Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane has had the same approach to the offseason for years.
Since taking his job in Buffalo, Beane has expressed a desire to fill every hole in his roster prior to the draft. The idea is that the Bills can then approach the draft with a “best player available” mindset.
So far in 2022, the Bills have done a pretty good job of this. But it’s hard to fully ignore Buffalo’s cornerback position.
During free agency, former starting cornerback Levi Wallace inked a two-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He had been the No. 2 corner across from Tre’Davious White for years and White himself is returning from an ACL injury.
In response to Wallace walking, Buffalo has done… nothing.
But that’s not how their looking at it.
From the NFL owners meetings, Beane said the focus for him right now is not cornerback specific. He wants to add… but all over.
“We got a lot of positions I still want to get more depth. I’m not just waking up every day and going, ‘Where’s the corner?’” Beane said.
Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott hit on a bit more of the cornerback details. While not committing to anyone as a starter, he did praise several of the players still behind White on the roster–namely Dane Jackson and Cam Lewis.
“Dane, we have a lot of confidence in Dane and the work that he has put in and shown and the results on the field,” McDermott said. “You still have Cam Lewis who we have a lot of confidence in as well.”
Despite the praise, the Bills will be adding cornerbacks to their roster, of some caliber, at some point.
Last season, Buffalo rolled light at the position. Subtracting Wallace now means the Bills likely have to bring in someone for the sake of numbers.
The skill of said players will be the telling part.
Keep an eye on the 2022 NFL draft.