There are several key dates on the NFL’s calendar in March. The most of important of these involve teams scouting talent at the annual combine held in Indianapolis and the action-packed comings and goings of free agency. It hasn’t been easy to predict how general manager Brandon Beane and the Buffalo Bills handle things at One Bills Drive. Last season, they shocked us multiple times with trades, cuts and signings we couldn’t see on the radar.

We don’t think the Bills will do anything about their unclear quarterback situation until the draft. Let’s look instead at other positions that the Bills will give attention to over the next few weeks.

When a team finishes with the 29th-ranked offense and the 26th-ranked defense, one would think there would be needs all over the board. For the Bills, though, they’re not far away on either side of the ball as evidenced by their 2017 9-7 record. Their inability to hit big passing plays stymied their offense last season so they’ll grab a wide receiver early in the draft.

They simply don’t know what they’ve got in Kelvin Benjamin yet as he played injured down the stretch. Their other potential starting wide receiver is Zay Jones. As a rookie, Jones was inconsistent as he struggled mightily to make contested catches. Therefore, the Bills will be very interested in observing the top receivers at the combine this week.

Three names stand out at that critical position. Alabama’s Calvin Ridley might be the best of the bunch. He may lack strength, but he makes up for that with great speed and precise route-running. Unfortunately for the Bills, he will be high on every team’s draft board in need of a wideout. The alternatives to Ridley are two very different athletes. SMU’s Courtland Sutton is built like Kelvin Benjamin making him an ideal red zone target while Christian Kirk out of Texas A&M is built like Golden Tate. Kirk may be a good fit for Buffalo especially if they stick with Tyrod Taylor for another season. Kirk catches the ball which sounds elementary, but Taylor needs all the help he can get on those short to intermediate routes.

On defense, the Bills were horrendous along the interior defensive line last season. Their game at home against the New Orleans Saints was perhaps the worst exhibition of defending the run of the past decade. While Kyle Williams is a franchise darling, he simply can’t stop the run on a consistent basis anymore. The other defensive tackles that saw significant playing time in 2017 were undersized and overwhelmed. The Bills have a nice pass defense, but that will get compromised if teams run like the Saints, New York Jets and New England Patriots did against them in 2017.

If Buffalo doesn’t draft a franchise quarterback, the best choice they could make would be to select Vita Vea out of Washington. He is the prototypical run-stuffing 350-pounder that will clog up the middle. Obviously, interior linebackers benefit when a tackle like Vea takes up a double team. Vea showed so much power at Washington, he often would shed the double-teaming and still make the play. Again, Buffalo isn’t the only team that has noticed Vea is special so he’ll be difficult to acquire. Hence, Alabama’s Da’Ron Payne or Michigan’s Maurice Hurst may be more realistic options. Payne might be pound-for-pound the strongest man that will be drafted in 2018. Hurst possesses good quickness and is a more flexible tackle with a Michael Bennett-type frame. Several mock drafts have shown Buffalo selecting Payne as an heir apparent to former first-rounder Marcel Dareus.

The Bills made a nice splash grabbing cornerback Vontae Davis in free agency. That move seems to indicate E.J.Gaines will be leaving Buffalo as an unrestricted free agent. Will Buffalo go after anyone else?

Brandon Beane seems to view free agency differently than former general manager Doug Whaley. Whaley made several excellent pick ups last spring including Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer and Stephen Hauschka. Beane has said several times that he would prefer attaining talent via the draft rather than free agency. Of course, his ties with the Carolina Panthers could impact his decisions. The Panthers have released Kurt Coleman who would provide good depth at the back end of the Bills defense and a jolt to the special teams. Likewise, Buffalo could address their defensive tackle need by signing Star Lotulelei.

Some veterans might not last the month. Buffalo could look to move or cut Charles Clay, Cordy Glenn, Lorenzo Alexander, Jordan Mills, Jerry Hughes and/or Richie Incognito. It would be stunning if all six players remain on the roster come training camp. Glenn may be the best trade bait Buffalo has available. Dion Dawkins established himself as a solid option along the offensive line so trading or releasing Glenn is very much on the table as it will salvage about $10 million toward dead cap relief.

Alexander and Incognito are still playing at a high level. However, the Bills are more likely making a run at the Super Bowl in 2019 as opposed to 2018 so saving money by cutting ties with players in their mid-30s may be in their best interest.

The Bills have until June 1st to decide on Hughes. Hughes is one of Buffalo’s best defenders so they may feel strongly about reinvesting in him. With that being said, he has the third highest cap hit on the team, so if management believes his best days are behind him or he doesn’t fit in with their “process,” they’ll release him at some point.

Like 2017, expect a Bills roster with significant turnover in 2018. Beane and head coach Sean McDermott are poised to make moves between now and the draft that could alter the franchise’s identity in a major way.