Rico Report: The Rush To Sign A Cornerback, And The Buffalo Bills’ Weak Links

On the latest episode of the Rico Report, Rico brought up several draft-ready topics. Do the Buffalo Bills really need to sign a veteran cornerback right now? What are our weak links right now? Let’s get into it.

Signing A Veteran Cornerback: Why The Rush? (12:23)

The Buffalo Bills do need more cornerbacks, but who? They have a few free agent options. Joe Haden, most recently with Pittsburgh, is one of the best free agent CBs on the market. Haden would be a competitive, reasonable, short-term solution. He’s attainable on a one or two year deal.

The next option is Stephon Gilmore. The topic has been done to death, but a return to Buffalo wouldn’t be unreasonable. It’s strictly business, and he’s the best cornerback left on the market. Gilmore would significantly upgrade our overall cornerback room for 2022. We’ve discussed him already in detail, so check that out here.

Should The Buffalo Bills Sign CB Stephon Gilmore?

A.J. Bouye is a cheaper option here, but he's still a reasonable cornerback. Though slightly under the radar, we know his floor and it's solid. In our secondary, he'd be enough, especially if we invest in a draft pick for competition. In house, we have an option too. Dane Jackson. A former seventh-round pick, Dane could compete for the starting role already. He's a physical player with reasonable traits who is already immersed in the system. With Tre'Davious White missing some time, we're all but guaranteed to see Dane Jackson getting starting reps.

Do we need to sign someone now at all? With the draft right ahead of us, we're looking at a drastically different roster to start May. Is it worth investing in more free agents before we know who we're able to get? Many players are going to get cut, and there are only so many roster spots available.

What Are the Buffalo Bills' Weak Link? (34:56)

The team is one of the best in the NFL, but every team has weaknesses. What would it be for this Buffalo Bills' offense? You can go position-by-position, and there's only one area that definitively needs improving: running back. Devin Singletary, Zack Moss, and Reggie Gilliam. That's all we have. We must consider trying to find a gem to carry the ball in this year's draft.

What about the defense? Where is the Buffalo Bills' weak link on that side of the ball? This defensive line is freshly revamped, we have an All-Pro safety tandem. So, is it linebacker or cornerback? One could argue for both. Future needs should be taken into account, and both cornerback and linebacker positions are rife with more questions.

As of this moment, the best positions we could invest in for an immediate impact are running back, linebacker, and cornerback. If we want to draft impact rookies, we should start there. How do you prioritize your needs? Is it by who can make the biggest difference right now, in a Super Bowl-contending season? Is it a pick for longevity, and giving us as many shots at the title as it takes? We'll find out all too soon.

The Rest Of The Show

Rico also touched on Peter Schrager's latest mock draft, where he had the Buffalo Bills selecting a linebacker at pick #25 (4:55). He talked about drafting some solutions to our problems (47:00), and and took some calls from the audience (56:42). For all this and more, check out the latest episode of the Rico Report on the Buffalo Fanatics YouTube channel.