By Nick Wojton / Billswire.usatoday.com
Super Bowl LIV could be the crowning achievement for the careers of many players on the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers.
But it also could be the final game some players suit up for their respective teams. In the modern day NFL with free agency spending going up and up, players move often.
Could any of them make their way to the Bills during free agency?
Here are seven pending free agents suiting up in Super Bowl LIV that the Bills could have interest in:
Kansas City Chiefs
CB Bashaud Breeland
Bashaud Breeland has had an interesting NFL career. He had a strong first four seasons with the Redskins and inked a three-year contract with the Panthers in free agency. However, he cut his foot during a trip to the Dominican Republic, causing his contract with Carolina to be voided.
With that in mind, the Bills run a similar defense to Carolina’s from that year with Sean McDermott having come from there. So could Breeland be a fit in Buffalo? He did have two interceptions and eight passes defended last year, but his Pro Football Focus marks… aren’t grade. The football analytics outlet graded him the 99th best cornerback in the NFL this past season.
In addition, he’s a vet, and the Bills have had a thing for signing vets (EJ Gaines, Kevin Johnson, Vontae Davis) to suit up in their No.2 corner role.
DB Kendall Fuller
Compared to Breeland at 29, Fuller at 24 is the younger option. And like Breeland, he hasn’t been as good with the Chiefs as he once was with the Redskins. In Washington in 2017, PFF’s coverage grade for Fuller (91.2) tied for the second-highest in the NFL, so there’s talent there.
Struggling with injuries a bit, Fuller played in 11 games this season with two passes defended this season. No interceptions, but 2017 and 2018 he had six combined. PFF currently grades Fuller a modest 63.2 overall grade this season, but he does have one thing the Bills will like. He’s versatile, having played safety, nickel and cornerback.
One other cornerback name worth mentioning is Morris Claiborne. He hasn’t been active since Week 13 so he probably won’t play on Sunday, but he’s very tight with Bills’ No.1 corner Tre’Davious White.
OL Stefen Wisniewski
Speaking of versatility on the Chiefs, there’s offensive lineman Stefen Wisniewski. If Quinton Spain doesn’t return to the Bills as he’s a pending free agent, could Buffalo take another player from the Chiefs’ offensive line and put him is their own?
Overall, PFF ranked Wisniewski a 70.3 overall this season, good for the 17th best guard in the NFL. With that guard word in mind, Wisniewski can line up at center, too. Say no more for the Bills and their offensive line. They love versatility there more than anywhere else.
Wisniewski has played in the Super Bowl before with the Eagles and has an interesting story. He has almost always started a season as a backup or on the sidelines. He wasn’t even signed by the Chiefs until Week 6. But eventually he finds a way to become a starter.
WR Demarcus Robinson
The Chiefs have become the Patriots or Colts of years past. They have a great quarterback and he’s made a lot of his playmakers look good. Patrick Mahomes does that now. Among them? Demarcus Robinson.
While not an overly large wideout at 6-foot-1, the Bills could use top-to-bottom depth and talent in their receiver room and he can get open. Robinson averaged the second-highest separation per target in the NFL least season.
In 2019, Robinson was down in the pecking order, but when called upon for a bigger role, he delivered a few times. His trademark game was a six catch, 172 yard, and two touchdown outing. Overall, he went on to have 32 catches 449 yards and four touchdowns this past season.
San Francisco 49ers
WR Emmanuel Sanders
After years with the Broncos, Emmanuel Sanders made the jump via trade to the 49ers. He actually ended up playing 17 games this season because of that, but in 10 games with the 49ers, the veteran had 36 catches for 502 yards and three touchdowns.
In the past, the Bills haven’t been shy from signing veteran players at the position, so at 32, Sanders could be on Buffalo’s radar. However, he’s 5-foot-11 and Buffalo could use size to complement John Brown. But Sanders would certainly be a veteran addition the Bills would like adding.
In addition, size certainly hasn’t mattered to the Bills when adding wideouts.
DE Arik Armstead
Arik Armstead had a career-season in 2019. He had his first double-digit sack season (10) with a career-high 54 tackles and two passes defended. But the question is, could the 6-foot-7 defensive end replicate that with the a new team?
The reason Armstead likely had a huge year was all the talent around him, namely Nick Bosa from across the defensive line. If Armstead signed with the Bills, he’s not going to get Bosa-like production across the defensive line from him in Jerry Hughes. With those questions in mind, he could be a contingency plan for the Bills if the team decides not to pursue tier-one pass-rushers like Yannick Ngakoue, Jadeveon Clowney, Shaquil Barrett, Matthew Judon and Dante Fowler Jr.
Having said that, Armstead is also a stout run defender and his overall prowess earned him a 90.0 overall defensive grade in the NFL last season. That was the third-best edge grade PFF handed out.
OL Ben Garland
Like Wisniewski, Ben Garland has some versatility to his game in the trenches and the Bills will like that.
The 49ers signed Garland as a depth piece on a one-year prove-it deal and he wound up starting at guard and then shifting over to center once Weston Richburg was lost for the season. Garland’s drive to take a starting spot is probably an appealing thing to the Bills as well.