Buffalo Bills Depth Chart
- AFC East
- Stadium
- Highmark Stadium
- Head Coach
- Sean McDermott
- Offensive Coordinator
- Joe Brady
- Defensive Coordinator
- Bobby Babich
- Special Teams Coach
- Matthew Smiley
- Defensive Scheme
- 4-3
To make room on the roster for the signing of safety Dee Delaney on an undisclosed one-year contract, the Buffalo Bills released wide receiver Quintez Cephus on Thursday. The Bills added Cephus in free agency in April, but he's now back on the open market after missing all of last year due to a suspension for violating the league's policy on gambling. The 26-year-old was originally a fifth-round selection by the Detroit Lions in the 2020 NFL draft out of Wisconsin. All three of his NFL seasons have come with the Lions, and Cephus has recorded just 37 catches on 60 targets for 568 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 22 total games (six starts). If Cephus ends up being picked up by another team, he'll merely be attempting to make the active roster out of training camp this summer.
Free-agent safety Micah Hyde said he will either re-sign with the Buffalo Bills or choose retirement. Hyde has played in just 16 total games the last two years in Buffalo due to injuries, although he managed to play in 14 regular-season games in 2023 and recorded 54 tackles (37 solo), two interceptions and seven passes defended. The 33-year-old has been with the Bills since 2017 after spending the first four years of his career with the Green Bay Packers. The Packers took him in the fifth round in 2013 out of Iowa. Hyde's lone Pro Bowl season came in his first year in Buffalo, when he recorded a career-high 82 tackles (65 solo), a career-high-tying five interceptions, and a career-high 13 passes defended in 16 starts. If he returns to Buffalo and plays one more season, he'll bring a veteran presence to the Bills' secondary.
The Buffalo Bills signed veteran wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling to a one-year deal worth up to $4.5 million on Tuesday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. MVS is no stranger to playing with elite quarterbacks between his time with Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay and Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City, and he'll now be in line to catch passes from Josh Allen in Buffalo. The 2018 fifth-round pick out of South Florida has not posted monster fantasy football numbers, but he has spike-week upside thanks to his field-stretching speed. That said, he's likely going to be more useful in "real life" compared to fantasy football based on his production profile thus far. In six NFL seasons, the 29-year-old has not eclipsed 690 yards or six touchdowns in a single season. Last year, he caught just 21 passes for 315 yards and one touchdown in 16 games. He's an interesting late-round flyer in best ball formats, but he might be a wasted roster spot in traditional leagues. MVS will compete with Khalil Shakir and Curtis Samuel for snaps in 2024, as second-round rookie Keon Coleman should be a locked-in starter.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, free-agent wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling made a stop in Buffalo on Monday night. The wideout had a recent visit with the Chargers, although it appears nothing came of it. MVS hasn't been productive in years, and he finished the 2023-24 campaign by recording career lows in catches (21), receiving yards (315), and touchdowns (one). However, the Bills moved on from Stefon Diggs this offseason, so Valdes-Scantling could work his way up the depth chart. Yet, he'll need to prove his value to fantasy managers no matter where he signs, which won't come until he has at least a few decent performances.
Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox likely knows a reduced role is on the way again for him in 2024, although he is a favorite of quarterback Josh Allen's in the locker room, so it remains to be seen how much he'll be on the sidelines in favor of second-year tight end Dalton Kincaid. Allen may need to rely on Kincaid more to pick up a big amount of slack to keep the offense moving with an unproven receiver unit this year. Buffalo moved away from heavy usage of 12 personnel early in 2023 and mostly settled into 11 personnel. If that's the plan again in 2024, it will be interesting to see how they divvy up the snaps between Kincaid and Knox. Either way, unless Kincaid misses time with an injury, it's going to be hard to justify starting Knox outside of two-TE leagues.