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Although wide receiver and defensive end were widely publicized needs for the Buffalo Bills entering this offseason, their need for depth at cornerback is nearly as prevalent. Look no further than Week 17 of the 2019 season for an explanation. The Bills chose to rest several of their starters against the New York Jets that Sunday because their playoff position was already solidified. Still, certain starters had to play to field a full team, including cornerback Levi Wallace. When Wallace injured his ankle in the first half, coach Sean McDermott replaced him not with backup outside corner Kevin Johnson but with nickel corner/safety Siran Neal and wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie. McDermott made the move out of necessity; Johnson was Buffalo's last remaining outside cornerback, and the Bills couldn't afford to lose him. That lack of depth is why general manager Brandon Beane's first major move of NFL free agency was to add former Washington cornerback Josh Norman. Johnson signed with the Browns shortly after the new league year opened, but Beane signed his replacement, E.J. Gaines, to fill the void. Although Norman and Gaines provide an immediate fix, neither was necessarily brought in as a long-term solution. Norman, 32, has seen his play decline since his All-Pro season in 2015. Gaines, 28, missed all of last season after suffering a core muscle injury during training camp with the Bills, and he played in 28 games the previous three seasons. Both were brought in for a specific reason: familiarity. Norman played under McDermott with the Carolina Panthers during the first four seasons of his career, and Gaines spent the 2017 season and the 2019 offseason with Buffalo. Given the uncertainty surrounding offseason activities in 2020, teams are opting for players who can seamlessly acclimate to their schemes. "Obviously, when we signed Josh, we didn't know this was going to break out like it has," Beane said of the coronavirus pandemic during an April 2 conference call. "But Josh was a familiarity thing. We didn't feel like the system he was in in Washington played to his strengths. We think he fits our scheme well." Wallace will return in 2020, giving the Bills two starters and two backups at cornerback -- one more than they had last season. That shouldn't stop the team from adding another in next weekend's NFL draft. At the top of their list might be a player with close ties to a current Bills player. Newly added receiver Stefon Diggs' brother, Trevon Diggs, is perceived to be a mid-to-late second-round pick, which could coincide with Buffalo's first pick in the draft at No. 54. A lengthy player who converted from wide receiver at Alabama, Diggs is a zone corner who could thrive after learning for a year behind Tre'Davious White, one of the NFL's best. After addressing their needs at receiver and defensive end through a trade and free agency, respectively, the Bills can next look to solidify the future of their secondary.
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