Buffalo Bills Still Need to Address Tight End in Draft

The Buffalo Bills signed free agent tight end Courtney Anderson this morning. Anderson appears to be a solid young player with a very bright upside. In 2006 Anderson caught 25 passes for 285 yards, and two touchdowns for the Atlanta Falcons. His premier season was a year earlier, when he had 303 yards receiving and three touchdowns.

The Bills are hoping that Courtney Anderson hasn’t yet tapped into his true potential at tight end. At only 27 years old and with just four years experience in the NFL, Anderson is excited for the opportunity in Buffalo.

"It's a great organization and a great coaching staff," said Anderson. "There are a lot of great players here. I just look forward to coming in and working hard.”

Buffalo was hoping to add more height to their undersized receiving corps during free agency this offseason. The Bills were 30th in the NFL in yards per game and overall points last season. Buffalo only averaged 177 receiving yards per game in 2007.

Being undersized at tight end was one reason for the poor receiving game. Signing Anderson is an immediate way to add height at tight end. At 6’6” Anderson is one of the tallest tight ends in the league.

Even with the bright upside of Courtney Anderson, the Bills still need to address the tight end position in this year’s draft. Robert Royal and Michael Gaines were the two tight ends that the Bills used the most in 2007. They combined for over 450 yards receiving and five touchdowns last season.

However, Michael Gaines left the Bills as a free agent and signed with the Detroit Lions. With Robert Royal returning as the only reliable tight end from last year’s team, the Bills knew they had to sign another one.

Last week, tight end Ben Troupe came to Buffalo to interview for the position. In his interview he promised the Buffalo fans that the Bills were an organization he would have liked to play for. However, with likely more money available in Tampa Bay, he signed with the Buccaneers on Friday.

Signing Ben Troupe would have resolved the tight end problem for the Bills. Meanwhile, letting him get away meant the Bills needed to address the position quickly. Picking up Courtney Anderson appears to be a quick and easy solution to the problem for the Bills.

The Bills need to sign a long-term, reliable tight end. Buffalo will most likely draft a tight end in order to make the team more productive at scoring. This year’s draft boasts numerous premier tight ends. The top three prospects are Fred Davis from USC, Dustin Keller from Purdue, and John Carlson from Notre Dame. The Bills might not draft a tight end in the first round, but selecting one in the second round appears to be a possibility.

The Buffalo Bills haven’t made the playoffs since 2000, but having good tight ends will help to end this drought. Signing Courtney Anderson is a step in the right direction, but not the completion to the tight end puzzle.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?