Bills’ recent free agency signing doesn’t make it past honeymoon phase

The Buffalo Bills are signing safety Dee Delaney, an NFL journeyman who has already spent time with five franchises since going undrafted in 2018.

Delaney, who most recently played three seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, played 40% of defensive snaps in 2023 and was a special teams ace in 2021 and 2022. He will provide some much-needed depth to a Bills secondary that recently lost Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde (remains unsigned) in free agency.

But the Bills' addition of Delaney led to a recent free agency signing being released before the honeymoon phase was over: After signing WR Quintez Cephus on April 29th, he's now off the team, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

This is a cruel business indeed as one would've imagined Cephus being a post-draft signing essentially guaranteed him a chance to compete for a spot on the Bills' 53-man roster but these teams are constantly changing their plans as new opportunities come up. 

Parting ways with Cephus isn't a move that will move the needle a lot, however, as he made two catches in 2022 and missed out on playing the 2023 season. Additionally, the Bills recently landed Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who also provides some solid depth to Buffalo's WR core.

As of right now, the Bills' depth chart at the position is very deep although the question remains if the top-end guys will form a solid starting lineup for Josh Allen. 

The projected starters as of right now are Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel, and Khalil Shakir but heavy rotation should be expected with the likes of MVS, Chase Claypool, and/or Mack Hollins. 

Multiple tight end sets should also be expected by the Bills Mafia to leverage Dawson Knox and Dalton Kincaid.

As for Delaney, he joins a room featuring Mike Edwards, Taylor Rapp, second-round draft pick Cole Bishop, Damar Hamlin, among others.