NFL Free Agency: Cornerback an area of concern for the Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are looking to solidify the cornerback position in their secondary this off-season. Their cornerbacks were a considerable force last year, and the position is definitely a focal point for the Bills to address during this off-season if they want to better their chances of playing in a Super Bowl next year.
Who could possibly leave the Buffalo Bills?
The Bills have a couple of big names that might be on the move. The first one is unrestricted free agent Josh Norman. The veteran cornerback's contract with the Bills has come to an end, so he's free to seek out another opportunity with other teams. Should he leave, it would be a significant loss.
He definitely made contributions in the secondary for the Bills, playing in nine regular-season games, scoring a touchdown off an interception in the Week 17 win over the Dolphins. The cornerback also appeared in all three of Buffalo's playoff games, forcing a fumble in a hard-fought win against the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Cornerback Levi Wallace is another name that could possibly be missing from the Bills roster by training camp. Wallace is a restricted free agent that can accept an offer from any team, but can be retained by the Bills if they match the offer.
Wallace was also playing well in the secondary, appearing is 12 regular-season games and racking up two interceptions. He also appeared in all three playoff games for Buffalo, also forcing a fumble in the wildcard win against the Colts.
While Wallace did most of the heavy lifting, both he and Norman mainly played the season as a tandem, working the other cornerback position alongside Tre'Davious White. Backup CBs Dane Jackson and Cam Lewis do have the opportunity to step up should Wallace and Norman depart from the Buffalo Bills, but they don't have much in-game experience so far.
Possible free agent pickups for the Buffalo Bills
A name that could be under consideration at cornerback is Richard Sherman. As far as defensive free agents are concerned, Sherman could be the next best pickup for this defense, if they don't end up signing defensive end, J.J. Watt.
He'll be 33 by the time the season starts, but Sherman could prove to be a valuable pickups for the Bills. He'd be one of the rare guys on the team that has real Super Bowl experience from his time in Seattle (appearing in two, winning one of those) and San Francisco (falling short to the Chiefs in XIV).
Cornerbacks that the Buffalo Bills could draft
There are a few cornerbacks coming up in April's draft to consider, should the aforementioned names don't pan out for the Bills. General manager Brandon Beane is no stranger to making moves in the first couple of rounds of the draft, so he might stick to his usual gameplan in the upcoming draft.
Patrick Surtain II of Alabama will likely go to whichever team can get the first chance to pick him. For the Bills, they'd have to trade up by giving up other picks or even a current roster player to a have a shot at Surtain, since one of the best cornerbacks in this year's draft.
Another possibility is for the Bills to trade up and grab Jaycee Horn, out of South Carolina. Most projections have the Bills picking Horn with their first-round pick.
Horn might be a better fit physically in Buffalo's secondary as well, since he's a little bigger than Tre'Davious White. This would be perfect for man-to-man coverages, and could definitely help out in any zone-coverage schemes, when the opportunity arises.
The NFL free agency period starts on March 17, at 4:00 p.m., EST. The 2021 NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday, April 29th, and concludes on Saturday, May 1st.