Buffalo Bills free agency preview (Defense)

By Connor Byrne  |   Monday, March 06, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Buffalo Bills
Got something to say?

Sign Up and be the first to comment on this article!
With the beginning of free agency in the NFL having been pushed back to Thursday, the Buffalo Bills now have plenty of time to determine which players already on the open-market they will be pursuing. Obviously, there are certain players on the Bills' current roster whose contracts are up; GM Marv Levy will be addressing those players as well.

In the first of a two part series, I will be analyzing which free agents the Bills should pursue that are currently looking for a new team in which to become a starter. In today's preview, I will be analyzing defensive free agents that the Bills could be looking at. Keep in mind that the team will be anywhere from $9 to $16 million under the projected $94.5 million salary cap.

In the event that the players and owners reach a new Collective Bargaining deal by the Thursday deadline, the salary cap will be set upwards of $105 million. Thus, the Bills would be anywhere from $19 to $26 million under the cap.

Defensive end-

Right defensive end Aaron Schobel has solidified his position by continuously being the only pass-rushing threat on the Bills' roster. However, the duo at left defensive end, Chris Kelsay and Ryan Denney, has been woefully inadequate when it comes to pressuring the quarterback. Denney's contract is up, but the Bills would be wise to re-sign him because of the solid depth he provides. On the other hand, Kelsay remains signed and would also work well as a backup. Here are the free agency possibilities the Bills could be eyeing at the defensive end position...

- 29-year-old Arizona Cardinals DE Antonio Cochran. Last season, Cochran quietly racked up 36 tackles and 6.5 sacks with Arizona. In 2004, Cochran totaled 7 sacks with the Seattle Seahawks. Although he isn't a highly-touted player, Cochran is steady, relatively inexpensive and a better pass-rusher than Denney or Kelsay.

- 26-year-old Detroit Lions DE Kalimba Edwards. Much like Cochran, Edwards isn't too highly-touted but has shown an ability to get to the opposing quarterback. In his four-year career, Edwards has totaled 21 sacks, including 7 last season. He is also more of a threat in terms of getting to the quarterback than Denney or Kelsay.

- 26-year-old Green Bay Packers DE Aaron Kampman. A former fifth-round pick, Kampman has steadily improved in the sack department each season as he went from 1 to 2, to 5 to 7. However, one league insider stated that Kampman could receive a large paycheck similar to the one received by Tennessee Titans DE Kyle Vanden Bosch. That deal was for four years and $21 million; will the Bills be willing to fork that kind of cash over for a somewhat-unproven entity like Kampman? Probably not. Should they? Once again, probably not.

Defensive/Nose tackle-

With the Bills' recent release of veteran Sam Adams, the team is down to Tim Anderson and Lauvale Sape on the current roster. Buffalo obviously needs major help at one of the most important positions on the defense. The Bills' new defense is a Cover 2 style, which calls for quicker, shiftier tackles that can run all over the field. Without any further adieu, here are legitimate possibilities at the Bills' defensive tackle position...

- 26-year-old Seattle Seahawks DT Rocky Bernard. At just 293 pounds, Bernard is exactly the type of player the Bills need at the defensive tackle position. The four-year veteran piled up 8.5 sacks in 2005 and was one of the key players on the NFC champion Seahawks' defense. Bernard is one of the more sought after defensive free agents in the NFL and may cost too much for the Bills.

- 26-year-old Buffalo Bills DT Ron Edwards. After an injury that cost him nearly all of last season, Edwards may end up returning to the Bills at a cheap rate. He struggled mightily in the first couple of weeks of last season, but the team's new system may help him out greatly. In 2002, Edwards' lone season as a starter, the Texas A&M grad compiled 40 tackles to go along with 3 sacks.

- 27-year-old Tampa Bay Buccaneers DT Chris Hovan. Between 2000 and 2003, Hovan was with the Minnesota Vikings and was thought of as one of the best tackles in football. After a disastrous 2004 in Minnesota, Hovan signed a relatively cheap deal with the Bucs and had a really solid season. One year later, he's back on the open-market and at only 298 lbs, could be a good fit for the Bills' defense.

- 27-year-old Indianapolis Colts DT Larry Tripplett. A former second-round pick, Tripplett has been one of the most underrated tackles in the league for the last couple of seasons. He was a big part of the Colts' solid defense last year that helped the team compile a 14-2 regular season record. Unfortunately for Indy, they will probably not be able to retain his services because of salary cap constraints. The 295 lbs. Tripplett might fit the Bills' plan.

- 28-year old St. Louis Rams NT Damione Lewis, and 26-year old Rams NT Ryan Pickett. A former first-round pick back in 2001, Lewis was somewhat of a disappointment in St. Louis. However, new Bills defensive line coach Bill Kollar coached him with the Rams. Thus, Lewis' name is very much connected with the Bills.

Just like Lewis, Pickett played under Kollar with the Rams and could also be what the Bills are looking for on their defensive line. Also a former first-round pick, Pickett tallied 65 tackles last season.

Strong safety-

The Bills released 32-year-old veteran strong safety Lawyer Milloy, and as a result will be searching for someone to fill his spot. Coy Wire and Jim Leonhard - the two Bills' strong safeties at the moment - do not possess the ability to replace Milloy. Wire is a good special teamer but a liability on defense; Leonhard is just too much of an unknown for the Bills to gamble on.

- 28-year-old St. Louis Rams SS Adam Archuleta. The five-year veteran has shown a keen inability to rush the passer from the safety position in the past. With that added ability, he may be what the Bills are looking for to replace the recently-released Milloy. However, the Cover 2 defense puts a great deal of onus on the safeties, and Archuleta's struggles in coverage might stop the Bills from pursuing him.

- 25-year-old Pittsburgh Steelers SS Chris Hope. In 2005, Hope was one of the best players on the Super Bowl champion Steelers' defense as he picked off 3 passes. In two seasons as a starter, Hope has shown a great deal of promise and would be a welcome addition to the Bills. However, he may be in for a big payday this offseason and might not fit into the Bills' monetary plans.

- 25-year-old Tennessee Titans SS Tank Williams. In his four years with the Titans, Williams (a former second-round pick) has shown the ability to hold his own as a starter. The fact that he's 6'3" makes him one of the tallest safeties in the league and gives him the ability to aid in the coverage of some of the biggest receivers in the game. The Titans would love to have Williams back in the fold, but may not be able to afford him. He would be a nice fit for the Bills.

With free agency looming right around the corner, those are the best options for the Bills to pursue at need positions. Among the players on that list, Antonio Cochran, Damione Lewis, Ryan Pickett and Tank Williams are the most realistic. However, don't rule out any of those eleven players possibly signing with Buffalo.

- Connor Byrne can be reached at cbyrne@realfootball365.com.
Got something to say?

Sign Up and be the first to comment on this article! (0)

About Connor Byrne

Sorry, Connor Byrne's bio is currently not available. Please check back soon!
read more
Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report