The Bills filled a void at the wide receiver position on Tuesday when they signed Cole Beasley, who came out of retirement to rejoin his former team.
While the Bills hope Beasley will provide some extra production, general manager Brandon Beane made it clear that his signing does not prevent the team from remaining in the sweepstakes to land free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
Beckham visited the Bills more than two weeks ago and has also conducted visits with the Giants and Cowboys. As the trio of teams remain in a “holding pattern” to make a decision on Beckham according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Beane added a current solution to Buffalo’s receivers’ group, one that leads the NFL in dropped passes (29).
After Thanksgiving, Beasley reached out about an opportunity to return to Buffalo despite his decision to retire earlier in the season, according to Beane. Buffalo has been successful at the slot receiver position, sitting second in the league in slot receiving yards (1,346) and fourth in slot receptions (111). Buffalo is also tied for eighth in receiving touchdowns (seven) from the slot this season, per ESPN. However Isaiah McKenzie, who was slated to fill that position, has a half dozen drops on the year and fewer yards than Stefon Diggs from the slot, but does lead Buffalo in touchdowns from the position with four.
For now, Beasley will contribute to his former team. In three seasons with the Bills, Beasley finished second in receiving first downs on the team. However, in the ’21 season, he finished with only one receiving touchdown, his lowest mark since the 2012 season. While Beckham is not in a rush to join a team right now, the Bills remain in the hunt to sign him.
