The Buffalo Bills are bringing in a quarterback who could potentially be the heir to Tyrod Taylor's starting position in Ohio State legend Cardale Jones. Taylor is currently the Bills' starter and will look to get a long-term contract extension from the franchise this season, but the franchise is not necessarily sold on his abilities. Bringing in Jones would most likely be cheap, as he should be selected around the fourth or fifth round and could make a powerful bargaining chip for the team.
Jones is the ideal player to play behind and learn from Taylor, as their styles are incredibly similar. Finding some solid value in late round picks is something that the Bills will need to do in order to build up this roster. Buffalo was in one of the worst cap situations imaginable and barely had enough space to re-sign any of their own free agents. They lost outside linebacker Nigel Bradham to the Philadelphia Eagles, which was a crushing blow to their defense to start free agency.
His departure was followed by cornerback Ron Brooks, who went to the Eagles, defensive tackle Stefan Charles to the Detroit Lions, and tight end MarQueis Gray and offensive guard Kraig Urbik to the Miami Dolphins. Buffalo did make a couple of moves, including the signing of strong safety Robert Blanton from the Minnesota Vikings and tight end Jim Dray from the Cleveland Browns.
Blanton will add crucial depth for Buffalo, as he should line up behind strong safety Aaron Williams if he cannot overtake him for the starting job. Jim Dray will start alongside Charles Clay, as they need to solidify the tight end position on this roster. Hopefully, Dray will be able to give the passing game a spark with his high motor and solid production, but he is not in danger of having anyone from behind him at this time vulture his place in the offense.
The Bills could draft a tight end to become the starter. However, it seems unlikely that they will be the team to take Hunter Henry towards the end of the first round. The Bills also went on to re-sign wide receiver Leonard Hankerson, as they would like to keep Taylor's weapons in place. Hankerson played for the Falcons for most of the 2015 regular season until he was released last December.
Hankerson failed to live up to becoming a quality second or third option in the Falcons' offense, which led to his release. He was soon picked up by the New England Patriots and waived a week later. Selecting Jones would give the Bills another gifted playmaking quarterback who should have some solid time to learn this offense with Taylor as the starting signal caller.
