Pro Football Focus will be providing analysis for every major NFL signing and trade during the 2015 free-agency period, accounting primarily for the quality of the player and his fit with his new team, while focusing less on the financial terms of the deal.
Here is a grade for the Buffalo Bills' signing of Charles Clay.
Grade articles on every major deal
Buffalo Bills: B-plus
For the past four years, the Bills have used Scott Chandler in passing situations and Lee Smith in running situations. By adding Clay, they now have a tight end who is a better receiver than Chandler and a better blocker than Smith, and can do both parts pretty well.
One reason Clay has become one of the better tight ends in the league is his hands. Out of 60 catchable balls thrown his way during the 2014 season, he dropped only two, the fifth-lowest drop rate in the league among tight ends. He was also a threat once he got the ball, making 12 defenders miss tackles on him last season, also good for fifth-best among TEs.
Clay's biggest weakness is in pass protection, as he allowed six pressures. He also hasn't been much of a red zone threat in his career, with just 14 touchdowns since entering the league in 2011. With the additions of Matt Cassel, LeSean McCoy, Jerome Felton, Percy Harvin, Richie Incognito and now Clay, the Bills' offense should look very different and more exciting this fall. We'll see if that translates into a more efficient unit.