Buffalo Bills: Free agency period improved offense at all three levels

2. Pass catching reinforcements on the way

The lone bright spot in the Buffalo Bills receiving corps in 2018 was the play of Robert Foster, an undrafted rookie out of Alabama who fell in large part due to his lack of impact in the Crimson Tide’s offense. His offensive coordinator at Bama in 2017, Brian Daboll, became the OC in Buffalo in 2018, and seemed to know exactly how to use Foster.

Foster led the NFL in average air yards per target (20.6 yards) and eclipsed 95+ yards four times in the final seven games. His skill set is perfect for Josh Allen’s downfield throwing game, but Allen needs more options outside of the talented Foster.

Insert John Brown, who has been one of the best deep threats in the NFL when healthy, and finished sixth in the NFL in average air yards per target (16.3) and was signed to three-year, $27 million contract ($11.7 million guaranteed). Smoke Brown was having a fantastic season with constant deep ball thrower Joe Flacco under center in Baltimore, averaging 17.68 yards per reception and totaling 601 yards and four touchdowns in the nine games Flacco played.

Outside of Brown, the Bills added a security blanket in the slot by bringing in Cole Beasley on a four-year, $29 million contract ($14.4 million guaranteed). Beasley was consistently the slot man for the Dallas Cowboys, and is a sure-handed player that can win versus man coverage against safeties and linebackers.

These signings aren’t world beaters, but each presents a role and a challenge to defenses while coming at relatively cheap contracts given Allen is on a rookie deal and not even half of their deals are guaranteed. Foster and Brown will require teams blanketing coverage over the top, creating room for Beasley in the middle of the field.

They also fit Allen’s skill set. Allen has massive arm strength, which is why Foster came on towards the latter half of the season. His short-intermediate accuracy needs to improve, but Beasley is a reliable third-down target and seemed to be open when the Cowboys needed him most.

If the Bills draft a talented tight end to the fold to replace the released Charles Clay to pair with free agent Tyler Kroft, Allen would go from having the league’s worst pass catching group to a vastly improved one with plenty of talent and skill sets to work with.