Bravo, Buffalo Bills, for being aggressive and securing one of the top remaining free agents on the market, but it's fair to question whether signing Percy Harvin is the best allocation of the team's resources.
Not only is Harvin's track record of causing trouble in locker rooms a red flag for a team that already added controversial guard Richie Incognito this offseason, but devoting precious, dwindling salary-cap space to a position that could be devalued in Greg Roman's offense doesn't make sense.
Rex Ryan and Roman have talked up their "ground and pound" approach since taking over in January, yet the front line of their offense is still strikingly thin. Making a combustible third receiver a priority over tight end and the offensive line sends a contradictory message just days after general manager Doug Whaley told the Bills' official website that Ryan's philosophy is to "build from the inside out."
After releasing Scott Chandler and watching Lee Smith sign with the Oakland Raiders, the Bills are down to two inexperienced options at tight end: MarQueis Gray and Chris Gragg. They will have Incognito in the mix along their offensive line, but the unit remains largely intact from last season, when Pro Football Focus graded the Bills' line among the league's worst.
The Bills could help fill their hole at tight end by signing Charles Clay, but adding Harvin's salary to the Bills' ledger will only make it more difficult to craft a front-loaded offer sheet that the Miami Dolphins -- who are thin on cap space -- can't match. If the Bills can't land Clay or have already moved on from that possibility, the free-agent market at tight end is drying up and they'll have to devote an early-round selection to the position in the draft.
With so many moving parts over the past few days -- and without specific numbers on Harvin's deal -- it's difficult to pin down exactly how much cap space the Bills have remaining. This much is certain: The Bills are in a tight spot. Whaley said Wednesday that the Bills' cap space is "getting eaten up," and that was before the activity of the past two days. The Bills will need to budget a few million for their draft choices and at least a few more million dollars for in-season signings to replace injured players.
It's true that the Bills have acquired a unique playmaker in Harvin, who could also give the Bills a boost in their return game. But where does he fit at receiver? With Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods atop the depth chart, Harvin will either have to overtake Woods for playing time or risk being more of a gimmick piece in an offense that figures to rely heavily on two-receiver and multiple-tight end sets.
Spending on a third receiver two days after making Jerome Felton the NFL's second-highest-paid fullback is puzzling. If running the ball and playing smashmouth offensive football is the goal, then how does Harvin help?
Ryan and wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal should know Harvin well from his stint with the Jets last season, and those coaches' level of comfort with Harvin, and his with them, should temper concerns about the receiver's impact in the locker room. But as with Incognito, it's impossible to just sweep Harvin's past problems under the rug.
Signing Harvin further proves that the Bills are pushing their chips into the middle of the AFC East's table.
The outcome of the Bills' gamble this offseason, however, is growing more unpredictable.