Wow. The Bills had to be the single least likely team to sign this guy, but there you go. Let’s start with the bad news:
- Owens will be 35 in December and is clearly not the player he once was
- Ralph has committed $6.5 million to the league’s most volatile player
- Most obviously, Owens is an absolute cancer in every locker room he’s ever been part of. He’s a terrible distraction to his teams and he drives QB’s insane with his incessant whining about never seeing enough throws. The last thing a young signal-caller like Trent Edwards needs is to be worrying about getting bitched at all game long by one of his wideouts. Then again, according to Peter King, this was all the young Stanford grad’s idea.
- Hardly anyone else wanted Owens. If he had a multi-year dear or interest from anywhere more exotic than Buffalo then you could bet he have taken it.
Now the good news:
- The offence desperately needs a #2 receiver and Owens is still far, far better than any other wideout on the market. He’s a much better deal than Laverneous Coles and his ridiculous $28 million contract.
- The Bills were smart enough to give Owens a 1-year deal. If he pulls his usual act, which seems almost certain at some point, the club can be rid of him when the season ends.
- The front office has finally taken a gamble. They realize the team isn’t good enough as it is and just doing some tinkering won’t be enough to make the playoffs. Dumping Dockery and Royal were good moves but the Bills simply need more premium talent and Owens, even at 35, helps in that department.
- The Bills have been a totally irrelevant NFL franchise for far too long. Although Owens is an absolute powder keg it’s good to see the team try to make splash, something they haven’t done since they drafted Willis McGahee.
If the rumours are true, the Bills aren’t done, and that’s a good thing. Signing a free agent at linebacker and guard are critical. The team needs insurance for Marshawn Lynch, an end who can rush the passer (Brian Orakpo, perhaps?) and a tight end who is a clear upgrade on what they have. Missouri’s Chase Coffman could be the answer in round 2 of the draft. It will be very, very intesting to see the roster come opening day and even more interesting to see how Owens fits in.
