The Buffalo Bills talked with wide receiver Anquan Boldin this past month. Boldin became a Free Agent after the Detroit Lions drafted Kenny Golladay. Boldin is a 14-year veteran who has racked up over 13,000 receiving yards since 2003. Here is why the Bills can benefit from a solid player like Boldin.
Buffalo’s uncertain wide-receiving group
The Bills’ wide-receiving core took a massive hit during free agency. This offseason saw Robert Woods, Marquise Goodwin, and Justin Hunter jumping ship for other NFL teams. That leaves Sammy Watkins, Zay Jones, and Andre Holmes to fight out the top two slots.
Watkins has had a rough time staying healthy due to consistent foot problems. He has missed a slew of games. However, when he is on the field, he has been an elite receiver.
If Holmes cannot get his game together and limit the dropped passes, that could spell trouble for Buffalo. Jones is holding his own, but he has yet to start an NFL game. That opens the door for Buffalo to signing Boldin. Boldin is a seasoned wide receiver who hauled in 67 receptions for 584 yards in 2016. He also has 7 seasons of 1,000 plus yards. With a career total of 1076 receptions, the wide receiver is an athlete that Buffalo can use.
Consistency, not perfection, is the key
If Buffalo signs Boldin, he does not have to be perfect.
He just needs to be consistent. He has 82 career touchdowns, which averages to about 6 per year. That is not setting the field on fire, but he does not need to do anything more than connect with quarterback Tyrod Taylor and move the chains to pick up first downs. That leaves most of the work for running back LeSean McCoy.
It is no secret that McCoy is the key to Buffalo’s offense.
He is coming off a season of 1267 yards rushing and over 300 yards of receiving. His 13 touchdowns are impressive. However, the strong reliance on McCoy leaves him more vulnerable to injury. If he goes down, Buffalo is left with rusher, Jonathan Williams, who is still unproven. Buffalo lost back-up Mike Gillislee to the New England Patriots.
Joe Banyard has limited play, and the undrafted Jordan Johnson has not played an NFL game.
Boldin can fill in the gaps for McCoy and be a go-to target when the running game gets shut down. Taylor has shown that he can throw a great deep ball, which Boldin can benefit from. Boldin has also gone to two Super Bowls with two different teams. He was a major part of the Baltimore Ravens’ win against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII. The wide receiver ended up with 6 catches for 104 yards. That winning spirit is something that can uplift a Bills’ team that has not made the post-season in 17 years.
