3 Under The Radar Free Agent Targets For Bills To Consider

The Buffalo Bills are entering the offseason in salary cap hell, as they are currently $51 million over the cap (via Spotrac). That means the Bills will have to do some nifty maneuvering even just to re-sign some of their own free agents.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, it seems pretty evident that Buffalo will not be spending big on any of the top guys on the market this March.

As a result, the Bills may need to go bargain-bin hunting to add some pieces to a roster that just cannot seem to get over the hump.

Here are three under-the-radar free-agent targets for Buffalo to consider this spring.

Josh Uche, EDGE

The question is, just what type of contract will Josh Uche get this offseason?

There is no denying that Uche has talent, but he has been mostly disappointing in his first four NFL seasons with the New England Patriots. He did rack up 11.5 sacks in 2022, but he has amassed a grand total of just seven sacks in his other three seasons combined.

This year, the former second-round pick logged just 15 tackles and three sacks in 15 games, so it’s entirely possible the Bills may be able to get him cheap on a one-year deal.

Buffalo may be losing both Leonard Floyd and A.J. Epenesa to free agency, so it is going to need to seek out cheaper alternatives to ensure that it has some sort of pass rush in 2024.

Uche could be one of the places the Bills could look.

Darnell Mooney, WR

Chances are, the Bills will be losing Gabe Davis this spring, so they are going to need to replace his big-play ability in the aerial attack.

Darnell Mooney could represent a cheap option with a high ceiling for the club.

Mooney has spent his first four seasons with the Chicago Bears, and similar to Uche, he has only had one truly impressive campaign. That came in 2021, when he hauled in 81 receptions for 1,055 yards and four touchdwons.

The 26-year-old has blazing speed and could slot in nicely behind Stefon Diggs and Khalil Shakur. Plus, considering Diggs’ mysterious second-half decline this season, Buffalo may need more receiving help than it is willing to admit.

If Mooney can regain some of his 2021 form, he would make more than an adequate replacement for Davis.

Mooney logged 31 catches for 414 yards and a touchdown this year. Perhaps a more stable quarterback situation—like the one that features Josh Allen in Buffalo—would benefit him greatly.

Jeff Okudah, CB

Jeff Okudah was originally selected by the Detroit Lions with the third overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft. He did not live up to expectations, as injuries derailed his first couple of seasons, and his third year was relatively unimpressive.

Okudah was then traded to the Atlanta Falcons last spring, and while he is still far from being the player most expected when he was drafted, he actually played fairly well for the Falcons this season, registering 44 tackles and three passes defended in 13 games.

The Ohio State product is still just 24 years old, so there is plenty of room for him to grow. Also, he should come pretty cheap considering his injury history and the fact that he really hasn’t been very good for most of his career.

Buffalo could certainly use some help in its secondary, and Okudah could, at the very least, represent a solid depth signing and insurance policy to guard against injuries.