The Buffalo Bills could have interest in a pass rusher that’s slated to hit the free-agent market, according to one credible reporter.
Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network recently noted that the Bills were one of a handful of teams that are interested in Los Angeles Chargers pass rusher Uchenna Nwosu… if he becomes a free agent. PFN wrote Nwosu will have “plenty of options” as a free agent and went on to list the Bills.
As the 2022 NFL combine concluded last week in Indianapolis, the league’s offseason schedule now turns toward free agency.
On March 14, players can begin talking to new teams and if things fall correctly, Nwosu might hear from the Bills, per PFN.
Until that time, the Chargers are the only team that can talk to him. Now it just remains to be seen if Nwosu and the Bolts can come to an agreement.
Nwosu, 25, was selected by Los Angeles in the second round of the 2018 NFL draft. Prior to that year’s draft, he did have a pre-draft visit with the Bills so there is some evidence that Buffalo has been interested in him in the past.
During his career, Nwosu hasn’t been overly productive, only making only 10 starts in his first three seasons. However, in the final year of his rookie contract in 2021, he had a career-best season.
The former USC Trojan recorded 40 total pressures and a 12.3 percent pass rush win rate, according to Pro Football Focus. His five sacks were a career-high as well.
As it always is with free agency, dollars will factor in. That’s currently not great news for the Bills.
Buffalo is slightly over the 2022 salary cap right now. The Bills must make some moves to get under it.
Even more so, Spotrac estimates Nwosu could land near $12 million per year in his next contract. Even if his deal is smaller, Buffalo will have to find a nice chunk of space to fit Nwosu.
Reading between the lines, PFN’s report has some additional bad news.
Other teams reportedly interested in Nwosu are the Indianapolis Colts, Green Bay Packers and New York Jets. A return to the Chargers is also not off the table.
Of those teams, the Packers are the only team with less cap space than the Bills currently–the other three teams have, not only more, but a significantly higher amount of the space.
A rundown (via Spotrac):
- Chargers cap space: $55.5 million (2nd most)
- Jets: $44.7M (5th)
- Colts: $37M (7th)
Never say never, though. Plenty of time for the Bills to find cap space. Buffalo is certainly an appealing team for many free agents as well considering how close they appear to be from a Super Bowl berth.
For now, keep Nwosu in mind over the coming weeks.
Leave a Reply