Free agent wide receiver Anquan Boldin is going to visit the Bills the week the team reports to training camp, ESPN's Dan Graziano reports.
Source: Free-agent WR Anquan Boldin will visit the Buffalo Bills on Monday. https://t.co/I3GT24Ymf0
— Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) July 21, 2017
Boldin, who played last season with the Detroit Lions, saw action in all 16 games but recorded a career low 584 yards. However, his eight touchdowns led the Lions during the 2016-2017 campaign and ranked ninth among receivers in the NFL.
The wide receiver spent the first seven years of his NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals, before playing three years with the Baltimore Ravens and then the San Francisco 49ers.
He has seven 1,000 yard seasons and more than 13,000 receiving yards in his career. He currently ranks 14th all-time in league history in yards.
Nick's Take
Let's not kid ourselves -- any wide receiver would be an upgrade to the Bills receiving corps, which at the moment is weak.
Sammy Watkins remains an unknown commodity especially with his injury history. Granted Watkins is entering a contract year and he could power through whatever pain he has to get a nice pay day, you just don't know what to expect from a guy coming off a second foot surgery.
Second round pick Zay Jones will likely be competing with Andre Holmes for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart, and even including Charles Clay, it's not a group that strikes fear into defensive coordinators or the secondary, either.
That could change if the Bills are able to sign the 15-year-veteran out of Florida State.
Throughout his career Boldin has been a reliable target, whose toughness at times has gone unmatched. He's not afraid to go over the middle or block in the running game. Boldin could also provide quarterback Tyrod Taylor with security in the passing game.
According to Pro Football Focus, the veteran receiver had the best catch rate among Lions receivers in 2016 and was the second best slot receiver in the red zone, hauling in seven scores.
Last year the Bills ranked 30th in the passing game and Taylor only had 11 TD passes inside the red zone.
The two are also familiar with each other as Taylor served as the backup in Baltimore during Boldin's final season with the club in 2011.
