The 2013 Buffalo Bills were an enigma of sorts. They were a team in transition with a new head coach and a rookie quarterback under center. EJ Manuel’s initial bout with a NFL season didn’t go according to plan, as he struggled with consistency and missed six games due to injury. Despite another disappointing 6-10 season, one position stood out on the offensive side of the ball.
Buffalo’s young group of wide receivers were surprisingly good. Rookies Robert Woods and Marquise Goodwin tallied nearly 900 combined yards with six touchdowns. Meanwhile, second-year player T.J. Graham averaged nearly 15 yards per reception. They were able to do this despite the combination of Manuel, Thaddeus Lewis and Jeff Tuel throwing for just over 3,300 yards and 16 touchdowns on the season.
Instead of rolling with this young group of pass catchers, the Bills sought out upgrades in order to help Manuel succeed in 2014 and beyond. In doing so, they exausted a sixth-round pick in a deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for enigmatic young receiver Mike Williams. The 26-year-old receiver has tellied 900-plus yards twice in his four-year career, but has also had a fair share of his off-field issues. With that sixth rounder, the Buccaneers picked up wide receiver Rober Herron from Wyoming.
With Williams firmly in the mix, Buffalo seemed more than settled at wide receiver. He was going to be the veteran presence, a long with Stevie Johnson, on a dynamic young receiving group.
That was nowhere near the end of it.
Bills trade up with the Browns and take Clemson WR Sammy Watkins. Another weapon for E.J. Manuel. Steep price to pay, gave up a 1st in ‘15
— RIP Terez A. Paylor (@TerezPaylor) May 9, 2014
When NFL commissoner Roger Goodell announced that the Bills had traded up to the No. 4 overall spot with the Cleveland Browns on Thursday evening, most figured they were targeting offensive tackle Jake Matthews from Texas A&M. As my No. 1 offensive tackle in the class, Matthews would have made a ton of sense. His addition would have enabled the Bills to move another former top-round pick, Cordy Glenn, to right tackle…further stabilizing their offensive line.
Imagine the shock when Goodell announced that Buffalo selected former Clemson pass catcher Sammy Watkins with that selection. This gave Manuel a true No. 1 wide receiver on the outside, but at what cost?
Buffalo yielded both a first-round pick and a fourth-round pick in the 2015 draft in order to move up just five spots in the first round of the 2014 draft. Those are valuable selections for a team in need of upgrades on both sides of the ball in order to compete with the New England Patriots in the AFC East. Is Watkins going to close the gap enough? I highly doubt that.
So basically the Bills swapped out Steve Johnson for (cheaper) Sammy Watkins and lost two first round picks to do it.
— dp (@qbwins) May 9, 2014
Then on Friday morning, Buffalo sent its former No. 1 receiver Stevie Johnson to the San Francisco 49ers for a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2015 draft. Johnson had a down season in 2013 due to a combination of injury and poor quarterback play. Prior to 2013, Johnson had put up three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. He also has a reasonable cap number of about $16 million over the next three seasons. At 27 years old, Johnson is also still currently in his prime.
Rewinding a tad to Williams, he’s just one year younger and has not put up nearly the same numbers as Johnson. He’s also set to count about $32 million against the cap over the next five seasons.
In a vacuum, this seems like a lateral movement with a bit more contractual obligations presented to a player that hasn’t been as productive on the field and has more issues off the field.
Adding Watkins to the mix gives Buffalo a true play-maker on the outside, but it also disabled the Bills’ ability to add at a position of more need in 2014 and a top-round pick next season. For a team that is still a few players away from contending in the AFC, these bold offseason moves might not have made a ton of sense. After acquiring Bryce Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles over the weekend, Buffalo is now without a first and fourth rounder next season. This further limits its ability to strengthen other areas on the football team and contend for a playoff spot.
Photo: Adam Hunger, USA Today