The Buffalo Bills will be tight against the salary cap this coming offseason and likely need to do some roster trimming to make space, and one insider believes that a player who struggled last season could be the first on the chopping block.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane has already issued a warning about the team’s tight cap situation this offseason, and there are a handful of veteran players who could end up casualties as the team squeezes for a bit more space. Some have already suggested that veterans like Cole Beasley and Star Lotulelei could be candidates, but WGR’s Nate Geary believes one of the most obvious cuts could come on special teams.
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Punter on the Chopping Block
Geary, the pregame and halftime host for the team’s official broadcast on WGR 550, ran through the most likely candidates for an early release. While there are many possibilities, Geary noted that punter Matt Haack could be the most likely to go. He pointed out that the Bills would save $1.2 million if Haack were cut before June 1 and $1.55 million if he were cut after.
“Sorry, this is a done deal,” he tweeted.
What punter Matt Haack said about struggles last week against the #Jets as the Bills head into the wild-card round: t.co/cxrHTraGOb
Haack was one of the least-utilized punters in the NFL last season, as Bills head coach Sean McDermott often took an aggressive approach on fourth-down calls, but he often struggled when called upon. Haack’s 42.9-yard average on punts and 38.3-yard net average put him near the bottom of the league, and he had some well-documented miscues near the end of the season. With the Bills facing the New York Jets in the season finale and needing a win to lock up their second straight AFC East title, Haack shanked a series of punts.
Geary noted that other players could bring bigger savings to the Bills — including the $8.125 million they could save by releasing Daryl Williams after June 1 — but hinted that Haack may be the most likely of any player.
Bills Prepare for Tight Cap Situation
As The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia noted, the Bills are already preparing for the tough decisions that will come this offseason. The team will be getting a bigger cap hit for quarterback Josh Allen after giving him a big extension, and cap hits for some key members of the defense — Tremaine Edmunds, Micah Hyde, and Jordan Poyer will all have cap hits above $10 million — leave the Bills unable to make big moves.
The Bills said they’ll look both to re-sign some of their own and at UFAs.
With them so close to the 2022 salary cap already, the only way to do so is clearing cap space. How?
Here are 9 realistic candidates to get cut and the situation/forecast on each:
“There may be some guys on this team that I want to keep, but I can’t keep them all,” Beane said. “We now have paid Josh (Allen) — which is good. Because I know what his number is on the books for the upcoming years and we can just build around it.”
Beane noted that the projected increase in the cap will give at least a bit more breathing room, but said the team will be unable to make any big moves.
“It’s not going to be perfect for us, but it’s going to be better,” Beane said. “We’ll still have to make some moves, but I wouldn’t see us being like, big spenders or anything like that, but we’ll look to fill some spots from the outside as well as retain some of our guys.”
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Insider Says Bills Cutting Key Player After Rough Year: ‘Done Deal’