The Buffalo Bills may not be done adding players, but don’t expect another big move. GM Brandon Beane explains the team’s cap situation and why depth is now the focus.
Don't expect the Buffalo Bills to make another big swing anytime soon
As of writing, the Bills sit with roughly $13.2 million in cap space, according to Spotrac. Between needing money to sign upcoming draft picks and the number of positional holes on the roster, there's really not a lot of wiggle room to play with moving forward.
And that's something General Manager Brandon Beane wants to make known.
"We're shopping in the very low end of the pool right now," Beane said during a recent appearance on Eric Wood's "Centered on Buffalo" podcast. "That's probably the best way to put it.
Beane spoke about the fact that while they're looking for depth pieces, they have to be smart about the money they still have to spend. He mentioned that the players they draft in April will cost them cap space, as well as the practice squad and players on injured reserve, after they make roster cuts in the summer.
On the subject of a practice squad, Beane says that due to the number of players you can have on the group, it can cost a team around $4 million alone.
"All of that counts, and people don't realize when you see, 'Oh, this team has got $7 million'. Well, that's not enough for your draft picks and practice squad for the season," Beane said. "So, we have to make sure we count for that and injury replacement costs."
Beane said that to get from $16 million over the salary cap to becoming cap compliant while still adding players took a lot of work. He mentioned the fact that they had to lose some players, like Curtis Samuel, Taron Johnson, and David Edwards, and even restructure several others to get under the $301.2 million salary cap.
Pair that with bringing in players like wide receiver DJ Moore, edge rusher Bradley Chubb, and cornerback Dee Alford, and Beane says that the Bills "feel pretty good" with what they were able to accomplish.
Still, that doesn't mean they are completely out of the market. Beane says that he wants to bring in some depth pieces, but everything has to be right for the team.
"We're still paying attention to some guys," he said. "You can still find some depth pieces. Shoot, we found a David Edwards this time of year.
"We're still shopping, but the contract's got to work for us as well."
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