Can the Buffalo Bills Find a Primary WR Opposite Stevie Johnson in 2012?

If the Buffalo Bills are going to find a primary wide receiver opposite Stevie Johnson, they're going to have to do a little soul searching, and they'll have to search deep within the soul of their depth chart at wide receiver. 

One of the reasons the Bills struggled so heavily in 2011 was their inability to stretch the field.

For his familiarity with the offense and with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, David Nelson could once again be the primary receiver for the Bills opposite Stevie Johnson. He was the Bills' second-leading receiver in both yards (658) and receptions (61), but he is among the players that couldn't provide a deep threat for the Bills last year. He averaged just 10.8 yards per reception.

He can be a solid outlet option underneath and can even stretch the seam a bit, but he won't force a defense to respect the deep pass.

They didn't add that type of player in free agency, which had most prognosticators predicting them to select one of the draft's top talents at wide receiver.

Well, they didn't do that either. Now, the responsibility falls on the players currently on the roster to step up and provide that threat that the Bills lacked last year.

Former NC State wide receiver T.J. Graham has the potential to deliver as a deep threat. He brings impressive long speed (4.35 seconds in the 40-yard dash, 16.5 yards per reception as a senior) to the table, and his presence as a dynamic threat is evidenced further by his abilities in the return game, having brought back two kicks and two punts for touchdowns in his collegiate career.

But the Bills shouldn't be holding high expectations of him as a rookie—not, at least, by the standards of past wide receivers drafted in the third round.

If there are any diamonds in the rough, the Bills will be scrounging through a roster that includes David Clowney (22 career receptions, 15.5 yards per reception, five years in NFL), Marcus Easley (fourth-round draft pick in 2010, 4.39 40-yard dash, 18.8 yards per reception at Connecticut, 0 NFL receptions), Naaman Roosevelt (16 career receptions, 16.1 yards per reception, two years in NFL) and more.

But two names to watch out for could be Donald Jones and Derek Hagan.

Jones was a primary receiver for the Bills early in the 2011 season before getting injured, but he was never the same after he returned. He's displayed some long speed in his career and ran a solid 4.47-second 40-yard dash at the 2010 combine, but he has just 41 career receptions at a per-catch clip of just 10.8 yards.

At 27 years old, Hagan has already been a journeyman in his six-year career, playing for four different teams in that time. He's never caught 30 or more passes in a season and has never topped 400 or more yards receiving, but he caught on with the Bills at the end of the season and reeled in 13 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown in four games with the team.

The Bills have a mish-mash of options, but not many of them carry the promise of providing that extra threat in the passing game in 2012. The good news is that with so many players at the position (11, to be exact), at least the Bills have a competition.

May the best man win.

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