ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. —
If there’s any discernible trend from the Buffalo Bills’ moves in NFL free agency so far, it’s that they’re trying to put more punch into their running game.
This isn’t to suggest the Bills are looking to have a more run-oriented offense or anything close to it. They’re still going to be a team that will only go as far as Josh Allen’s passing arm takes it.
But it’s clear the Bills believe they need to make a concentrated effort to achieve more offensive balance.
That was why their first significant move beyond the biggest they made – re-signing safety Jordan Poyer – was acquiring former Dallas Cowboys guard Connor McGovern. That also was why their second notable move was signing ex-New England Patriots running back Damien Harris. And that also was why on Thursday they picked up yet another guard, David Edwards, formerly of the Los Angeles Rams.
Ideally for the Bills, all three would provide upgrades while forming the sort of triumvirate that, along with solid play at center, would create a foundation for power that would help make the passing game more effective and allow them to put away contests they’re leading in the final minutes.
The inability to have consistent success on the ground was one of the reasons the Bills, despite their 13-3 regular-season record in 2022-23, showed vulnerability down the stretch and were ultimately bounced in the divisional-round of the playoffs.
Devin Singletary didn’t give them a difference-making back, and that made it easy for the Bills to cast him adrift. James Cook shows promise as a breakaway threat, but the Bills needed a more physical complement.
Enter Harris, who when healthy, can be the most powerful and relentless runner on the team.
Of course, it takes enough push up front to allow backs to make their presence felt.
However, the running game isn’t the only reason McGovern and Edwards were added, and guard Ike Boettger, whom Allen described as the “ultimate, ultimate team guy,” was re-signed. The Bills also want to enhance their interior pass protection, which took plenty away from Allen’s production in the playoff loss against Cincinnati. And the better the Bills are at stonewalling inside pass rushers, the better they’ll also be at containing them on the outside.
Do the Bills need more?
Yes.
There still is a gaping void at middle linebacker created by the free-agent departure of Tremaine Edmunds. There still is the overwhelming need for the pass rush to improve, regardless of how soon Von Miller returns from his knee injury. There still are questions in the secondary. And, perhaps, a receiver could be added to give the Bills a legitimate No. 2 behind Stefon Diggs if Gabe Davis doesn’t rebound from last year’s disappointment.
For now, though, General Manager Brandon Beane is taking a methodical approach to trying to make the offense better. It isn’t flashy. It might not be all that exciting.
But it could be exactly what the Bills need.