'A good addition': Why wider receiver Curtis Samuel will be a Swiss Army knife for the Buffalo Bills

ORLANDO, FL (WKBW) — It’s been a fairly quiet off-season for the Buffalo Bills as we begin the countdown to the NFL Draft. General manager Brandon Beane has been active, he just hasn’t made any massive splashes.

His biggest move up to this point has been the addition of veteran wide receiver Curtis Samuel.

According to 7 Sports contributor Joe Buscaglia, Samuel’s contract at face value is a three-year deal worth $24 million. But Joe B. says the first year of his contract is fully guaranteed and so is much of his year two money.

Essentially, it’s a two-year commitment with no real pressure to keep Samuel for three seasons unless he’s proven to be a valuable asset to his team. So not necessarily a huge splash, but it’s good money for a guy the Bills have big plans for.

Beane likes Samuel’s chances of making an impact and thinks he will play a big role in what the Bills are trying to do moving forward. Beane was still in Carolina when the Panthers selected Samuel in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Samuel has lived up to the expectations since being a day two pick, with 317 catches, 3383 receiving yards, 715 rushing yards, and 29 touchdowns. Samuel is a Swiss Army knife and his familiarity with offensive coordinator Joe Brady played a big role in Beane’s decision to bring him to Buffalo.

“Curtis is one of those guys that is a unique player,” Beane said Sunday at the NFL Owners Meetings. “What gave me confidence to bring him here was talking to Joe Brady. And he had his best year with Joe. And Joe saw what he could do and really play to his strengths. So we see him as a guy that, yes, can be in the backfield, can line up at receiver, gadgets, he could be a returner for us. He can stretch the field vertically. Not in a traditional, just line up at wide receiver or line up in the slot. We think he’ll play outside, inside, backfield, just give Joe a lot of versatile ways to use him.”

Head coach Sean McDermott agreed with Beane’s assessment. He realizes the team has a lot of work to do, but likes the additions of Samuel and Mack Hollins to the wide receiver room.

“Curtis Samuel is a good addition and he certainly has the speed you're looking for and the ability to maybe to line up in different spots,” McDermott said. “Look at the end of the day you’ve got to go through the process, you've got to put the work in. That's what you do this time of year and if you don't this league will humble you. We've been fortunate to have success. That said we're not content with being where we are and you've constantly got to reinvent yourself, evolve both schematically roster wise, trying to stay ahead of it. When people want you to zig you zag and I think that's the importance of evolving in this situation.”

Samuel is a way the Bills are evolving. There’s no doubt they need to continue to address wide receiver this off-season, but Samuel is a solid start and the type of player they haven’t had in a long time.