Buffalo Bills free agency 2020: Top 5 targets

One of the best moves the Bills made two years was undoubtedly signing former Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Jordan Phillips off waivers. Phillips had been a former second-round pick by the Dolphins out of the University of Oklahoma in 2015. Miami released him in Oct. 2018 and Buffalo came in to pick up and sign a player who would be key on their defense in 2019.

Last offseason saw Phillips sign a one-year deal worth $4.5 million to re-up with the Bills. It was fair compensation for a space-eating defensive tackle who hadn’t proven much professionally otherwise. Now, he’s poised to cash in after betting on himself in what was a breakout season for Phillips. He had 9.5 sacks, 31 tackles and 13 tackles for a loss of yardage in 2019, all career-highs.

Flash forward to this spring and Phillips will be entering his age-27 season as a free agent. Does Buffalo look to bring back Phillips on a multi-year deal? Will the Bills be willing to put together a competitive offer to keep him from signing elsewhere? Do Beane and McDermott think they can recreate him in the aggregate, as well as get a sensational sophomore season out of Ed Oliver?

These are all questions the Bills have to figure out before free agency begins in a few weeks. Overall, the Bills got tremendous return on their $4.5 million-investment on Phillips this past offseason. He could return, but it might be at a number the Bills aren’t completely comfortable with. That being said, Buffalo does have plenty of available cap space to pay a premium for him.