Injuries exposed a lack of depth on the offensive line, but the Bills lacked a deep threat at wide receiver even when fully healthy in 2011.
Kevin Fishbain of Pro Football Weekly examined the battle for the No. 2 spot at receiver in an article on Saturday. We know what wide receiver David Nelson brought to the offense, but the Bills would be much better off if they could get more production from an outside-the-numbers threat.
Fishbain lists Brad Smith, Donald Jones, Naaman Roosevelt, Derek Hagan, T.J. Graham and Marcus Easley as contenders for the spot.
Which of those is the front runner at this point is unclear, though Fishbain alludes that the team has confidence in Jones' ability to produce. While expectations should be fairly low for Graham, he could be helped by the fact that the Bills simply don't have another receiver with his speed.
One thing is clear: They would rather not rely on Stevie Johnson as heavily as they have. More viable options simply means more receivers for the defense to worry about. Johnson has accounted for nearly 25 percent of all receiving production on his own, and over 35 percent of the receiving touchdowns have been Johnson's.
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