Bills free-agent targets: Defensive ends
The Bills feel the need to improve their perimeter pass rush heading into 2021 for good reason: Their top five defensive ends combined to give them just 13.5 sacks in 2020.
Still, the Bills' defense figured things out and became an outstanding unit from the beginning of November until the Kansas City Chiefs finally figured the group out in the AFC Championship Game.
Then the Bills figured out while watching the Tampa Bay Bucs dismantle the Chiefs in the Super Bowl that they would have had a much better chance of making it there themselves had they been able to pressure Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes more with just four pass rushers, enabling them to drop more defenders into coverage.
So they desperately want to upgrade, and the process could start with free agent J.J. Watt, who was granted a merciful release from the Houston Texans' sinking ship.
Despite having battled multiple injuries over a four-season span, Watt remains an elite defensive end with a large wingspan and frame (6-5, 290) that can wreak havoc with opponents' passing games even without getting all the way to the quarterback.
Watt at age 31 played all 16 games for the Texans in 2020, batting seven passes and snagging an interception, which he returned for a 19-yard touchdown.
His sack total was just 5.0 in 2020 and 4.0 in 2019, but he has led the NFL in that category twice and has 101.0 in 128 career games.
The problem is the reduced salary cap that the league must deal with a result of the coronavirus pandemic's effect on total revenue.
For the Bills to get far enough under the cap to sign the coveted Watt, they may have to sacrifice too much at other positions to make his acquisition worth it.
So if Watt is not feasible, here are a few more who might be:
Carl Lawson is an intriguing talent. He spent his first four seasons in Cincinnati, where his 8.5 sacks as a rookie rotational player in 2017 remain his career best total.
Lawson didn't become a regular starter until this past season because is work against the run hasn't been great. But he did deliver 5.5 sacks and career highs of 36 tackles, 32 quarterback hits and two forced fumbles.
Yannick Ngakoue has 45.5 sacks, 96 quarterback hits and 18 forced fumbles in 78 career games. He will turn 26 next month.
An argument could be made that he should be at the top of the list, ahead of Watt. However, he doesn't play the run nearly as well as Watt or fellow free agent Jadeveon Clowney, who may be the most talented of the bunch but has never been able to put it all together, mostly because of injuries that could make him a more affordable option but a bigger risk than, say, Trey Hendrickson.
In the fourth and final year of his rookie contract with New Orleans, Hendrickson exploded for career highs of 13.5 sacks, 25 quarterback hits and 12 tackles for losses on a playoff defense.
That sounds like someone the Bills could use.
Hendrickson has incredible tools and, at age 26, may just be approaching his athletic prime.
Keep an eye on him.
Free agency probably is the Bills' best bet to improve their pass rush too, since the 2021 NFL Draft class is widely considered to be lacking elite pass rushers who are able to plug in and play right away.
The Bills don't need a project. They need someone ready to help them win now.
Nick Fierro is the publisher of Bills Central. Check out the latest Bills news at www.si.com/nfl/bills and follow Fierro on Twitter at @NickFierro.
