Bills should follow blueprint of Chiefs, Packers in roster reset

Oct 30, 2022; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills cornerback Dane Jackson (30)makes a tackle on Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs (87) in the second quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

The Buffalo Bills offense has undergone some massive changes this offseason. With a challenging salary cap situation, General Manager Brandon Beane was forced to move on from several key contributors, including allowing receiver Gabe Davis to leave via free agency and shockingly trading wideout Stefon Diggs.

The receiving duo combined for 152 receptions on 241 targets; 1,929 receiving yards; and 15 touchdown receptions.

The Diggs trade adds a layer of stress onto the Bills ledger, as his dead cap hit is $31 million, according to Spotrac.

While these moves will have a major impact on the Bills on and off the field, it is not unprecedented to see a team move on from such productive productive players. You don’t have to look too far into the past to see teams that have had offseasons similar to Buffalo’s this year. These instances can give a glimpse into how Buffalo’s brass will proceed for the remainder of the offseason.

We can look at the recent offseasons of the Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers as a blueprint for Buffalo’s future decisions.

Both teams traded their superstar wide receivers during the 2022 offseason. Kansas City dealt Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins for a package of five draft picks. Hill signed a four-year, $120 million deal when he arrived in South Beach. Green Bay, for their part, sent Devante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders for two draft picks.

The target share that the teams had to account for due to these trades was massive.

Adams averaged 101 receptions; 146 targets; 11 receiving touchdowns; and 1,239 during his final four seasons in Green Bay. Hill averaged 86 receptions,  130 targets, 11 receiving touchdowns, and 938 yards during the same period of time for the Cheifs.

Despite these gaudy numbers, both franchises felt the need to move on from their respective WR1s.

The interesting part? Neither team made a splashy move to fill the void left behind by their superstars.

In 2022, Kansas City brought in free agents Juju Shuster-Smith and Marquez Valdez-Scantling to provide depth. Green Bay brought in Sammy Watkins during this time as well.

The Chiefs also traded for Kadarius Toney during the 2022 season.

Both teams made their mark in filling the roster gap through the draft. Green Bay drafted Christian Watson in the second round of the 2022 draft. Two rounds later, they added Romeo Doubs. Both have grown into consistent contributors to the Green Bay offense.

A year later, the Packers added three pass-catching options for their offense. Green Bay selected tight end Luke Musgrave and wide receiver Jayden Reed in the second round. In the following round, the Packers added tight end Tucker Kraft. Reed led the Packers in receiver in his rookie season.

The Chiefs have drafted a wide receiver in the second round in each of the previous two NFL Drafts. In 2022, Kansas City selected Skyy Moore with the 54th overall pick. A year later, they added Rashee Rice with the 55th overall selection. Rice had a standout season on the field, but his recent trouble with the law might take him away from being an option for Patrick Mahomes next year.

What could it mean for Buffalo?

If Buffalo wants to rebuild this offensive attack, they should be looking for multiple receiving options early in this year’s draft.

We could consider that Buffalo’s offensive roster reset started last year, as the team picked tight end Dalton Kincaid in the first round of the 2023 Draft.

This year’s collegiate wide receiver crop is looking strong. Dane Brugler of The Athletic and CBS Sports have 19 receivers ranked in their top 100 draft prospects.

The biggest challenge for Buffalo? They do not have a third-round pick, as this selection was sent to Green Bay in the Rasul Douglas trade last season.

Buffalo will most likely pick a wideout with one of their first two scheduled draft picks. However, there is a good chance that the team will need to wrangle their way up the draft board to find another receiver who can contribute early in the season.

There are a few wide receivers with fourth-round grades. However, the drop-off seems to become quite steep as the team looks to take a chance on a developmental player.

The Chiefs and Packers both found a way to keep their offenses moving forward after the loss of their respective superstar wideouts. The Chiefs added two Super Bowl rings after the Hill trade, while the Packers have rebuilt their offense with Jordan Love at the helm.

Buffalo has the chance to reset their receiving corps and give Josh Allen new, dynamic targets. We’ll go off on a short limb and say this is the first time that GM Brandon Beane has selected a wide receiver on day one. In addition, it needs to be the first time that Beane has picked multiple receivers in a meaningful way, instead of just taking late-round flyers on wideouts and hoping for the best.

Otherwise, Buffalo will watch other offenses blow past them next year.

This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: Bills should follow blueprint of Chiefs, Packers in roster reset