3 surprise cuts the Bills could make this offseason

1. WR John Brown

During the first half of last season, Brown’s absence or limitations with a calf injury seemed to impact Josh Allen’s level of play for a few weeks. But as rookie Gabriel Davis emerged, Brown’s later absence with an ankle injury did not have the same impact as Allen rebounded and played great.

In nine regular season games Brown was still an effective player, averaging 13.9 yards per catchh. He also had a solid game against the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Round (eight catches for 62 yards on a tied for team-high 11 targets). But Davis clearly showed himself as the better player, with seven touchdowns and a yards per catch average just over 17. A bigger role has to be in store for him next season, after he didn’t even average four targets per game in 2020.

If Brown is going to be made into the No. 4 wide receiver for the final year of his contract, even though he could see a lot of action, his $9.5 million cap hit is a problem for the Bills as they consider where they can trim costs. They can take $7.9 million of that off the books by cutting him, as a trade market is unlikely to be great at the cost Brown carries coming off an injury-shortened season.