Report: Bills trending toward losing 2 key defensive players
Jan 4, 2020; Houston, Texas, USA; Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott before the AFC Wild Card NFL Playoff game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The Buffalo Bills lost their defensive coordinator when Leslie Frazier announced he is taking a year off next season, and they may also have to replace multiple key players on that side of the ball.
Pro Bowl safety Jordan Poyer was viewed as a franchise tag candidate, but the Bills chose not to use the tag on any member of their roster prior to Tuesday’s deadline. It now appears unlikely that Poyer will be back with Buffalo in 2023. ESPN’s Adam Schefter said on “NFL Live” Tuesday night that the Bills are expected to lose starting linebacker Tremaine Edmunds in free agency as well.
Here’s the Adam Schefter clip on the futures of #Bills free agents Jordan Poyer & Tremaine Edmunds—He does say “expected to lose” & specifies more toward Edmunds, but it was also a bit of a throwaway line at the end of a segment on Poyer not being franchise tagged: pic.twitter.com/oex67TMJRB
— Nick (@Nick_Wojton) March 8, 2023
The Bills are projected to be nearly $18 million over the salary cap next season, so they obviously have to make some difficult decisions. It would have cost Buffalo around $14 million to franchise tag Poyer, and the 31-year-old could get close to that much on the open market. If the Bills planned to bring him back, they probably would have used the tag and then worked toward a long-term deal.
Poyer may have his sights set on joining one of Buffalo’s AFC East rivals.
Edmunds, who made the Pro Bowl in 2019 and 2020, will turn 25 this offseason. He has had five consecutive seasons with 100-plus total tackles and is one of the top linebackers available in free agency. Buffalo probably can’t afford to keep him with their cap situation, either.
Defense was a strong suit for the Bills last season. They allowed just 17.9 points per game, which ranked second in the NFL. It will be interesting to see how all the potential turnover impacts them.
