The Buffalo Bills don't have a lot of cap space to work with this offseason, but they have enough room to one or two solid splashes in the free agent market. It appears they've got their sights set on one in particular: soon-to-be Baltimore Ravens free agent fullback Kyle Juszczyk.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Bills have emerged as the favorites to sign Juszczyk when the free agent market opens Thursday at 4:00 pm. Juszczyk was a fourth-round pick of the Ravens in 2013 and has spent all four seasons of his career in Baltimore.
Juszczyk, who will turn 26 in April, became a big piece of the Ravens' offensive attack over the past two seasons. He made 78 catches for 587 yards and four touchdowns over the last two years and added one rushing touchdown this past year.
The Bills have roughly around $21 million in cap room before free agency starts Thursday.
Joe B's Take
Fans were immediately ticked off on Twitter that the Bills would actually think about spending on a free agent fullback, but I'm here to ease some of the anguish out there. When you look at it from a very basic level, some will see that the Bills want to sign a fullback and immediately think it's Jerome Felton all over again.
While they may play the same position by title, they are in no way the same player.
Felton was a throwback fullback, there to pave the way for the running back behind him -- and he's very good at what he does in that respect. However, he offered little as a rusher and even less as a pass-catcher out of the backfield.
Juszczyk, although listed at fullback, is a hybrid at the position, and can also play tight end. With Felton being a free agent and Nick O'Leary serving as the current second tight end, there is a crying need at both positions, and Juszczyk fills both of them.
If you can find a player with that type of versatility to fill two needs basically for the price of one, and a player that has had a high degree of success in those roles, that's a great addition to a roster. He's a good blocker and has established himself as a dependable pass-catching option for his quarterbacks.
And with his versatility, he ideally wouldn't be on the field for only 25-to-30-percent of snaps like most fullbacks. He would have a much larger role, making his value worth it even more. Add to the fact that he's just entering his prime as a player, and I think the signing would be a good mid-level signing when big free agent dollars will be going all over the place around the NFL.
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