National Football League

Have Bills done enough this offseason to retain control of AFC East?

Updated Mar. 20, 2023 4:38 p.m. ET

The Buffalo Bills are in a dangerous position. In 2022, the AFC East was already one of the NFL's strongest divisions, and the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins have only continued to improve during the offseason. Even the New England Patriots, with new offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien hired to fix the passing game, should have more bite than last season.

But the Bills? Well, they're struggling to hold par.

They haven't added much in the way of talent in free agency. Instead, they're playing small-ball, with under-the-radar signings like Connor McGovern, who will replace Rodger Saffold at guard. Aside from that, they haven't added any starters. They retained safety Jordan Poyer and cornerback Dane Jackson but watched linebacker Tremaine Edmunds depart as a free agent.

"We want to be competitive every single year," general manager Brandon Beane said Friday during a press conference. "Some years you're just not going to be able to go add a big-ticket item. I know that's sexy to go do that. And listen, we want as many talented players as we can get, but we've got to be fiscally responsible. If not, it will pile up.

"That's where we're at. We're trying to be smart, trying to find players that fit. We'll continue looking."

Buffalo has about $7 million in salary cap space, most of which will go toward signing their rookie class from the 2023 NFL Draft. The Bills can absolutely restructure more of their current contracts to create additional space, but Beane repeatedly mentioned that the bill will come due in future years. This year, Buffalo is focused on getting its finances in order.

On one hand, it's a good offseason to avoid spending. The free agency class lacked luster and there weren't many big-ticket signings worth the price. That said, the Dolphins traded for cornerback Jalen Ramsey to bolster their secondary. The Jets are working with the Green Bay Packers on a deal that would bring quarterback Aaron Rodgers to New York. The AFC East is rapidly getting more competitive, with the teams getting creative in the rough market.

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While the Dolphins and Jets continue to build their rosters with major acquisitions to close the gap with the Bills, Beane indicated he'll take a different approach.

"Sometimes your answer is on your roster," he said.

When it comes to replacing Edmunds, for example, Beane said Buffalo will experiment with second-year linebackers Terrel Bernard and Baylon Spector, while seeing how Tyrel Dodson and Tyler Matakevich can fit back into the mix after re-signing.

Beane made it abundantly clear he will continue bargain-shopping for the rest of the offseason. He will keep an eye on other team's salary cap casualties in the coming months. And he'll do that all the way into training camp.

"I may be here after the last day of the draft and you may say, ‘Brandon, I still don't think you've answered position X.' Whatever that is. And I might not disagree with you, but we'll continue looking at it," Beane said Friday. "I can't sit here and say we're ready to play ball, let's get to training camp. We'll continue to add pieces from now through the draft."

Quarterback Josh Allen is a bit of a cure-all for Buffalo. He's the best quarterback in the division without question. (If Rodgers joins the AFC East, then there would be room for some debate.) The Bills are probably betting they can get more out of Allen, as he continues to mature, and offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, as he enters his second year in the role.

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It will be interesting to see how Buffalo's defensive leadership comes together, with veteran DC Leslie Frazier stepping away from coaching for at least a year. It seems head coach Sean McDermott will have a much bigger role on defense in 2023. He'll be missing one of his most consistent pieces in Edmunds.

It's such a tricky balance for teams with a QB like Allen. One on hand, he can help Buffalo fend off pesky high-spending teams like Miami and New York. He's so good that he can keep the Bills in the hunt, no matter what kind of talent issues they have. On the other hand, the Bills can't whiff on Allen's peak — they don't want to fail to maximize their Super Bowl window.

That's the tightrope Beane is walking this offseason. And it grows more terrifying with every big name that goes to another AFC East team.

Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @McKennAnalysis.

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