The Buffalo Bills are in a weird spot. Honestly, after trading Stefon Diggs to the Texans and letting Gabe Davis walk in free agency, Brandon Beane basically hit the reset button on the entire wide receiver room. It was bold. Some might say risky. But the news that the Bills work out ex-Chiefs WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling—and subsequently signed him to a one-year deal—shows exactly how much they value a very specific type of verticality that was missing from the roster.
You've seen MVS before. He’s the guy who seems to only catch passes that travel 40 yards in the air. He’s tall, he’s lanky, and he has that "track star" speed that makes safeties play ten yards deeper than they want to. While his hands have been a point of contention for fans in Green Bay and Kansas City, his presence on the field dictates coverage. That is exactly why Buffalo brought him in.
The Logic Behind the Bills Workout of Marquez Valdes-Scantling
When the Bills work out ex-Chiefs WR talent, they aren't looking for a high-volume target like Diggs. They already have Khalil Shakir for the intermediate stuff and Dalton Kincaid to feast over the middle. What they lacked was a "clear-out" specialist. Last season, the Bills' offense felt a bit cramped at times. Defenses weren't scared of getting beat over the top.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling changes that math.
He isn't going to catch 90 balls. He might not even catch 40. But his career average of 17.0 yards per reception tells a story that the box score often misses. Even when he isn't catching the ball, he’s dragging a cornerback and a safety with him toward the end zone. This opens up massive lanes for James Cook to run the ball and for Dalton Kincaid to operate in that "honey hole" between the linebackers and the deep secondary.
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What the Tape Says About the Fit in Buffalo
If you look at the 2023 AFC Championship game, MVS was actually huge for the Chiefs. He caught a 32-yard dagger on 3rd-and-9 to seal the game against the Ravens. It was a high-pressure moment that showed he can still perform when the lights are brightest, despite the "drop" narrative that follows him around.
Josh Allen has arguably the strongest arm in the NFL. It’s a cannon. Pairing a quarterback who loves to hunt deep shots with a receiver whose entire identity is based on the "go" route is a match made in heaven, or at least a match made in Highmark Stadium. The Bills' workout focused on his ability to track the ball and his current conditioning, which apparently impressed the staff enough to get the ink on the paper quickly.
Comparing the New-Look Bills WR Room
Buffalo’s strategy is a total pivot from the star-power model. They are going for a "committee" approach. It's sort of like a puzzle where every piece does one thing exceptionally well instead of one piece trying to do everything.
- Keon Coleman: The rookie. He’s the "X" receiver who wins the 50/50 balls. He’s physical.
- Curtis Samuel: The gadget guy. He’s lightning in a bottle on jet sweeps and quick slants.
- Khalil Shakir: The reliable slot. He has a telepathic connection with Allen on third downs.
- Marquez Valdes-Scantling: The lid-lifter. His job is to keep the defense honest.
The Bills work out ex-Chiefs WR options because they need veteran leadership in a room that got very young, very fast. MVS has two Super Bowl rings. You can't teach the playoff experience he brings to the huddle. He knows what it’s like to play with an elite, off-script quarterback like Patrick Mahomes, which is the closest thing in the league to playing with Josh Allen.
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The Financial Reality of the Move
Beane is a wizard with the cap, but the Bills are still feeling the dead cap hit from the Diggs trade. Signing a veteran like MVS on a one-year, incentive-laden deal is a low-risk, high-reward move. If he struggles with drops or doesn't find chemistry with Allen, the Bills aren't tied to him long-term. If he catches five or six 50-yard touchdowns? It’s the steal of the offseason.
Honestly, the league-wide perception of MVS is lower than his actual value to a coaching staff. Joe Brady, the Bills' offensive coordinator, wants to dictate tempo. You dictate tempo by forcing the defense to defend every blade of grass. Without a deep threat, the defense can "compress" the field. MVS prevents that compression.
Addressing the "Drop" Problem
Let's be real for a second. Marquez Valdes-Scantling has had some ugly drops. We've all seen the highlights of the ball hitting him right in the breadbasket and falling to the turf. It’s frustrating.
However, in Buffalo’s new offense, he doesn't need to be perfect. He just needs to be a threat. If he catches 35% of his deep targets, that's enough to change how an opposing defensive coordinator calls the game. It forces the "shell" coverage that Josh Allen has learned to pick apart over the last two seasons.
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Why This Specific Workout Mattered
The Bills didn't just look at his speed. They looked at his health. MVS is 29, turning 30 during the 2024 season. For a speed-based receiver, that’s usually the "cliff" year. But the reports out of Orchard Park suggest he still has the elite wheels. When the Bills work out ex-Chiefs WR players, they are looking for guys who can survive the Western New York winters and the physical demands of a 17-game schedule.
Actionable Insights for Bills Fans and Fantasy Owners
If you're watching this team develop, don't expect MVS to be a fantasy football darling. He’s a "better in real life than in fantasy" player. His impact will show up in Khalil Shakir’s increased targets and James Cook’s yards per carry.
- Watch the Snap Counts: In the first few weeks of the season, see how often MVS is on the field. If he's playing 60%+ of snaps, it means the Bills are committed to the vertical attack.
- Monitor the Keon Coleman Transition: If the rookie struggles early, MVS will likely see a spike in targets as the veteran safety net.
- The "Allen Factor": Josh Allen’s deep ball accuracy has fluctuated. If MVS and Allen find a rhythm in training camp, expect the Bills to return to the top-3 scoring offenses in the league.
- The Playoff Push: Remember that MVS was signed for January, not just September. His ability to navigate playoff pressure is a massive asset for a team that has struggled to get over the hump against Kansas City.
The Bills are betting that a change of scenery and a quarterback with a bigger arm will unlock a more consistent version of the veteran wideout. It’s a calculated gamble, but in a division that just got a lot tougher with the Jets getting Aaron Rodgers back, it’s a gamble the Bills had to take.