The Buffalo Bills have officially signed Anquan Boldin to a 1 year, $2.75 million contract. After the mention of the Bills interest in the WR several weeks ago, they have finally locked up the 36 year old for this upcoming season. The former Lion (most recently) is coming off of an 8 touchdown, 584 yard 2016 campaign. In Detroit, he found himself behind Marvin Jones and Golden Tate on the depth chart, not to mention the targets that their promising TE, Eric Ebron hauled in. Here in Buffalo though, Boldin enters a new situation. Boldin has a chance to be Buffalo's #2 WR, and a solid backup to Sammy Watkins for the #1 if Sammy goes down again. Here's what this signing means for the Buffalo Bills...
1) Solidifies the Depth:
Saying that this signing "solidifies the depth" is quite plainly an understatement. This signing gives the Bills so much more to play with, and it's a whole lot of insurance if someone were to go down. This is what the current Bills WR depth chart looks like:
The Bills have 13, yes, 13, WR's on the current roster. That is a crazy amount of depth. The Bills may only keep 5 receivers, but may keep 6 if they elect to run with only 2 active QB's. There's a lot of combinations here, which is great for the Bills staff. Sammy, Zay Jones, and Boldin will seemingly have the 1st 3 spots locked up, and that will leave the 3 remaining spots or so up for grabs.
2) Provides Veteran Presence:
The receiving corps of the Buffalo Bills is a rather young one, with nearly half of the 13 WR's 25 or under. The presence of a 36 year old, who's seen it (and won it) all, will certainly be a huge advantage for Sammy Watkins and Zay Jones, and even for some of the older guys who might be 26 or 27. There's always room for improvement, and with Boldin providing some pro-tips of his own, every WR will be better off.
3) Another Red-Zone Threat:
The Bills have always struggled in the redzone, which has never been a secret. Every offseason, the same old discussion goes on; "We need to draft a redzone target," or "Bills need to get a big WR for the redzone in FA," etc. The Bills have now gotten one more to add. Boldin's not the tallest guy, standing at just 6'1", but his 220 lb frame and physical style will certainly be able to fight for his ground in the redzone. Add him with Sammy Watkins, the 6'4" Andre Holmes, Charles Clay and even the 6'6" QB-gone-TE Logan Thomas, the Bills will not be short in the "Redzone Target Department."
Overall, there is not one bad thing about this signing. Boldin's health seems to be the only concern here, as he is 36 years old. Still, he continues to produce at a #2-#3 WR level in the NFL, which is extremely suitable for what the Bills need. His veteran presence, his physical style, and his leadership will be a huge addition to the Buffalo Bills this season. This signing has a chance to put the Bills offense over the top, especially with the likes of Sammy Watkins, Shady McCoy, Zay Jones, Charles Clay, and Tyrod Taylor. Thanks for reading, and as always, Let's Go Buffalo!
Image Credit: BuffaloBills.com
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