BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — We've made it to June, which means the Buffalo Bills have money to spend.
According to Spotrac, the Bills now have $10.1 million in cap space following their post-June 1st release of former All-Pro cornerback Tre'Davious White. The move freed up $10 million in cap space this season, giving the Bills some flexibility as we get closer to the beginning of training camp.
But what could the Bills do with the added cap space? Well, let's crunch some numbers.
At this point in the season, only the salaries of the top 51 players on the Bills roster are factored into their salary cap. That said, the Bills need to sign their rookie draft picks, which will cost them approximately $3 million. But not all of those draft picks will have contracts with a higher cap hit than some of the other players already on the team. So essentially, the Bills will have more money to spend than the simple math suggests [$10M (cap space) - $3M (rookies)]. So for a rough estimate, let's say the Bills have about $8M in cap space as of June 3.
GM Brandon Beane could take two different approaches, which both seem feasible.
The first is simply saving the money for a rainy day. Maybe he wants to keep space open for a potential addition closer to the regular season, or as insurance for a potential injury. But saving money isn't the most fun option for fans to speculate about.
The other option is finding a player or two who could help improve the Bills' depth chart. While I like Greg Rousseau and AJ Epenesa, I have no idea what to expect from Von Miller in 2024. With not much veteran depth on the roster, I think the money could be used for a player like Yannick Ngakoue or Carl Lawson. Neither player should command a huge deal, but would give the Bills another viable option heading into the season.
Lawson didn't have a single sack in 2023, so maybe he's looking for a short-term deal to try and re-establish himself as a viable pass-rushing option and hit it big on one more contract down the road. Ngakoue isn't the force he once was but is a capable fourth guy behind Rousseau, Miller, and Epenesa.
The Bills could also target another cornerback if they don't trust Kaiir Elam to be their primary backup on the boundary. There are some quality free-agent cornerbacks still available, but the Bills likely wouldn't target anyone to replace either Rasul Douglas or Christian Benford. The only other position I could see them targeting is left guard, but they seem content with David Edwards.
They also have to wait for a decision from Micah Hyde. I can't imagine Hyde will command a big deal if he decides to play in 2024, but he won't play for free.
In a year where the Bills have done everything they can to keep their salary cap healthy heading into the future, I can't imagine now is the time the front office will start getting reckless. Expect a few more additions, but I'm not banking on a blockbuster anytime soon.
