Are there any realistic WR options for the Buffalo Bills in free agency?

A brief look at a few names the Bills could have interest in signing during free agency

For whatever reason(s), it appears as though breaking through as a proficient complementary receiver to Stefon Diggs has proven difficult with the Buffalo Bills. That cannot continue if the team hopes to make some real noise during the 2024 NFL season and beyond.

It’s been too long and too often where we’ve observed free-agent receiver after free-agent receiver come in and fail to produce meaningful numbers — at least on a consistent basis. Yes, there were players like Cole Beasley and John Brown, but that was prior to Stefon Diggs’ arrival. There was also Emmanuel Sanders, who has a home in the soft spot of Bills Mafia’s heart as being the last true outside addition to make noise catching passes from quarterback Josh Allen.

During the 2023 NFL season, Allen was handed an overhauled receiving corps, mostly at depth wide receiver and of course rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid who operated well outside the role of TE fairly often. While Kincaid’s continued development should bring more of that to his game, the tight end position isn’t our focus here.

What is? The production from free-agent additions to the wide receiver room: those of Deonte Harty and Trent Sherfield. We were told that Sherfield brought a physical aspect to the receiver room, and possessed enough of a speed threat that he would contribute to the downfield passing game. Reality played out differently. On the season, Sherfield managed

Now, Harty is gone and Sherfield is a free agent who’s unlikely to return. There’s no reason to run it back with those who didn’t work out as planned.

It was announced early in the afternoon on Wednesday, March 13 that the Bills and veteran free-agent wide receiver Mack Hollins had agreed to contract terms. Admittedly, he wasn’t a player on my radar. But most people tend to zero in on those players with larger roles that, all too often, mean much larger salaries.

Hollins will bring a much-needed element of size (he’s 6’4, 221 pounds), with a real interest in blocking from the receiver position. He’s also a proficient special teams player. But the real question is if Hollins represents the idea of that traditional WR2 role for the Bills. That, of course, remains to be seen.

But if history is any indication, he showed the ability in the one season he was given a true opportunity. In his lone season catching passes for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022, Hollins appeared in 17 games (starting 16), catching 57 passes (94 targets) for 690 yards with four touchdowns; adding four rushes for 40 yards. That’s almost identical production to wide receiver Gabe Davis.

But the production Gabe Davis brought to the team in four seasons should be their desired floor at WR2. As such, who’s available as an unrestricted free agent right now — and makes sense as a realistic option for the Bills to pursue?

Here are six unrestricted free-agent wide receivers I believe are viable considerations for the Buffalo Bills:

Marquise “Hollywood” Brown (Arizona Cardinals)

2023 regular-season stats (14 games played): 51 receptions for 574 yards (11.3 y/r), 4 TDs | 2 rushes for 23 yards

Josh Reynolds (Detroit Lions)

2023 regular-season stats (17 games played): 40 receptions for 608 yards (15.2 y/r), 5 TDs

D.J. Chark Jr. (Jacksonville Jaguars)

2023 regular-season stats (15 games played): 35 receptions for 525 yards (15 y/r), 5 TDs

Van Jefferson (Los Angeles Rams)

2023 regular-season stats (17 games played): 20 receptions for 209 yards (10.5 y/r) | 1 rush for 4 yards

Donovan Peoples-Jones (Cleveland Browns/Detroit Lions)

2023 regular-season stats (15 games played): 13 receptions for 155 yards (11.9 y/r) | 13 punt returns for 84 yards

Mecole Hardman (New York Jets/Kansas City Chiefs)

2023 regular-season stats (11 games played): 15 receptions for 124 yards (8.3 y/r) | 1 rush for 3 yards | 7 punt returns for 61 yards | 1 kick return for 14 yards

Who do you believe I’m forgetting or overlooking, and what do you make of these six players listed above? What else do you believe the Buffalo Bills need to do in free agency regarding the wide receiver position?