2024 offseason primer: Bills must juggle salary-cap agony, replacing key players

With the worst cap situation in the NFL, the Buffalo Bills (11-6) are going to have to get creative in filling out their 2024 roster.

The team has several key free-agents-to-be and is nearly $42M over the salary cap, leaving general manager Brandon Beane to get creative in clearing cap space and rounding out his depth chart.

After falling just short of the AFC Championship game due to a three-point loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC divisional round, the Bills yet again find themselves searching for a way to get past the conference’s elite to the Super Bowl.

Here’s what you need to know about Buffalo’s offseason:

PROJECTED 2024 CAP SPACE:  -$41.3M (worst in NFL)

FREE AGENTS | Offense: QB Kyle Allen; RBs Damien Harris, Latavius Murray and Ty Johnson; WRs Trent Sherfield and Gabe Davis; TE Quintin Morris; OG David Edwards

Defense: DEs Jordan Phillips, Poona Ford, A.J. Epenesa and Shaq Lawson; DTs DaQuan Jones, Tim Settle and Linval Joseph; LBs Tyler Matakevich, Tyrel Dodson and Leonard Floyd; CBs Dane Jackson and Cam Lewis; Safeties Taylor Rapp and Micah Hyde

Outlook: Davis seems set on joining the highest bidder in free agency instead of sticking it out with Buffalo, and he’s likely too pricey for the Bills to even consider retaining. Floyd, Epenesa and Jones are all integral parts of Buffalo’s pass rush, but it’s likely the team can afford to keep only one once it creates some cap space.

The Bills will likely have to pull off a series of contract restructures, salary conversions and roster cuts to get to a place where they can add to their roster, so adding through the draft may be the team’s best course of action.

2024 DRAFT PICKS: Round 1 (No. 28 overall) | Round 2 | Round 4 | Round 5 (Green Bay) | Round 5 | Round 6 (via Los Angeles Rams) | Round 6 (via Houston) | Round 6 | Round 7

TOP DRAFT NEEDS (in order): WR, Edge-rusher, DT, S, OT — Davis’ departure opens a big hole in Buffalo’s offense. Stefon Diggs is still on the roster for now, but Khalil Shakir, K.J. Hamler and Deonte Harty aren’t exactly No. 2 receiver material. 

Adding a player like Florida State’s Keon Coleman or LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr. would give Josh Allen a dynamic playmaker to complement Diggs on the other side.

With seven members of their defensive line hitting the market, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Bills used their first-round pick on a defensive tackle or edge-rusher. 

Penn State’s Chop Robinson or UCLA’s Laiatu Latu would make perfect additions to potent pass rush that ranked fourth in the NFL in sacks in 2023. 

Texas defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat would be a perfect big-bodied run-stuffer in the middle of Buffalo’s defensive line who can also get to the quarterback.

DRAFT PROSPECTS TO WATCH: Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU; Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State; Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas; Laiatu Latu, Edge, UCLA; Chop Robinson, Edge, Penn State; Chris Braswell, Edge, Alabama; Kris Jenkins, DT, Michigan; T’Vondre Sweat, DT, Texas; Leonard Taylor, DT, Miami; Tyler Nubin, S, Minnesota; Jaden Hicks, S, Washington State; Kamren Kinchens, S, Miami; J.C. Latham, OT, Alabama; Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia; Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma

THREE 2024 STORYLINES TO WATCH:

• Does Diggs get traded?
• Do any key players get cut to clear cap space?
• How does the offense perform with Joe Brady as offensive coordinator for a full season?