Buffalo Rumblings
Brandon Beane filled several of Buffalo’s roster holes through free agency. Have those additions made the roster better, though?
The main wave of free agency is firmly behind us, with general manager Brandon Beane having made moves to fill some of the glaring gaps in the team’s roster and establish a floor so he doesn’t feel forced to draft purely by need early on during the 2025 NFL Draft. How good are those new additions, though? Do they move the needle making this team better in 2025 or is it just more of the same, compared to the players the Bills already have on the roster or the ones that just left the team?
Unlike last season, when the roster went through a large transformation with several long-tenured veterans leaving the team, Buffalo didn’t lose many key pieces this offseason. Wide receiver Amari Cooper had his moments but never became a true WR1 for Josh Allen. Cornerback Rasul Douglas, showed clear signs of physical decline, making him ill-suited for what defensive coordinator Bobby Babich wants to do with the coverage schemes.
Future Hall of Famer Von Miller had a comeback year compared to 2023, but it still wasn’t enough to justify the $22 million cap number the team would’ve carried keeping him on the roster. After playing just 16 snaps in the biggest game of the team’s season, it became clear the coaching staff didn’t see him as the difference maker he used to be.
Journeyman wide receiver Mack Hollins was a nice story, and it’s fair to say his performances got better as the season went on. Anyway, if he’s among a team’s top three wide receivers in snaps per game, it’s pretty clear that the WR3 job can be upgraded.
Other than those four pieces (all on the wrong side of the 30s), the Bills didn’t lose any other starter or big-time contributor. Also, those were good but not indispensable pieces on the team’s roster, pieces that shouldn’t be so difficult to replace.
Did the Bills do so through the free agency, though? Let’s check and analyze the new additions.
The former third-round pick had his breakout year in 2022 when, with veterans Keenan Allen and Mike Williams struggling with injuries, he made the most of his opportunity and finished the season with 72 receptions, 769 yards, and three TDs for the Los Angeles Chargers. However, he couldn’t sustain the momentum in the following seasons, not just falling behind Keenan Allen in 2023 and rookie Ladd McConkey in 2024, but also to the unimpressive Quentin Johnston in both years.
Despite not reaching the 40 receptions or 600 receiving yards mark in three of his four NFL seasons, Palmer is supposed to be — according to some advanced metrics — a very good separator. The film shows me a decent WR3, good in some areas but far from great in any of them. He’s a better receiver than Mack Hollins but, unlike many people...
