Buffalo Bills 2026 Free Agency: Addressing the Offense
The 2026 offseason will be critical for reshaping the Buffalo Bills' offense, particularly with major questions surrounding the wide receiver room and now the offensive line. With a renewed emphasis on building the offense around quarterback Josh Allen, free agency provides Buffalo with an opportunity to add proven talent and stabilize key positions.
An overhaul at wide receiver is necessary to provide a different dynamic to an underperforming unit. Brandon Beane started this process yesterday with the trade for WR D.J. Moore from the Chicago Bears. With that said, any free-agent wide receiver signings the team makes have to be paired with a first- or second-round pick and another late-round pick. This is not a position group that can be fixed in free agency. I had written above before the trade, and now I have changed the way I look at the free-agent wide receiver market. There are players I was not interested in before the trade who now make more sense to me because they would be additions to a group that has a WR1, not brought in to try to be the WR1.
I will be referring to the receiver's average depth of target, or ADOT, a lot in my comments. The reason is that Josh Allen ranked 28th in 2025 and 13th in 2024 for intended air yards per attempt, after being in the top 5 in 2023 and 2022 and the top 10 since entering the league. Allen averaged 9.2 yards per attempt to start his career, compared to 7.6 the past two seasons. His accuracy has gone up, but his deep passing metrics have dropped off considerably. The lack of a vertical threat in the passing game has played a part in this. Allen has too strong an arm to be throwing screens and short passes because his receivers can't get open down the field.
The Bills most likely will not be looking at Wide Receiver early in the draft, and reports are out that theyre not done adding to the position and plan to be active in free agency. They currently have four healthy returning wide receivers, with Khalil Shakir and Joshua Palmer being the only locks to be on the 53 this fall. I expect a release of Curtis Samuel before the new league year starts, and 2024 second-round pick Keon Coleman has an uncertain future, given how his 2025 season unfolded and comments made by members of the organization since.
It appears two starting offensive linemen will be leaving in free agency as Connor McGovern and David Edwards outperformed their contracts while in Buffalo and are set to cash in as two highly coveted offensive linemen on the open market this spring. This creates an immediate need for experienced replacements to protect Allen and maintain the unit's physical identity. The Bills have some players they’ve developed on their roster, but they will need to bring in veterans as well.
As the team enters a new era under head coach Joe Brady, the decisions made in free agency will play a major role in determining how quickly the offense can evolve and remain one of the most dangerous units in the AFC. Buffalo still has work to do to get cap-compliant. Just because a player is listed does not mean I expect them to sign with the Bills next week. These are players that I could see as fits for what the team is looking to do moving forward under Joe Brady and would help the offense. In each group, I will break down the players from a cost standpoint and provide their market value, as provided by Spotrac. This is not a prediction of what I think will happen, but players that I believe should be under consideration at each position.
Filling the Holes: Offensive Line Options
C Austin Schlottmann - Schlottmann will turn 31 this season, so this would not be a long-term solution at the center position, but it would be good veteran competition in training camp to push Sedrick Van Pran-Granger. He started four games at Center for the Giants last season, but also has experience at Guard.
Market Value AAV - $2.3 million
G/C Luke Fortner - Fortner will be 28 at the start of the season, coming off a 1-year stint with the Saints, where he started the final 10 games of the year at Center. His first three years were with the Jaguars were he started every game at Center his first two seasons. After losing the starting spot for the 2024 season, he served as a backup and was traded to New Orleans before the 2025 season began. This could be a good option to bring in to compete for Guard and Center in training camp.
Market Value AAV - $6.2 million
G/C Ryan Bates - This one just makes too much sense and seems like a no-brainer. Bates was with the Bills from 2019 to 2023 and started 19 games during that time. He was traded to the Bears before the start of the 2024 free agency as a cap-savings move and due to a logjam at the Guard/Center positions. Unfortunately, an injury disrupted his 2024 campaign in Chicago, and he only started two games for the Bears over his two seasons. Bates is still only 29 years old and would provide a low-cost option to compete for the starting Center or Left Guard position in Buffalo this season. I feel like Bates will be back in Buffalo in 2026.
Market Value AAV - $1.2 million
G Wyatt Teller - Probably Brandon Beane’s biggest miss on a prospect in the Bills organization. Buffalo drafted Teller in the 5th round of the 2018 draft (good draft year for the Bills) and traded him the following offseason for a 5th and 6th round pick from the Browns. At the time, it made sense as the Bills had overhauled the offensive line and created a logjam at the guard position. Teller went on to make two AP All-Pro Second teams and three Pro Bowls with the Browns. I don’t know if the Bills are looking to spend this kind of money at the guard position in FA but its an interesting option that could come full circle with Teller returning to the team that drafted him.
Market Value AAV - $10.2 million
G Evan Neal - Neal, a former 7th overall pick, will turn 26 years old when the season starts. He switched from Tackle to Guard before the 2025 season, but a hamstring injury prevented him from playing a snap for the Giants. He is a talented player who may benefit from a change of scenery after a somewhat tumultuous four years in New York. This is an intriguing option to me if the Bills are able to sign him closer to $3 million/year.
Market Value AAV - $4.3 million
Wide Receiver Room Overhaul: Adding Weapons for Josh Allen
Premium Free Agent Wide Receivers
Alec Pierce ($20.2 AAV) and Rashid Shaheed ($14.1 AAV), I believe, will be out of play for the Bills now with the trade for Moore. I feel both will be overpaid and well above their anticipated market values. I was not interested in Mike Evans as an FA target before the trade. If the Bills are really doing an overhaul, all-in type approach at the position, pairing Evans with Moore on the outside is an intriguing option. Evans has a market value AAV of $13.3 million, but there have been reports that he could get north of $20 million if a bidding war happens. If he is willing to leave Tampa Bay, I can see Buffalo making a push for him over Pierce or Shaheed. Not a likely landing spot for the 32-year-old veteran, but someone I am more interested in becoming a Bill than I was 24 hours ago.
Mid-Tier Value Wide Receivers
Romeo Doubs - Doubs has been linked to the Bills leading up to the start of free agency. The trade for Moore has not extinguished those rumors, with reports that he is still a player they are targeting. If Palmer is still on the roster this season, I don’t see how this makes sense. Per Spotrac, Doubs market value is at $12 million AAV, and Palmer counts $11.75 million against the cap in 2026. I don’t see how the Bills can support those two contracts along with Moore and Shakir. Doubs would be a good complement to the receivers they curently have, so it will be interesting to see how the next week unfolds from a roster and cap standpoint.
Market Value AAV - $12 million
Darnell Mooney - Mooney was recently released by the Falcons with a year remaining on the 3-year contract he signed with the previous GM/HC. Its hard to accurately gauge his performance based on his 2025 season with the inconsistent quarterback play. He’s a season removed from a 64 reception, 992-yard campaign with a career high five touchdowns. He still has field-stretching abilities and averaged 13.6 yards ADOT over the past two seasons.
Market Value AAV - $7.5 million
Christian Kirk - I feel Kirk has been linked to the Bills for a few years now due to his relationship with Josh Allen. They spend a lot of time together in the offseason working out and throwing together, so the chemistry is there and should help Kirk assimilate into the offense quickly. The question is what Kirk is looking for at this point in his career. It’s been a bumpy road for the eight-year vet after signing his 4-year/$72 million contract with the Jaguars in free agency before the 2022 season. He has failed to play 17 games or come close to the 1100 yards he put up in his first season in Jacksonville, spending the 2025 season in Houston, where he posted career lows in receiving yards and ADOT. If he wants the chance to win and serve a role in a new passing attack, Buffalo may be a good option.
Market Value AAV - $5.4 million
Veteran Wide Receivers Options
Kendrick Bourne - Bourne is a strong veteran option that should come in relatively cheap. He put up 500+ yards last year with 37 receptions. His run blocking improved during his time with the 49ers, which could make him a good WR5 option to fill the hole created by the injuries to Tyrell Shavers and Gabe Davis.
Market Value AAV - $3.3 million
Greg Dortch and Zay Jones - Two receivers familiar with the Bills' new Wide Receivers coach, Drew Terrell, from their time together with the Cardinals. Jones was originally drafted by the Bills in the 2nd round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Both players would bring a unique skill set to the WR room. Dortch is a shifty receiver who is dangerous around the line of scrimmage with his YAC ability. Nearly 75% of his career yards have come after the catch. Jones has bounced around a little, but has good hands and can be a reliable WR5.
Market Value AAV - $1.6 and $1.3 million
Young Receivers with Upside
Tyquan Thornton - Thornton revitalized his career in Kansas City, posting career highs in catches, yards, and touchdowns. In 2025, his average depth of target was 26.9 yards, utilizing the sub 4.3 speed that got him drafted in the second round by the Patriots in 2022. He will be 26 when the season begins and could be a low-risk, high-reward vertical threat for the offense.
Market Value AAV - $2.9 million
Jahan Dotson - Dotson was the 16th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and will be 26 at the start of the season. His numbers really dropped off in Philadelphia over the last two seasons, but I credit that more to the style of offense than to his play or what he was asked to do. He was always going to be the 5th option in their passing game with the pass catchers ahead of him on the depth chart. He did have a career-high 15.7 ADOT last season.
Market Value AAV - $2.6 million
