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- Mar 16, 2019
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The Bills are sitting on more cap space than they could realistically spend on outside free agents, so part of their job this offseason will be figuring when and how to extend some current players.
At the top of that list is cornerback Tre'Davious White, who is eligible for an extension now that he’s played three seasons. The Bills could squat on him for a fifth year by picking up his option, but locking him up long-term is something General Manager Brandon Beane is clearly considering.
“Obviously, Tre’s a guy we love and want back,” Beane said during an interview on WGR, via the Buffalo News. “You do look and try and find what the value is. And it’s hard. It can sometimes be hard for agents, too, because they’re trying to look at what the market is today versus what’s it going to be in two years. Do they want to play it out? Do they want security now? Some guys are truly fine with playing it out and seeing where it goes in two years. Some guys want the security.
“So that’s what it gets to. It’s up to us to figure out where we see his market value. Is he the No. 1 corner in the league? Is he the No. 2 corner in the league? Or whatever position you’re talking about. I think you have to take each player individually, case by case. . . . Tre’s a guy we love and definitely we want to be here in Buffalo for a long time.”
With more than $80 million in cap room, the Bills could look toward spending now to extend White, along with linebacker Matt Milano and left tackle Dion Dawkins as they enter the final years of their deals.
They also have some more pressing issues with free agent defensive end Shaq Lawson and defensive tackle Jordan Phillips, and Beane knows that adding some help to their pass-rush will be a key for them this offseason regardless.
“That’s where the money is, honestly, other than quarterback,” he said. “Those are premium positions. Those guys get paid pretty big money and usually second to quarterbacks when you look across the landscape of the top players in the league. That is an area we could look at.
“You mentioned a couple of guys on our own team, Shaq and Jordan Phillips, that are guys that will get paid, whether we’re able to work a deal out with them or somewhere else. If we don’t re-sign those two, obviously we’ve got to look elsewhere to fill those holes, so that’s an area — I know everybody keeps talking about receiver — but that’s definitely an area we’re looking to make sure we’re prepared for next season.”
The Bills are fortunate to have a number of young players they’d want to extend, but also that they don’t have to participate in this offseason’s quarterback market, where the money figures to fly quickly, and in volume.