Around the AFC East, Week 7: Buffalo Bills

Last but not least, I talk to Brian G over at Buffalo Rumblings about some of the signing activity this July.

July was a busy month for the Bills.  There's been a number of key player signings: WR Steve Johnson, their 5th draft choice, was signed; Defensive Tackle Kyle Williams signed a contract extension; OL Demetrius Bell, 7th round pick, was signed to an undisclosed contract.  Break these moves down for us - how important were these signings to the organization?  Can the rookies be impactful early?

Buffalo Rumblings: Two young veterans were signed long-term, and for relatively cheap deals: RG Brad Butler and DT Kyle Williams.  These guys probably won't ever be Pro Bowl players, but they're incredibly hard-working guys that have definite futures in the league.  These were two good signings, especially considering the total new money between the two deals was roughly $23 million over three years for each player.  Butler and Williams are the kind of player that good teams are built around: tough, hard-working and young.

The rookie deals ultimately won't mean much this season.  Bell is a project player that will almost assuredly be stashed on the practice squad, though the team likes his raw tools.  Johnson is an intriguing prospect (and he was actually a seventh-round pick, one of three the Bills made), and since Buffalo's wide receiving corps is so thin depth-wise, he has a shot at contributing at some point.  I don't expect that to be this year, however, with Josh Reed and Roscoe Parrish sitting ahead of him on the depth chart.

Ultimately, these signings were routine and rather meaningless in my book.  The team has five much bigger names to deal with contractually: WR Lee Evans, OT Jason Peters, LB Angelo Crowell, CB Leodis McKelvin and WR James Hardy.  Those are the signings I'm interested in, and some of them need to happen relatively soon.

Brian's right to be interested in the signings he mentioned.  Leodis McKelvin could prove to be huge and they need to get him on board soon, like NOW.  The rookies might be impactful next year or the year after, but Buffalo needs to get the difference makers on the practice field with no lingering issues, just football on their brains.

Thanks to Briang at Buffalo Rumblings.  Head on over there to check out my answer regarding Josh McDaniels.