Besides the Buffalo Bills’ secondary last season, the team’s weakest position was at wide receiver An injury to Sammy Watkins last year had him miss 8 games. That put pressure on Buffalo’s other receivers. Just this past month, Buffalo lost Robert Woods, Justin Hunter, and Marquise Goodwin in Free Agency. How will these moves affect Tyrod Taylor?
A break in consistency
With new coach Sean McDermott establishing a new culture for the Bills, McDermott made a few moves to Buffalo’s defense and offense. He signed the Packers’ Micah Hyde and the Atlanta Falcons’ Patrick DiMarco.
Yet, the question that loomed the largest was whether Taylor would re-sign with the team. The administration took it down to the wire to let fans know their ultimate decision. The Bills ended up restructuring Taylor’s contract this past month. However, it is unlikely that Taylor knew he would be losing his second and third receivers. Establishing new chemistry with other receivers is tough and takes time. For a team that wants to win now, letting so many receivers get away puts Taylor in a challenging position.
The long jump ball
Buffalo used Marquise Goodwin’s speed to their advantage. Taylor and Goodwin connected on some long bombs a few times to give the team some excellent field position, and to put some quick points on the board.
While Goodwin was inconsistent and dropped some balls, his loss will have Tyrod Taylor looking more for Sammy Watkins and finding a rhythm with the newly added Corey Brown and Jeremy Butler. The Bills’ explosive offense is similar to the Atlanta Falcons’ style, but breaking in new receivers takes some time.
Touchdown Hunter
Taylor only found Justin Hunter 7 times for receptions last season, but four of those completions turned into touchdowns.
Hunter and Taylor share a history together. They played with each other in college when they both attended Virginia Tech. Their old chemistry and Hunter’s 6 ft. 4 height made it easier to get in sync with passes. Hunter just signed a new deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The clutch receiver
Robert Woods was the guy who got Taylor out of jams.
When the quarterback scrambled, Woods was often the third down man who moved the chains. His skill at putting separation between himself and defenders was one of his strengths. The loss of Woods will definitely have an impact on Taylor.
