The Buffalo Bills have reportedly pulled off major trades this offseason for LeSean McCoy and Matt Cassel and now Rex Ryan may look at the free agent market for potential options and names like Mike Iupati, David Harris, Nick Fairley, DeAngelo Williams, Darrelle Revis, Bryan Bulaga and Walter Thurmond could be targets and this comes as Jerry Hughes could return.
The Bills made a splash with their deal for McCoy and while it can't be finalized until next week, Adam Schefter and other media reports have the trade going through. According to ESPN.com the team traded for Matt Cassel after agreeing to a deal with the Eagles for McCoy, acquiring the quarteback for draft picks with the Vikings. Mike Rodak at ESPN.com writes that the deal with McCoy is for linebacker Kiko Alonso and likely doesn't include any other draft picks. The deals cannot be finalized until next week when the league year begins and it makes the Bills a contender in the AFC.
According to Rodak at ESPN, the Bills likely will look at the offensive line and the secondary in free agency along with depth at tight end. The team now likely will not bring back CJ Spiller after getting McCoy and some names mentioned by Rodak that the team could chase include Walter Thurmond, Mike Iupati, Bryan Bulaga and Davis Harris. According to ESPN New York, Ryan is interested in reuniting with his former Jets linebacker in Harris, while Darrelle Revis is also another target, but he is unlikely to sign with the team.
Revis has a big team option for the Patriots and if he hits the market, the Bills and Ryan will be going after him. The Bills have Jerry Hughes hitting free agency and he is expected to get some attention on the market and could end up leaving the Bills. Buffalo has a solid amount of cap space and that is one reason why they opted to go after McCoy. The running back has a cap hit near $12 million and a salary over $10 million, but the Bills feel that will be money well spent.
Iupati is a free agent from the 49ers and there is a good chance he doesn't re-sign there, according to CSN Bay Area. Thurmond is one of the top cornerbacks on the market, while Bulaga is likely to leave the Packers in free agency. The Bills had the chance to franchise Hughes and did not do so and now they risk him signing with another team on the market. Hughes had 53 tackles and 9.5 sacks last season and is one of the top pass rushers on the market.
While Cassel did not get much playing time for the Vikings, he has shown in the past that he can be a consistent quarterback and he nearly took the Pats to the playoffs years ago. The Bills had a great defense in 2014, but they were lacking at quarterback with Kyle Orton and EJ Manuel and now they feel like they have a better option in Cassel. Last season the Bills went 9-7 and finished with a winning record for the first time in years and now Ryan has his eye on the playoffs.