Buffalo Bills: Mocking Perfect 2013 Offseason

Despite the fact that the Bills had three Pro Bowlers on the roster in 2012, Buffalo has many holes to fill this offseason, after finishing a disappointing 6-10.

New head coach Doug Marrone will need to find players that fit his scheme, but can't sacrifice talent for experience in his offense and defense.

That being said, Buffalo has a chance to really improve its team, as the NFL is just a month away from the draft. If the team makes each of the following moves, there is no doubt that the Bills will be substantially better in 2013 than they were in 2012.

Trade for Matt Flynn

Just because Doug Marrone coached Ryan Nassib at Syracuse doesn't mean the Bills have any interest in the quarterback. After going just 8-5 in the Big East with the signal caller, there's no guarantee that the duo has any success in the NFL.

Instead, consider Matt Flynn.

CBS' Jason La Canfora reported Tuesday that the Bills are one of three teams in the mix for a Flynn trade. From what can be gleaned from La Canfora's article, I'd wager that a fourth-round pick gets the deal done here for a starting quarterback signed to a reasonable contract.

Flynn developed as a quarterback in Green Bay behind Aaron Rodgers, seeing the rise of the no-huddle offense before his eyes. He can challenge defenses deep (keep that in mind later in the slideshow) and has proven he can be an effective quarterback if given the opportunity.

Sign Fred Davis

Coming off of an achilles injury, Fred Davis could be seen as damaged goods by some teams. That's fine.

Davis tore his achilles back in October of last year; he should be ready for opening day and he's a dangerous player when fully healthy.

The tight end, at 6-foot-4 and 247 pounds, has developed into one of the better pass catchers in the league. In 2011, playing a full season, Davis almost accumulated 800 receiving yards, despite subpar quarterback play.

He's been linked to the Bills and could end up in Buffalo by the end of the week if all goes well. The ex-Redskin is certainly an upgrade over Scott Chandler.

Sign Darrius Heyward-Bey

Bills No. 1 receiver Stevie Johnson openly recruited Darrius Heyward-Bey a few weeks ago, per ProFootballTalk.

Quarterback Matt Flynn has shown he can throw the ball deep and Heyward-Bey is perhaps the fastest wide receiver available. In 2011, Heyward-Bey was starting to break out with a 64 catch, 975 yard season.

Scheme changes contributed to Heyward-Bey's 2012 dropoff, as the wideout went from 115 to 80 targets. He's certainly capable of being a No. 1 and his presence would allow Stevie Johnson to move into the slot, where he could have a Victor Cruz-like impact.

The Flynn-to-Heyward-Bey combination would catapult Buffalo, as the team could take advantage of the weak secondary of the Patriots like never before.

Trade Away Fred Jackson

With the emergence of star running back C.J. Spiller, Fred Jackson has become expendable in Buffalo.

Jackson is still a very good running back, having averaged just under 1,000 yards between 2009 and 2011. He could likely net a second or third round pick on the market, which would be completely worth it for the Bills.

The rusher's workload shouldn't be much of a concern; the number of carries he's had in his career thus far is equal to the number of carries that Steven Jackson had back after 2007. The ex-Ram has had five 1,000 yard rushing seasons since then.

A number of teams would be willing to give up a draft pick in this weak running back class for a player of Jackson's caliber. The Bill should be fully recovered from an MCL injury by the time the season gets underway, so his value is very real.

Draft Jonathan Cooper at No. 8

If Dion Jordan is available with this pick, he'd be the better selection, but it's doubtful he even falls out of the top four, and there is no doubt that Jonathan Cooper will be available here.

After losing Andy Levitre this offseason, the Bills need to acquire an athletic, cornerstone guard if they're to continue to have success with C.J. Spiller.

Chance Warmack, the other elite guard in the 2013 draft, isn't as nimble as Cooper and doesn't pull or block in space as well as his UNC counterpart. The positional value may not be great here, but after the aforementioned signings, the Bills wouldn't have many glaring holes; they could, conceivably, go with the best player available.

Cooper is that guy.

New-Look Bills Offense

So what would this new offense look like? The Bills would be able to trot out one of the league's better units with these moves.

QB: Matt Flynn

RB: C.J. Spiller

WR: Darrius Heyward-Bey, T.J. Graham, Stevie Johnson (SLOT)

TE: Fred Davis

OL: Cordy Glenn, Jonathan Cooper, Eric Wood, Kraig Urbik, Chris Hairston