Buffalo Bills still lacking at tight end following the NFL Draft

Despite addressing many of the teams needs during the NFL Draft, the one position that the Buffalo Bills did not address was the tight end position. Now seen as the biggest weakness on the entire Buffalo roster, the Bills could still address this area of concern before the season begins as long as they play their cards right during the process.

Possessing the extremely underperforming tight end in Charles Clay, many believed that the Bills would add a player capable of replacing him in this past NFL Draft. Considering how many talented tight ends existed in the draft class, it was actually shocking that the team did not make a move to try and add one of these players to their roster.

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However, the draft is done and over with. While the tight end position in Buffalo only consists of Charles Clay, there is some potential for the team to bring in a talented and undervalued tight end through free agency. The player I am talking about here is former Browns tight end Gary Barnidge. Having already met with Barnidge, the Bills just need to find a way to sign the player.

Looking at the stats from last season, both Barnidge and Clay are extremely similar to one another. Last season, while Clay recorded 57 catches for 552 yards and four touchdowns, Barnidge had 55 receptions for 612 yards and two touchdowns. Also, don’t forget that while both players had similar stats, Barnidge is likely to come on a cheaper contract and could serve as a solid replacement should the Bills move on from Clay.

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However, if the Bills miss out on signing Gary Barnidge, the team will be forced into relying solely on Charles Clay in 2017. While this shouldn’t be a big deal as Clay is likely to remain the same player that he was last year in terms of skill and production, Buffalo won’t possess anyone that can replace Clay should he go down injured.

Such a situation would put quarterback Tyrod Taylor is massive hole given that this season is really his contract year. While such a situation would be worse case scenario for the Bills, the team needs to be careful in how they operate through the tight end position.

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