Buffalo Bills – Process Or Problem: Tight End and Wide Receiver

Another edition of the Rico Report is here. This time, he’s joined by Sterling Furrow of Cover 1. Together, they went over the tight ends and wide receivers of the Buffalo Bills roster to determine who was part of the process and who was a problem.

The New Buffalo Fanatics App (3:15)

For those of you who don’t already know, the Buffalo Fanatics now have an app! For all the BF content, articles, and more, go check it out. It also features an offseason simulator, where you can sign, cut, trade, and draft players to build your ideal 2022 Buffalo Bills roster.

Process or Problem: Wide Receiver (13:57)

The Buffalo Bills granted Cole Beasley permission to seek a trade prior to the new league year. Do we trade him if an offer is made? Can the Buffalo Bills keep him? Cole deserves credit for his time here, but it’s probably at an end. Allen doesn’t need him any more, and the team has to get younger and cheaper in order to extend the Super Bowl window.

Stefon Diggs had a 100+ catch, 1,200+ yard season… and that was a “down” year. If that’s a down season, we can expect him to stay with us for a long time. The Bills used him well, kept him healthy for the playoffs, and he still was one of the league’s best. Obviously, he’s part of the process.

Another man who is absolutely part of the process is Gabe Davis. Though he hardly played at the beginning of the season, he blew up as the year went on. Always working on his game, and earning all of his snaps, he’s likely our WR2 next season. We can’t fail to bring up his four-touchdown playoff game, good for an NFL record.

Emmanuel Sanders is mulling retirement, but he could opt to come back for one more season. A cheap, one-year deal to return on the lower end of the depth chart would be ideal, if he was willing. There’s no real risk in moving on from him in 2022 though.

Marquez Stevenson was a rookie in a deep receiving core, but the few snaps he had were shaky. His return abilities, one of the reasons he was drafted, were put into question, perhaps even more than Isaiah McKenzie’s. His speed is good, but what else does he have? As a former sixth-round pick, his roster status could be in jeopardy unless he develops.

He should chase the money, but Isaiah McKenzie would be great on this team as a role player if we could bring him back again. He has a chance to fight for WR3 if he returns, but he may not secure it. McKenzie could easily follow Brian Daboll to the New York Giants. There are also plenty of capable free agent candidates out there, like Braxton Berrios, Byron Pringle, and more.

Process or Problem: Tight Ends (45:20)

Dawson Knox took a huge leap in 2021, and his time spent at Tight End University clearly benefited him. Though Knox missed two games, he still led the league in touchdowns for his position. He deserves an apology, and has earned himself a nice extension. Conversely, Tommy Sweeney is a placeholder in this roster, and doesn’t really add anything.

Rob Gronkowski has been linked to Buffalo repeatedly. Gronk has a storied past with us, which makes him a controversial candidate, but he’s fully capable of expanding and advancing this offense. If bringing him on board can do more for us, and we can make it work in the salary cap, there’s no real reason not to do it. He’s an elite blocker and a capable scoring threat who can work in tandem with Dawson Knox.

Trades, Draft Talk, Running Backs and More (1:00:00)

A bevy of other topics include potential trades with the New York Giants, draft sweethearts, running back talk, and more.

Check it all out on the Buffalo Fanatics YouTube channel. And if you want to read my recap of Rico’s “Process or Problem: QB and RB” piece, click here.