One of the busiest weeks on the NFL calendar is already in full swing, particularly for teams like the Buffalo Bills who have to get salary cap compliant by the time the new league year commences at 4 p.m. Wednesday.

With the NFL Scouting Combine wrapped up, the focus shifts to free agency which arrives on Monday, and as always, the first few days will be frenetic to say the least.

Here’s a look at what will be happening over the next few days at One Bills Drive.

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What is the Bills’ salary cap situation?

When the league announced the cap ceiling would be a record $255.4 million, that was great news for the Bills and every team. Still, at that point the Bills were approximately $41.3 million over which meant general manager Brandon Beane and the team’s financial burned the midnight oil trying to trim and/or rearrange payroll, not only to get under the ceiling, but to create room so that they can sign players.

And that project resulted in major moves: They released safety Jordan Poyer, cornerback Tre’Davious White, center Mitch Morse, running back Nyheim Hines, wide receiver Deonte Harty, and special teamer Siran Neal. They also traded offensive lineman Ryan Bates to the Bears, and restructured several contracts including those of edge rusher Von Miller (who agreed to a pay cut which was pretty stunning), offensive lineman Connor McGovern and cornerback Rasul Douglas.

Now the Bills are very close and there are still moves to make - specifically re-working quarterback Josh Allen who will provide more $22 million in cap relief when Beane inevitably converts most of his base salary to bonus. That alone will get them comfortably under with money to make signings, but more restructures - possibly offensive lineman Dion Dawkins and nickel corner Taron Johnson - could still come.

What is the free agency schedule?

Between now and 11:59 a.m. Monday, teams have exclusive negotiating rights with their own free agents, and the Bills have already re-signed safety Taylor Rapp and offensive lineman David Edwards.

That exclusive window closes at noon Monday and at that point, a 52-hour window opens where the player agents can negotiate with all teams and work out agreements. Typically, those deals get leaked to the media and become public knowledge almost immediately and it is certainly a frenetic few days.

None of them can become official until the league year begins at 4 p.m. Wednesday. At that point, players can start signing with their new - or old - teams.

Who are the Bills free agents?

With the signings of Rapp and Edwards, the Bills now have 20 eligible to hit the market, 19 of which are unrestricted. The only outlier is tight end Quintin Morris who is an exclusive rights free agent. If the Bills tender him a contract, he cannot negotiate with another team and assuming he signs, he’ll be back with Buffalo. If he rejects the offer, he cannot play for another team. Should the Bills not extend an offer, then Morris becomes an unrestricted free agent and sign with another team.

Here is the free agent list:

• QB Kyle Allen

• RB Latavius Murray

• RB Ty Johnson

• RB Damien Harris

• WR Gabriel Davis

• WR Trent Sherfield

• TE Quinton Morris (EFRA)

• DT DaQuan Jones

• DE Leonard Floyd

• DT Tim Settle

• DT Jordan Phillips

• DT Linval Joseph

• DE AJ Epenesa

• DE Shaq Lawson

• DT Poona Ford

• LB Tyler Matakevich

• LB Tyrel Dodson

• CB Dane Jackson

• CB Cam Lewis

• S Micah Hyde

What are the Bills primary needs?

They have gaping holes on the defensive line, both at tackle and on the edge, as the only players under contract are Miller, Greg Rousseau, Ed Oliver, and Kingsley Jonathan. You can also throw Eli Ankou on a reserve/futures contract into the mix, but he’s been a career practice squad player in Buffalo.

Wide receiver is another need because the Bills cut Harty, they will almost certainly lose Davis, and they may not try to re-sign Sherfield though he could be a one-year re-up candidate. The draft is where they should take a big swing, but bringing in a reliable veteran would be wise as well.

Safety is big now that both Poyer and Hyde are gone even though they re-signed Rapp. There is a big group of available players at this position, some of whom should be affordable and ready to step in and become starters. Relying on a drafted rookie would be a roll of the dice, so free agency is going to be key in replenishing the safety position.

Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana. To subscribe to Sal's newsletter, Bills Blast, which comes out each Friday during the offseason, please follow this link: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Buffalo Bills 2024 free agency primer: Salary cap, biggest needs