sanders and John Brown. In the current iteration of the Bills offense, which uses two tight end sets and a fullback at times, they really need another high-end pass catcher opposite Stefon Diggs. 

Look at the top two WRs for teams like the 49ers or the Dolphins. Gave Davis will get picked up by someone, but I think his time with the Bills has come to an end. 

Khalil Shakir: Personally, I don’t think Khalil Shakir is the kind of guy you want in a full-time role opposite Steffon Diggs. His current role as a part-time slot WR that can pitch in returning punts/kicks is the right role for him. That makes him a sell in your dynasty fantasy football leagues to me but he should be back with the team contributing in 2024. 

Trent Sherfield: Trent Sherfield is an unrestricted free agent and I think we have seen enough positive play from Khalil Shakir to let him walk this offseason. Since Dalton Kincaid is looking like a hit and can operate out of the slot, you don’t need Shakir, Sherfield, and Kincaid all rotating in that role.

Deonty Harty: The Bills are likely tight for cap space here so it’s no guarantee they hold on to Harty if they can cut him for ~$4.2 million in cap space. The question is whether they feel like they have someone who can adequately return punts as Harty handled the vast majority of those this year. Khalil Shakir is a candidate for that.

Justin Shorter: The fifth round pick didn’t appear for the Bills this year as he suffered a hamstring injury that landed him on IR and he was never activated. As a 5th round pick, he’s on a fairly cheap rookie deal and there’s not a huge benefit in releasing him so he should be on the team if he can offer anything at all. His roster spot is valuable though so he’ll need to provide that he belongs in the mix somewhere. 

BILLS WR FREE AGENCY TAKE: The Bills need to do something here. Unfortunately, the salary cap is probably going to have them out of contention for guys like Mike Evans, Tee Higgins, or Michael Pittman. Using a lot of two tight ends sets allows them to have flexibility in their personnel choices. Hitting on a WR in the draft would be the best outcome but they could potentially afford some of these options below to compete for that spot opposite Stefon Diggs.

POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: Marquise Brown, DJ Chark, Gabe Davis, Kendrick Bourne, Curtis Samuel, Nelson Agholor, Odell Beckham.

 

Tight End

Dalton Kincaid: The fact that fellow rookie Sam LaPorta finished as the overall TE1 in fantasy football kind of overshadows Dalton Kincaid finishing with the most receptions a Buffalo Bills tight end has ever had. Kincaid is an incredibly versatile player as he can line-up inline, out of the slot, and out wide which gives the offense a lot of flexibility. He’s a buy in your dynasty leagues as the Bills really don’t have the funds to go out and just get a top WR2. 

Dawson Knox: Knox skews inline while Kincaid plays more WR but that doesn’t mean Knox isn’t a useful player in the pass game too. Having two guys who can mix and match to some degree keeps the defense on their toes. It also means the Bills really just need one more WR since they can primarily operate out of 12 personnel. 

Quintin Morris: Morris served as a fairly reliable blocking tight end. He’s an exclusive rights free agent (ERFA) so they can keep him for just under a million dollars without other teams being able to negotiate if they want. I think that’s a pretty reasonable move.

Zach Davidson: Davidson is an interesting prospect. In college, at the division II level, he not only played tight end but was also one of the best punters. In fact, he was named first team All-MIAA at both punter and tight end and was first-team All-American. He missed all of the season with a knee injury and can be released with next to zero dead cap, so he’ll have to prove he’s healthy and earn his roster spot. 

BILLS TE FREE AGENCY TAKE: With Kincaid being a hit and Knox already under contract, the Bills really don’t need to do anything at tight end. If they simply pick up the ERFA deal on Morris, they should be good to go. They are tight on cap space so, if they do go away from Morris, don’t expect the blocking tight end they add to have much fantasy relevance. 

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