Grading The Signings: Brandon Beane pulls off some late-night magic with a pair of important deals for the Bills in 2026 and beyond
It wasn’t the splashiest of moves for Brandon Beane.
The Buffalo Bills had a relatively quiet first day of free agency, bringing in cornerback Dee Alford in the first few hours of free agency. The former Atlanta Falcons cornerback is most likely going to assume the role Taron Johnson would have had on the defense. Outside of that, it was relatively quiet until much later in the evening when general manager Brandon Beane got to work.
Buffalo made two moves in the twilight hours, bringing back punter Mitch Wishnowsky to a one-year deal while signing former Detroit Lions quarterback Kyle Allen on a two-year, $4.1 million deal worth up to $6.1 million. Beane after dark strikes again. While the moves aren’t the most groundbreaking, they’re important for the future of the organization.
Buffalo fills some important roster positions on the first night of free agency
For Wishnowsky, while it’s a one-year deal, you have to think that Buffalo is also going to bring in some competition for the position. Though after taking over in Week 5 of the 2025 season, Wishnowsky deserved another chance at being Buffalo’s punter.
Since Week 5, his punts were returned only 28.9% of the time, which was the third lowest in the NFL, and he was ninth in average hangtime at 4.44 seconds. The 6.3 yards per return against him was fourth-best in the NFL.
He wasn’t elite by any means, but he did enough to deserve a new contract in Buffalo. Expect the Bills to bring in some UDFA’s once the draft is finished to compete in camp with Wishnowsky.
As for Allen, it’s a return to Buffalo and fills an important position of backup quarterback after Mitch Trubisky was signed with the Tennessee Titans on day one of free agency.
Allen spent the 2023 season with the Bills but didn’t attempt or complete a single pass. The eight-year veteran has a 7-12 record and has gone 442 for 707 for 4,753 yards with 26 touchdowns and 21 interceptions. His most recent stint with the Detroit Lions saw him attempt two passes.
Buffalo brought back a punter, who performed well, and quickly found a backup for Josh Allen, even though the price was a little high. For me, I think that Beane did a serviceable job with these decisions, though they might’ve paid Allen a bit too much. We’ll know more concrete information on Wednesday when the deals become official, and we can take a closer look at the contract specifics.
For now, it’s an important albeit not splashy move from the organization.
Grade: B-
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