Buffalo's Back End Depth

by Paul Wanecski
With the loss of safety Da’Norris Searcy via free agency yesterday, the Buffalo Bills now have a hole in one the most important positions within the division. The safety position in the AFC East crucial to the success of a defense, figuring you are facing TE Rob Gronkowski, TE Charles Clay, and TE Jace Amaro for a combined 6 games a year. It has become the one of the many responsibilities of a safety to have to account and cover the tight end position, an uphill battle considering a tight end will usually big significantly bigger than your average NFL safety. Even with as important as this position has become to the modern day defense, the average age of starting safeties is actually quite old.

Here is your Buffalo Bills Free Agency Survival Guide to what is still available on the market:

Antrel Rolle (32) - As of now, Chicago looks like the front runner for Rolle. His skills are anticipated to diminish and he has never been strong in run support.

Mike Adams (33) - Even at 33 years old, Adams was one of the top safeties on the market. He should be returning to the Colts after the loss Sergio Brown to free agency

Louis Delmas (27) - Most people will forget about him. We are here to tell you that you shouldn’t. He signed a one year contract last season with Miami and was very solid for his 3.5 million salary. He tore his ACL in week 14, which means his return, reasonably, would be September at the earliest. He will not get a lot of action until teams can test his knee out. He is a sleeper.

Nate Allen (27) - Having started for the Eagles since 2010, rumors are circulating that the Raiders will be making moves to sign him. He played over 1100 snaps last season and will make an impact for any team, especially the Raiders. This makes sense, seeing as though he was just exonerated from his recent legal troubles. Just google “Nate Allen 2015”. Go ahead.

Dwight Lowery (29) - Lowery played for next to nothing in Atlanta last season. Prior to 2014, he missed 20 games in 2 seasons due to injury. He has a history of concussion problems but did play a He is typically a solid coverage safety (although last year he did turn in less than spectacular numbers in coverage, but again, Atlanta was the worst pass rushing team in the league, so that does help). This is a guy Rex Ryan would love to get his hands on.

Rahim Moore (25) - Given his age, Moore will have an active offseason. The Jets, Vikings, Raiders and Giants will all take a look at him. Coming from Denver, the major concern is Moore’s tackling and run support. He has turning in great numbers in coverage. Unless you are looking for a sole coverage safety, you may want to move past Moore, who will probably command a decent contract.

The Best of the Rest:
Jaiquawn Jarrett (25) - While he is a restricted free agent with the Jets, the bills could offer him a contract which the Jets could choose to match or reject. If they reject, the Bills would gain Jarrett and give the Jets a third round selection. While Jarrett didn’t begin the year as the starter, he is a former second round pick who stepped up well in the Rex Ryan system.

Darian Stewart (26) - Another solid, yet unspectacular player. He notched over 50 tackles with Baltimore last year but has a history of nagging injuries.

Taylor Mays (27) - When you talk about size, speed and athleticism, Mays’ numbers jump out. The Vikings and Redskins are looking hard at Mays, but neither would likely be offering a starting job. It is hard to believe that playing 16 games with the Bengals and notching 9 tackles, a sack and a safety would be considered turning your career around but that is the line that is being sold on Mays. He has yet to incept a pass in 66 career games. Would he offer a team who is looking for a player to transition to a nickel linebacker a solid option? He has all the skills you could ever ask for, but, he needs a coach who understands his role and his limitations.

Ron Parker (27) - The amount of interest in Parker really a surprise. He did have 94 tackles last season, 1 sack and 1 interception. Just so everyone is aware, prior to 2014, Parker had notched 17 tackles, a sack, and 2 interceptions in 26 games with the Chiefs and Seahawks.

Bernard Pollard (30) - Torn ACL last season will halt any early contributions. Really, this is not an option for the Bills given his age and recent injury history, but out of respect for his career, he has to be mentioned.

Marcus Gilchrist (26) - Gilchrist is a versatile player who has the ability to play strong safety and even drop down to slot corner when needed. He wrangled 76 tackles for the Chargers last year. This was the 2 consecutive year with above 70 tackles. He doesn’t have wonderful ball skills which may be the reason he will not get long looks from the Bills.