The Buffalo Bills will be heading into training camp next week with their full contingent of rookies, a group expected to give a big boost to the defense.
The Bills announced on July 18 that they signed second-round draft pick T.J. Sanders, making him the final member of their draft class to sign. The Bills were one of the first three teams in the NFL to sign their full class of draft picks, putting all the pieces in place and not losing any time for training camp.
Bills Expected to Lean on Rookies
The Bills focused heavily on their defense in the draft, looking to improve a unit that had fallen short in the playoffs for several years. Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder expects first-round pick Maxwell Hairston to compete for the starting cornerback spot opposite Christian Benford, pegging him as the favorite over two returning veterans.
“The Bills were looking to add a starting cornerback opposite Christian Benford this offseason, bringing TreâDavious and Dane Jackson back to Buffalo after a year away,” Holder wrote. “The Kentucky product is still the favorite to win that job, but heâll have to fend off a couple of veterans this summer.”
The Bills also addressed their defensive line in the draft and added more depth to the secondary, taking two more cornerbacks after Hairston. The team did add some talent to offense but did little to add to skill positions, taking no running backs and just one wide receiver, seventh-rounder Kaden Prather.
With the Bills tight against the salary cap for several years — thanks in part to quarterback Josh Allen’s huge contract — the team has leaned on the draft to add talent on cost-controlled contracts. The Bills have gotten several key pieces from the draft, with several from the 2022 draft class including cornerback Christian Benford, linebacker Terrel Bernard, and wide receiver Khalil Shakir earning long-term deals this offseason.
Second-Round Picks Faced Signing Backlog
The Bills were not the only team to find difficulty in reaching a deal with their second-round pick. As Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports noted, most second-rounders went unsigned as NFL teams grappled with how much guaranteed money to include and agents pushed for their players to get as much as possible.
“This entire ordeal is really about two things,” Jones wrote. “The first is setting precedents. NFL players won’t be able to collectively bargain fully guaranteed contracts, so they have to come through established precedents. Whether they’re veteran deals like Kirk Cousins or Deshaun Watson, or rookie deals like Higgins, the players cannot afford to lose momentum at the negotiating table.
“The second is about recruiting. With standard rookie contracts, there isn’t much to negotiate in these deals. So agents have to find their wins with current players to help them recruit future clients.”
Jones added that the second-round picks were going to sign eventually, but the long wait did lead to some missed time in the summer.
“It’s really more about optics for the agents and agencies than the individual players,” one team executive told Jones.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Bills Get Good Sign Days Before Training Camp Starts appeared first on Heavy Sports.