Which Buffalo Bills Wide Receiver Will Help Lee Evans in 2010?

The Buffalo Bills added some depth and competition to their wide receiver corps on Wednesday by signing free agent Chad Jackson to an offer. Chad Jackson is now another young wide receiver to add to the mix as the Bills look for someone capable of spreading the field and taking advantage of the double team pressure placed on their top receiver Lee Evans.

Chad Jackson tied the Florida Gators school record with 88 catches in his junior season, which turned out to be his final year with the Gators. Jackson opted out early from his college career to turn pro. 

The New England Patriots drafted him in the second round back in the 2006 draft. Jackson caught a touchdown pass against the Bills in week five of that rookie season, but that was one of the few highlights he had due to a number of injuries.  These injuries ultimately led to the Patriots souring on him and ultimately releasing him.

After his release, Jackson played with the Broncos in 2009, but didn't make any impact. Even though this will be his fifth year in the league, his body is not that banged up due to the amount of action he missed recovering in therapy.

His speed and kick return skills may allow the Bills to focus Fred Jackson on being a running back only.

Jackson will now be in camp to compete with James Hardy, Steve Johnson, Roscoe Parrish, Felton Huggins, and whoever else the Bills draft in April, to be the other starting wide receiver opposite of Lee Evans.

This collection of receivers have been better in projected hype than in actual results, so the real question is who from this group can step up and seize the opportunity?

If you look at what has transpired for the four receivers with NFL experience, their career statistics won't be all that awe inspiring.

Roscoe Parrish - 100 catches for 1086 yards and 5 TD's.

Chad Jackson - 14 catches for 171 yards and 3 TD's

James Hardy - 10 catches for 96 yards and 2 TD's

Steve Johnson - 12 catches for 112 yards and 2 TD's

Which Wide Receiver Can Step Up in 2010 ?

Due to the lack of collective success from anyone in this group, albeit with a lot of promise and potential, it may be that one guy steps up one week, and another one steps up the following week.

They offer different styles and attributes.

Hardy is the tall receiver the Bills have been lacking as his 6'6" frame will allow him to have a distinct height advantage over smaller cornerbacks. Hardy followed Terrell Owens around constantly during the 2009 season. Will that translate into a better player this year? Bills fans anxiously await the new Hardy to emerge.

Parrish is quick and elusive, but he all but disappeared on the Bills last season as he only mustered three catches for the entire season. Hard to catch the ball when you are relegated to running routes inside the dog house.

Johnson has shown promise as well, but as bad as the Bills offense was last year, he had trouble getting on the field and contributing to the team in 2009. Many fans think he will step up, so the former seventh round pick has his chance now to contribute.

Jackson has speed and athleticism in his favor, but he will need to show that he can stay healthy and be more consistent in his ability to perform every week.

Maybe the Bills will find a gem in the draft that can come in and play in his rookie year. I personally enjoyed watching Texas Longhorn wide receiver Jordan Shipley, and his return game skills could be useful as well. There are a number of other talented wide receivers available in the draft, so no doubt the Bills will want to continue to build some depth and increase the level of competition as they prepare for the new season.

Now if the Bills offensive line could give our quarterbacks some time to get the receivers the ball, and a quarterback is able to throw the ball down the field every game, we will know what exactly we have on our hands.