These players made little to no impact on the field this season.
By Rich Kowalski / billswire.usatoday.com
When Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane took over the reins of the Buffalo Bills, they immediately began gutting the roster that was inherited, replenishing it with new faces. They really only left essential pieces in place and tried to replace them the best they could.
In doing so, Buffalo acquired many parts that were just seen as holdovers- players who are sufficient enough to play but aren’t apart of the future foundation of the team. Some held their own when called upon, but many wound up making little to no impact on the field.
With the Bills possessing so many chips in the upcoming NFL draft, those holdovers can easily be replaced by younger, fresher counterparts. Buffalo did so in last years draft with the selection Tre’Davious White who took over the role of starting cornerback for the departing Stephone Gilmore and made a strong case for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.
No one truly knows what the free agency period may bring this spring but let’s take a look a four free agents the Bills should let walk.
RB Mike Tolbert
Starting off the list is maybe one of the most apparent free agents Buffalo should let walk, running back Mike Tolbert.
When joining the Bills, head coach Sean McDermott brought over multiple pieces from the Carolina Panthers in what has become a running joke and active banter between the two team’s Twitter accounts.
Tolbert was one of those pieces but Buffalo would be better off finding the receipt to return the running back and part-time fullback to the Panthers.
Although Tolbert received accolades for the Pro Bowl, his 2017 statistics don’t give much explanation for that honor other than serving as a reminder that the annual all-star game is often a popularity contest.
The 32-year old may have finished with 325 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown but his role in the passing game gave Bills fans a major headache. His two fumbles also didn’t help.
Buffalo would be wise to kindly let Tolbert walk after the season as Patrick DiMarco now has the fullback position handled. Given the ridiculous talent and depth at the running back position in the upcoming draft, there really isn’t any reason to keep an aging, one-dimensional running back on the roster when the Bills could add LeSean McCoy’s eventual successor at a much lower price tag.
LB Ramon Humber
After starting the year on fire and near the top of the NFL in tackles, a thumb injury derailed Ramon Humber’s season quite a bit.
The nine-year veteran returned from his injury to lackluster performance with rookie Matt Milano on his heels. Milano cleanly filled in for Humber and eventually took over the starting outside linebacker position opposite of Lorenzo Alexander, with Humber never fully regaining the starting role.
What stands to be the justification for the Bills letting Humber walk is his struggles in pass coverage. Far too often, Humber was out of position and tried to make up for his lack of speed by taking bad angles or overpursuing a skill player, rendering him useless on the play. Buffalo would be wise to roll with Milano, a young, talented and athletic linebacker with promise and let Humber move on.
CB Shareece Wright
When the Bills signed Shareece Wright, he arrived in his Uber as a possible Buffalo starter. He joined the completely new secondary with a chance to start but was quickly ousted by newcomer E.J. Gaines early on.
When Wright did enter the game, he seemed lost almost the entire time. Although he nabbed an interception and a forced fumble in 2017, he failed to provide the Bills with the ability of capable backup. He missed 14 tackles and allowed 26 receptions on 41 targets for 308 receiving yards.
Although Buffalo doesn’t have very strong depth at cornerback, the team will look to build off of the core pieces they do have and that would likely mean the team moves on from the 30-year old veteran.
WR Jordan Matthews
When Jordan Matthews arrived from Philadelphia on one of the most-hectic days in Bills transaction history, fans expected to see something replacing Sammy Watkins.
They expected a big, reliable slot receiver that could move the chains on third downs and contribute in the red zone. After two stellar eight-touchdown seasons to start his career, Matthews fell out of favor with the Eagles and the team signed Alshon Jeffery to be their No. 1 target.
Although Matthews had a few strong games for Buffalo, his poor games outnumbered them. In 10 games, the Vanderbilt product nabbed 25 receptions and just one touchdown. He only had more than three receptions in a game once this past season and it came in the Bills’ Thursday Night blowout against the Jets.
With a year remaining on Kelvin Benjamin’s contract and Zay Jones eager to prove himself, Matthews doesn’t quite fit into the Buffalo’s 2018 equation. The Bills should let the receiver walk unless he’s willing to stay in Western New York for cheap.