Best Free Agents to Target with Tre White Money

The Buffalo Bills received $10.2 million in new salary cap space on Saturday when the release of cornerback Tre’Davious White became official. The question now turns to which players the team’s front office can target with this cash infusion.

White, whose release was announced in March but was not finalized until June 1 for financial reasons, had spent his entire career in Buffalo since being selected in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He has since joined the Los Angeles Rams after signing a one-year deal worth $4.25 million, with a maximum value of $10 million.

The Bills will likely turn to one of two positions with the newly available money: defensive end or cornerback. Although wide receiver has been a key franchise target throughout the offseason, he won’t be able to find a high-end option at the necessary price, and the roster is already stacked with depth options.

Most high-profile free agents have joined new teams in the past three months, but there are still a handful of intriguing names on the open market with less than two months until training camp. Let’s take a look at which ones would be the best fit for Buffalo, which now has $11.2 million in total cap space, according to Over The Cap.

Bills Cap Space: Top players who could join Buffalo’s defense

EDGE Yannick Ngakoué

Last year, the Bills’ budget cap situation was in a similar state: They entered June with some money to spend and a few holes remaining. They struck gold with defensive end Leonard Floyd, who racked up 10.5 sacks after signing on June 5.

Ngakoue, 29, could assume the same role in the team’s defensive line rotation. He’s coming off a rough year with the Chicago Bears, in which he recorded just 22 total tackles and four sacks in 13 games, but a large majority of the Bears’ roster has underperformed in 2023 .It was a team-wide problem.

The 2017 Pro Bowl selection was much more productive over the previous two years, totaling 19.5 sacks in 32 appearances for the Las Vegas Raiders and Indianapolis Colts. He beat the opposing quarterback 69 times in 123 career regular season games.

Ngakoue has also proven that he can make an impact in various projects. He has played on five different teams since the start of the 2020 campaign, spending no more than one season with one organization in that span.

EDGEEmmanuel Ogbah

Buffalo’s hunt for an edge rusher is only necessary because Von Miller looked nothing like his usual All-Pro self in 2023 after returning from a torn ACL. He accumulated three total tackles and no sacks in 12 appearances.

Ogbah would help provide some much-needed insurance behind the starting tandem of Greg Rousseau and AJ Epenesa. His five sacks in 15 games for the Miami Dolphins last season don’t seem like much at first glance, but it’s solid production considering he only played 22.3 percent of defensive snaps of the team, according to Pro Football Reference.

In turn, the 30-year-old Oklahoma State product would likely benefit from an increase in Floyd’s 53.9 percent dismissal rate for the Bills in 2023. He would have a chance to reach his total of a career-high nine sacks and putting himself in line for a bigger payday next offseason.

EDGE Jerry Hughes

It’s unclear how much Hughes, 35, has left in the tank after a long and successful NFL career that began with the Colts in 2010. That said, he’s still a fan favorite in Buffalo, where he played from 2013 to 2021, and he will be welcomed with open arms to Western New York.

Hughes, who probably wouldn’t deplete the Bills’ cap space as much as Ngakoue or Ogbah, racked up an unremarkable three sacks in 17 games for the Houston Texans last year. This drop came after a more palatable nine-sack season in 2022.

The 35-year-old Texas native may never return to the form he showed during his first stint in Buffalo when he had 53 sacks in 144 appearances. He could still provide the team with a veteran pass-catching option in its pursuit of the Super Bowl.

Ultimately, adding Ngakoue, Ogbah or Hughes to compete with Dawuane Smoot and Casey Toohill for the backup spots at defensive end would give the Bills the flexibility to cut Miller at the end of training camp if it’s clear his days as an elite player are over.

CB Xavien Howard

Buffalo features one of the most complete starting cornerback trios in the NFL in Rasul Douglas, Christian Benford and slot sensation Taron Johnson. The roster features virtually no depth at the position, putting the defense one injury away from potential disaster.

Howard is coming off back-to-back years for the Dolphins with just two interceptions in his last 28 appearances. That’s a stark contrast to the 15 assists he had between the 2020 and 2021 seasons. His Pro Football Focus grade was also a lackluster 55.1 in 2023.

His arrival in Buffalo could push Benford into the starting safety conversation, along with Taylor Rapp, Mike Edwards and rookie Cole Bishop. The coaching staff would benefit from a variety of different options to develop the secondary, which does not exist at the moment.

Howard needs to choose his team carefully, because this season could be his last chance to prove he deserves another massive free agent contract. Buffalo figures to check most of the necessary boxes with its cap space and championship contender status.

CB Patrick Peterson

Peterson makes a lot of sense for the Bills as his skillset would allow him to compete as the No. 2 CB or starting safety throughout training camp. He clarified that the latter option would, however, require giving him advance notice before signing.

“I don’t want to start with safety because it’s a different animal there,” Peterson told the NFL on Fox podcast in March (via Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports). “It’s a different view there. If this is the case, I should be warned before the start of the season to prepare my body and my mind. It’s different being a safety versus a cornerback and having those tackles in the open field.

Peterson is an eight-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro selection at corner, so he’s earned the right to have a say in his future. However, his willingness to turn down a position move may fade the longer he remains on the free agent market.

The 33-year-old longtime Arizona Cardinals tackle, who also played for the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers, recorded 42 total tackles, 11 passes defensed and two interceptions while playing all 17 Pittsburgh games last season.

Final thoughts on the spatial situation of the bills

The Bills cannot enter the 2024 season with the belief that they will receive significant production from Miller. This would be a significant mistake and would likely leave the front office desperate for a rushed upgrade at the trade deadline.

That’s why defensive end should be the primary focus with the money coming from White’s release. It wouldn’t be a shock to see Buffalo spend the money on a cornerback, wide receiver or offensive lineman, but not being able to rush the passer can sink an entire season.

A one-year, incentive-laden contract for one of the players mentioned above is the best outcome as the Bills attempt to win another AFC East division title.

Main image: Mark Konezny – USA Today Sports