Bills take big swing, agree to 3-year deal with WR Curtis Samuel

This offseason, the Buffalo Bills have made their first attempt at filling the wide receiver position. Following the signing of free agency Gabe Davis by Jacksonville and the subsequent departure of Deonte Harty, the team found itself shorthanded for two receivers in its top four.

The organization announced on Friday that one of those spots was filled on Thursday night after reaching a three-year agreement with free agent Curtis Samuel. According to a number of publications, the $24 million three-year pact includes a $15 million guarantee. The entire value of the agreement can reach $30 million.

How he fits in: Samuel’s signing with Buffalo is intriguing since it provides the Bills with a flexible option that can be applied in a number of ways. Samuel spent the last two years in Washington mostly as a slot receiver. Pro Football Focus reports that between 2022 and 2023, Samuel was lined up as the slot receiver 74.6 percent of the time when he played wide receiver alone. However, he is also adaptable and capable of lining up in the backfield, as demonstrated by the 63 snaps he played there in the previous two seasons. He attempted 38 rushes for 187 yards in 2022. Samuel has the potential to develop into a hybrid player who can play both slots and align himself outside, offering a unique skill set that the Bills’ offense lacked the previous year. Samuel is most likely to play anywhere between a third- and fourth-receiver role while earning a middle-tier wide out salary that averages $8 million annually. He can also be useful out of the backfield.

Impact until 2024: The addition of Samuel greatly improves the Bills’ wide receiver depth chart and provides them with a number of options. When Stefon Diggs isn’t playing, they can employ him as a slot receiver and move Khalil Shakir outside to the Z receiving position. He can leave Shakir inside at slot receiver and fill in for Diggs at Z-receiver. On some plays, Samuel might even replace Shakir as the slot receiver events. Although defenses still need to respect the run, he can also provide some plays out of the backfield to add another legitimate pass catcher to the field according to his skill set. He is not, however, a boundary receiver by trade. Even with Samuel’s acquisition, there is still a clear void at the X-receiver position created by Davis’s exit. When Samuel is on the field, the offense just becomes a little bit more unpredictable.

History: Samuel was initially drafted by the Carolina Panthers in 2017, which was also the final draft Bills general manager Brandon Beane was a part of with the Panthers organization. On top of that, Samuel’s final season with the Panthers was the first year current Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady held the same role in Carolina. Brady’s usage of Samuel was notable considering the role he projects to have in Buffalo. Over his three years in Washington, Samuel was used in the backfield on only 4.6 percent of his offensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. But in his lone year with Brady as an offensive coordinator, that rate more than doubled as he lined up in the backfield on 10.6 percent of his offensive snaps in 2020.

Cap update: Although the details including the structure of Samuel’s deal are not yet known, combining what we know about the Bills offseason and the re-signings of DaQuan Jones and A.J. Epenesa, this is likely one of the biggest swings they had remaining with their current cap space. Another $10 million-plus will open up on June 1 once Tre’Davious White’s post-June 1 designated release becomes final, and it could open up another wave of a signing or two this summer.

Outlook: Samuel is not a game changer every week, but he has the type of explosiveness and ability to become a major player unexpectedly in any game. That can certainly help improve the Bills’ odds in 2024, when they could be depending on Josh Allen and the offense to steal games more often than when they could rely on stellar defensive performances with a stacked starting lineup on that side. Heading into his age-28 season, Samuel is still firmly in his career’s prime. What’s most interesting about this specific signing is that it likely does not have any bearing on their potentially using an early-round draft choice on a wide receiver. As of now, the only players on the roster who fit the vacated Davis role are Mack Hollins, Justin Shorter and Tyrell Shavers. Finding an X receiver is still very much a priority in the next few months. Additionally, the Samuel signing gives them a 2025 contingency plan, too. In the event they were to move on from Diggs after 2024, they could have either Samuel or Shakir step into Diggs’ Z-receiver role as a full-time starter. But that’s far down the line, as the Bills are still full believers in Diggs as a top wideout and in his ability to be one of the best in the league in 2024. All in all, Samuel is a good, modest middle-tier signing for the money they got him, but the depth chart still screams for another significant addition.