Top players In 2024 NFL free agency, the Bills must resign.
WR Gabe Davis is one of the important Bills players who will be available for free agency in 2024.
When is it appropriate to make changes just for their own sake? That may be something Buffalo Bills supporters are thinking about in the lead-up to the 2024 NFL free agency period.
It does leave some doubt, after all, to witness your aspirations crushed by the same club three times in four postseasons. Three straight seasons, the Bills have been eliminated in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. It’s easy to believe that significant changes are required.
With 21 players eligible for unrestricted free agency, Buffalo has the opportunity to implement a change. It’s a different matter entirely whether it’s prudent to overreact after falling short against a team captained by a pair of instantly iconic players.
Regardless of the overall strategy, a few players ought to return to the roster, regardless of how the Bills braintrust chooses to spend their summer. Shall we go over them together?
Gabe Davis, WR
First, let’s introduce the largest wildcard in the group. Any Bills fan can tell you that Davis is an incredibly skilled player.
In addition, he is a very erratic player.
How is it possible for a player to have three games with 100+ receiving yards in a single season then go four games without a catch (including back-to-back 0-fers in the middle of December, when the stakes are higher every week)? That’s Davis’s dramatic boom-or-bust scenario.
Davis doesn’t play with the steadiness of a top receiver. However, he has demonstrated himself as a deep threat and has led Buffalo to some incredible postseason runs.
Perhaps a team believes that it can utilize Davis’ abilities more effectively than Sean McDermott. If, however, Davis’ market does not outpace the price secondary wideouts command, the Bills should be pleased to have him back.
Dane Jackson, CB
Due to the injuries sustained by fellow cornerbacks Tre’Davious White, Rasual Douglas, and Christian Benford, Jackson was forced into a more prominent role with the team and developed into a key member of the Bills defense this season.
Jackson, who was originally selected in the seventh round, ended up starting six games and playing well. Every NFL team needs depth at cornerback, but for one that plays the Miami Dolphins and Tyreek Hill twice a season, it’s an absolute must.
Although Jackson isn’t the team’s best cornerback, McDermott believes in him, and he has demonstrated that he fits as a depth player in this secondary. If the numbers stay low, it would be prudent for him to resign.
DaQuan Jones, DT
No, the 32-year-old defensive tackle who just finished a season in which he missed 10 games due to injury is not someone the Bills should overpay for. That being said, here’s why it might make sense to have Jones return.
It’s unlikely that Jones sparks a bidding war. However, he performed admirably for the Bills in 2022 and made an impression in his seven 2023 games.
As a matter of fact, he recorded four tackles for loss and two and a half sacks, which is more than he did in 16 games in 2022.
Jones still should be able to stuff the run with competence, which is what makes him valuable. Jones is a reliable cog on a defensive line with a lot of talent. Although it’s easy to take those players for granted, Buffalo shouldn’t do so.
DE Epenesa, A.J.
Epenesa, who was selected by the Bills in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft to lead their pass-rushing unit, hasn’t yet produced a breakout, double-digit sack season. However, Epenesa demonstrated a varied side this season—his fourth in the NFL—that might point to further productivity yet to be realized.
Despite not having a great rush on the quarterback, Epenesa has managed to get six and a half sacks in the past two seasons. Epenesa demonstrated some coverage skills in 2023. In three previous seasons, he had intercepted zero passes; this season, he recorded a career-high eight passes defended.
In the modern NFL, having a rotating edge rusher of Epenesa’s caliber is more of a need than a luxury. That’s a valuable player if that’s what he is. Buffalo will be glad they kept Epenesa around if they can help him reach even more of his potential.
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