Buffalo Bills: Is Kenny Vaccaro worth a look in free agency?

The flurry of free agency signings has begun to die down, but there are still plenty of players available that the Buffalo Bills should consider.

One such player the Buffalo Bill should consider, is former New Orleans Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro, who was let go after five seasons with the team.

The 27-year-old Vacarro was drafted 15th overall in the 2013 draft thanks to a strong college career with the Texas Longhorns, but has not lived up to exceedingly high expectations in the NFL.

Despite this, Vacarro has been a consistent player in the secondary, putting in big tackles, disrupting passes and being effective against both sides of offence.

In 68 games, he has combined for 385 tackles, earned 7.5 sacks and defended 30 passes, whilst also intercepting eight passes and forcing four fumbles.

Vaccaro has been used as a safety, slot cornerback and even a hybrid linebacker in some defensive packages, making him an intriguing flex option for a team that needs help on defence.

Enter the Buffalo Bills.

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The Bills struggled greatly on defence last season and made the playoffs thanks to the running of LeSean McCoy.

Improved defensive play could turn the Bills’ one-offs into playoff regulars over the next few seasons.

The team’s management has already set about fixing the defence, signing DT Star Lotulelei, DE Trent Murphy, LB Julian Stanford and Vaccaro’s former teammate and fellow safety Rafael Bush.

As it stands, the Bills are likely to enter the 2018 season with a secondary starting quartet of Vontae Davis, Tre’Davious White, Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde.

There’s no telling what kind of performances the team will get out of Davis, who has the potential to bounce back from a down season in 2017.

Adding a player such as Vaccaro could be a premium insurance option for the team, who could use him sparingly and in important situations while monitoring his health closely.

Vaccaro’s injury history has been his biggest problem since entering the NFL, playing a full 16-game season just once in five years.

Last year alone he missed four games during the season.

In the 12 games he played he had 60 combined tackles, 1.5 sacks, seven passes defenced and three interceptions.

These numbers are made more impressive by the fact he played at least a portion of them with two injuries, one of which was a torn adductor muscle torn completely off the bone – which saw him end the season on IR after having surgery.

The 6-foot, 214 lbs player has received very little attention from teams so far in free agency, with a number of top young safeties set to be available in the draft in April.

Due to this lack of interest around the league, the Bills could take a look at signing Vaccaro to a team-friendly, one-year deal to see what he has to offer moving forward.

Vaccaro would need to be at his very best on a short-term deal, if he has hopes of attracting a bigger pay day down the road.

If the former Longhorn remains on the open market, the Bills should take a look and assess whether or not he would be a positive addition to a defensive corps that is beginning to be improved.

Next: A.J. McCarron gets his long awaited opportunity

Buffalo Bills fans, what do you think of Vaccaro? Would you like to see the team give him a low-risk chance with a ‘show me’ kind of deal? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!