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The Buffalo Bills receivers corps suffered an extreme metamorphosis Tuesday.
The team agreed to sign contracts with John Brown and Cole Beasley on the second day of the NFL's "legal sabotage period." These two agreements will only be formalized at 4 pm Wednesday, at the beginning of the new league year.
Brown's signature, which was first reported by Peter Schrager of NFL Network, was the first. His three-year contract is worth $ 27 million, with a $ 11.7 million guarantee, according to Adam Caplan, host of SiriusXM NFL Radio.
The agreement with Beasley, announced for the first time by Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, came a few minutes later. It extends over four years and has a maximum value of $ 29 million, of which $ 14.4 million is guaranteed.
Just like that, the Bills added two proven receivers and veterans for second-year quarterback Josh Allen. Brown's signature came one year after the bills had expressed their interest in him. The 28-year-old (turning 29 next month) has chosen to sign a one-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens, but the Bills' interest has apparently never dissipated.
Brown had better success with the Ravens when Joe Flacco was in the quarter. He had 35 catches for 601 yards and four touchdowns in the first nine weeks, but this production took off when Lamar Jackson took over from the Ravens. Brown finished the season with just eight catches for 114 yards and one touchdown in the last seven games. Still, he has averaged 17.0 yards per jack in 2018, his best career result, tied with the seventh-best winner among the big receivers, giving the Bills a well-established threat. Brown, Mike Evans of Tampa Bay, and Tyreek Hill of Kansas City were the only receivers of the NFL last year to have at least 700 yards, five touchdowns and 17.0 yards or more per shot.
Brown, who ran a 4-yard 40-yard dash into the NFL's 2014 watch combo, is 5-foot, 11-inch, and 178-pound. He achieved the bulk of his work for the Ravens, achieving 610 instant snapshots on hand and only 185 in the slot, according to the website's analysis, Pro Football Focus. He caught seven passes (out of 28 targets) that went at least 20 meters in the air. Brown was struggling with the declines in 2018, with seven passes on 49 catchable passes, as reported by PFF. Its drop percentage of 14.3 s is ranked seventh among receivers with at least 40 targets.
Brown spent the first four years of his NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals, the team that selected him in the third round of the 2014 draft. His best season was 2015 with 65 catches for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns. He made 173 catches for 2,515 yards and 22 touchdowns in four years with the Cardinals.
Brown played in all 16 games for the Ravens after playing only 10 games in his last season with Arizona. The sickle cell trait was diagnosed in October 2016. This can lead to muscle breakdown during intense exercise.
[Get the latest on the Bills’ free agency moves]
Beasley, meanwhile, begins his eighth season in the NFL. He will be 30 next month. He had 319 receptions for 3,271 yards and 23 touchdowns and finished his second best season of his career with 65 passes for 672 yards and three touchdowns. His best season is 2016 with 75 receptions for 833 yards and five touchdowns.
Beasley, 5 feet, 8 inches and 180 pounds, is a prototype slot receiver that excels in separation. He averaged 2.9 yards behind the defensive backs before catching the ball in 2018, according to next-generation NFL statistics, a number higher than Michael Thomas (2.7), Antonio Brown (2 , 6) and DeAndre Hopkins (2,5).
Beasley grew up in Texas and played collegiate at SMU. He joined the Cowboys as an unregistered rookie free agent in 2012. Shortly after the end of the 2018 season, Beasley expressed some frustration about his role in the Dallas offense, claiming that the team's office "dictates who will be the guardian".
"I will always love #CowboyNation and appreciate the time we spent together," Beasley posted on Twitter. "Thanks to the Jones family for giving me a chance. Excited for this new trip. I can not wait to start Buffalo. Let's go # BillSafia. "
The Bills receivers finished last season with only 1,989 yards, making them the fourth-lowest in the NFL. Brown and Beasley will join returnees Zay Jones and Robert Foster in the Buffalo offensive, giving the team one of the top four places – aside from any other addition – which, on paper, is far superior to the one with which she was entered in 2018.
In some respects, the Bills followed a late-season plan by the Chicago Bears, which surrounded young quarterback Mitch Trubisky with experienced receivers. Trubisky took a step forward in his second season – exactly what the Bills are hoping for and must do, Allen.
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