Finding a Complement for Lee Evans

Despite the steady progress that J.P. Losman showed in his first full season as the Bills' starting quarterback, it's fairly obvious that if he is going to continue that progress, the talent around him needs an upgrade. Buffalo's only consistent receiving threat was third-year man Lee Evans (left), whose solid stats should have landed him in the Pro Bowl.

Evans comprises far too much of Buffalo's receiving production, however. His 82 receptions were nearly 31% of Losman's completions. His 1,292 yards were over 43% of Losman's yardage total. Eight of Losman's 19 touchdowns went to Evans. Many experts (and fans, for that matter) feel that if Evans is going to meet or exceed those promising numbers in 2007, the Bills need to find players who can take double coverage away from the speedster.

WR Depth is Versatile
While there does not appear to be a legitimate #2 threat to Evans, there is undoubtedly a wide array of skills and talent behind him. Peerless Price didn't have great numbers (49 receptions, 402 yards, 3 TD), but he did come up with some clutch catches during the season - specifically his game-winning grab at Houston. Josh Reed developed a nice rapport with Losman and became a primary option on third down. He finished with 34 grabs for 410 yards and two scores. Roscoe Parrish was relatively inconsistent during the year, but his big plays combined with his continued growth could make him a much larger part of the offense next year. Parrish finished second on the team with a 13.9 yards-per-catch average.

Each of these three players has distinct roles in Buffalo's offense. Most weeks, one of these three would step up and have a solid game - which played a big role in Evans' solid season. So while neither of these three can be considered a legitimate #2, they certainly are important to Losman and the offense.

Upgrade the "Secondary" Skill Positions
As enticing as it is to talk about the Bills drafting the likes of Dwayne Jarrett, Ted Ginn and Dwayne Bowe, it's not going to happen. Not because the Bills are cheap, and not because these players aren't worthy. It just doesn't need to happen. There are better ways to give Losman more options.

Let's start at tight end. By season's end, Losman was looking for Robert Royal in the red zone just as much as Evans. The Bills love to operate out of two tight-end sets - Brad Cieslak saw a lot of time in this role. But as good as these players are, the team does not have a true receiving threat at the position. Luckily, tight end is deep this year, both in free agency as well as the draft.

There are two tight ends that could be dependable dump-down options for Losman. (Daniel Graham and Jerramy Stevens have been left off this list due to their likely re-signings.)

San Francisco's Eric Johnson (above, right) has been a highly productive tight end in this league. In 2005, he totaled 82 receptions and made the Pro Bowl. He has had some injury problems in the past, so he likely won't be pursued by many wary teams. He also won't return to San Francisco, where Vernon Davis will be the starting tight end. Johnson would give the Bills a young vet with proven receiving skills to operate out of the two-tight end set with Royal.

A great rookie to consider is Zach Miller of Arizona State. A highly productive tight end in college, Miller has elite tight end speed and would give the Bills an extremely versatile receiver from the tight end position. He also has the ability to mature as a blocker, so he would not be much of a liability in the run game.

Running back is important too. Many good teams are able to use their running backs as receivers out of the backfield. Anthony Thomas was used in this role last year, as he finished sixth on the team with 22 receptions. Although he played well, this is not an ideal role for the A-Train. The Bills need to bring in a player such as Cincinnati's Kenny Watson or a rookie such as Notre Dame's Darius Walker to give Losman a receiving option out of the backfield. A versatile backfield is important to success in the NFL - see my post on the Bills' RB situation for a further explanation of this.

Having four skilled wide receivers, two threats at tight end, a versatile H-Back type option in Cieslak (who filled in at fullback when Daimon Shelton was put on IR) and a stable of versatile backs with running and receiving skills will go much further toward helping Losman than breaking the bank for a "complement" to Evans. A second receiving option would be nice, but the Bills don't need to break the bank for one when they have so many other positions of need.