Six free agents Bills should target after their roster shakeup
Josh Allen's contract is showing.
The Buffalo Bills made a flurry of moves on Wednesday, which included the release of cornerback Tre'Davious White, safety Jordan Poyer, center Mitch Morse, cornerback Siran Neal, receiver Deonte Harty and running back Nyheim Hines. Those releases trace back, in large part, to the explosion of Allen's deal from an $18.6 million cap hit to $47 million. And while it's common to restructure a QB's deal to borrow from the coming years, his hit in 2025 is even bigger ($56.5 million).
The Bills will want to be careful about how much they take from next year, when they're set to have just $30 million in cap space, per overthecap.com. They already have the fifth-worst salary cap situation in 2025. That only gets worse if they restructure Allen's deal this year.
This isn't to say it's a disaster. Allen is a great quarterback that the team should be happy to build around. But they'll need money to keep building around him. It's going to be a tricky offseason.
So the Bills might just be a little tight for cash this year and in coming years. Even with all of those releases, they might also find their way to a full depth chart — largely through the draft (where they have 10 picks and should get more through the compensatory pick formula) and the late phase of free agency (where they can find players willing to sign somewhere near the veteran minimum).
That makes it hard to predict who the team will sign, because it's hard to predict who will sign early — and who will wait too long (ultimately missing their chance on the market). But here are six potential free-agent targets for Buffalo.
Yetur Gross-Matos, edge, Panthers
The priority should be to retain edge A.J. Epenesa, but he has shown enough on film that I think he will have plenty of interest when he hits the market. So after the dust settles, might Gross-Matos still be there? The Panthers probably want to keep him, especially with Brian Burns' future looking uncertain in Carolina. But Gross-Matos strikes me as the type of player Bills coach Sean McDermott might be able to maximize.
Along those lines, Jaguars edge K'Lavon Chaisson looks like another former first-rounder who won't go for much money, but might benefit from a change of scenery and McDermott's coaching. If the Bills want veterans, maybe they look at Bud Dupree or Dante Fowler Jr., both of whom settled for one-year $3 million deals last year.
DaQuan Jones, DT, Bills
He's exactly what I think they'll want in this free agency cycle: solid and (maybe) affordable. There's no need to project his role. Buffalo already knows it. He'll slide back into the rotation at defensive tackle beside Ed Oliver.
Jones is one of five Bills defensive tackles set to hit free agency (Jordan Phillips, Poona Ford, Tim Settle and Linval Joseph). He will be the toughest one to part with. But with all that talent leaving, the Bills will need to make multiple moves to shore up the defensive tackle spot.
Jalen Mills, safety, Patriots
He is likely to cost almost nothing after New England barely used him in 2023. But he proved, when on the field, that he can be effective as both a cornerback and safety. The addition of Mills would have to be a piecemeal approach, where Buffalo adds a few veterans to the position and creates a rotation. He is one of a handful of veteran safeties — including perhaps Poyer and Micah Hyde — who could stay on the market for a long time. This was one of the slowest markets to progress last year, after all, with some of the best players at the position waiting well into the free agency period.
If the Bills are shopping for a bigger name, they could look at Darnell Savage, Keanu Neal or Terrell Edmunds. (It's worth noting the Steelers released Neal with a failed physical designation after he suffered a season-ending rib injury.)
Yes, of course Justin Simmons is a fun name to consider for the Bills. I actually think he's the one safety who might get paid properly, which would take the Bills out of the running.
Ty Johnson, RB, Bills
He is something of a pleasant surprise for every team on which he lands. And still, he can't seem to land a substantial contract. After a season when he had 30 carries for 132 yards and seven catches for 62 yards and a touchdown, that's not likely to change. It was a good match in 2023. It'll be another good match in 2024.
Buffalo could probably retain Damien Harris and/or Latavius Murray. But Johnson should be the priority. He gave them a good depth option behind James Cook, who will no doubt lead the charge for Buffalo's rushing attack again in 2024.
Tre'Davious White, CB, free agent
The Bills cut him on Wednesday, but I wonder if there's some hope he might return to Buffalo in 2024. I don't think the market for him will be robust. And while it's rare for a team to pair back up with a player after he's a cap casualty, White might find that returning to the Bills on a one-year deal is exactly what he needs to get his career back on track after a series of major injuries.
John Simpson, guard, Ravens
The Bills already signed guard David Edwards as competition for the starting job in 2024. If they think they can find a starting interior offensive lineman on Day 2 in the draft, then maybe they don't need to add another player at the position. But Simpson was a solid starter for the Ravens in 2023. He played at left guard, the spot that Buffalo needs to fill. He'd be the kind of player the Bills bring into camp as competition for Edwards.
Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.