ORCHARD PARK - When the Buffalo Bills were dominating the AFC back in the early 1990s and making it to four consecutive Super Bowls, one of the biggest reasons for their success was continuity of roster.

Just as that benefited teams like the Packers in the 1960s, the Steelers and Cowboys in the 1970s, and the 49ers in the 1980s, the Bills were able to build a championship-level roster without having to worry about free agency and the salary cap ripping it apart because neither existed prior to 1993.

General manager Bill Polian and coach Marv Levy built those teams largely through the draft and occasional trades, and when rookie contracts expired, they simply re-signed the players they deemed worthy because those players really didn’t have much choice.

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Once free agency and the salary cap were born, it began to take an immediate toll on the Bills. Before the 1993 season, they lost wide receiver James Lofton (Raiders), linebackers Shane Conlan (Rams) and Carlton Bailey (Giants), offensive linemen Will Wolford (Colts) and Mitch Frerotte (Seahawks), and cornerback Clifford Hicks (Jets).

Buffalo was able to win its fourth straight AFC title in 1993 (and lose its fourth straight Super Bowl), but missed the playoffs in 1994 and 1997, and while qualifying in 1995, 1996, 1998 and 1999, won only one postseason game in those four years. And then you know what happened between 2000 and 2016.

The advent of free agency wasn’t the sole reason for the Bills’ decline, but it certainly played a role given that many players weren’t all that enamored with playing in tiny, wintry, income tax-challenged Buffalo.

More than 30 years since free agency and the salary cap arrived, both mechanisms continue to help the NFL maintain its beloved parity, and it is a testament to the Patriots and Chiefs in how they have managed the continual roster churn and cap constraints to become the only two franchises who have truly built dynasties during this era.

Last offseason, Bills general manager Brandon Beane had perhaps his biggest challenge since he came to the team in 2017 in putting together the 2023 team. He had only six draft picks, with just three of those in the first four rounds, and he was also dealing with a top heavy salary structure that limited his buying power on the free agent market.

His biggest expenditure was classified as a mid-tier free agency signing, offensive guard Connor McGovern (three years, $22.3 million), and then he worked outside the margins and signed more than two dozen free agents, almost all of them on one-year contracts, plus brought back many of the Bills’ own free agents, also on one-year deals.

It is an approach that works against roster continuity, but he will have to employ it again because the Bills have an even worse salary cap situation and there won’t be enough money to make big splash, long-term signings.

“Yeah, that’s one of the strategies that we’ll have to do,” Beane said of signing multiple players to one-year deals. “We don’t have the same money we had going into 2019, 2020. But we will work around it. We’re not planning to take a year off and just not be competitive.”

Here’s my look back at the 2023 free agent signings Beane made who contributed to the team.

Offense: McGovern was a hit, Harty was a disappointment

▶ QB Kyle Allen: No offense to the 27-year-old, but it was outstanding that the only time we saw him play was in blowout games where he either handed off or knelt down. That’s what we would call the perfect backup QB season from a team perspective.

▶ RB Latavius Murray: He emerged early as the short yardage and third-down back and he produced 300 rushing yards, 27 first downs and four TDs. Equally important, he was the most trusted pass protector, but his production was nearly non-existent from December on as it seemed his 34 years began to catch up to him.

▶ RB Damien Harris: The ex-Patriot was supposed to share the backfield with James Cook but it never materialized. He played only 60 offensive snaps and rushed for 94 yards before suffering a season-ending neck injury in Week 6.

▶ RB Ty Johnson: Was signed late in August and spent the first six weeks on the practice squad, then was elevated when Harris got hurt. He only played 91 snaps but he had 132 yards rushing, 62 receiving and averaged 5.3 yards per touch which was a yard more than Harris.

▶ RB Leonard Fournette: So many fans thought this was going to be a big move for the Bills, but it was never meant to be that. He was signed to the practice squad Oct. 31 to protect against further injury at the position, period. He was active for two games late and rushed for 40 yards, then was released due to injury-related roster gymnastics before the Week 18 showdown in Miami.

▶ WR Deonte Harty: He gave the Bills one of their biggest plays of the year, the 96-yard punt return that flipped the Miami game which clinched the AFC East. Otherwise, he was pretty much a bust. He was the second-richest signing behind McGovern (two years, $9.5 million) and carried the 13th-highest salary cap hit ($4.1 million), but Ken Dorsey nor Joe Brady figured out how to use him on offense. He had just 15 catches for 150 yards and outside of the TD, his punt return production was mundane.

▶ WR Trent Sherfield: Harty was signed to be a key contributor, while Sherfield was brought in to be a depth player. As the definition of that role goes, he was fine in the No. 5 spot (behind Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, Khalil Shakir and Harty). He caught only 11 passes for 86 yards, but one of those was a huge TD against the Dolphins. It was funny that Harty and Sherfield did nothing almost all year, but then made two of the biggest plays in the biggest regular-season game of the season.

▶ WR Andy Isabella: Was signed late in the summer to the practice squad and then was elevated for three games in the regular season and both playoff games. He did not catch a pass and returned one kickoff for 25 yards, but the Bills have already signed him to a reserve/futures contract for 2024.

▶ OG Connor McGovern: He cost the Bills the most money in the 2023 free agent class and he earned every penny with a fine season that helped solidify the offensive line after years of struggles at the guard position. And like all the O-line starters, he stayed healthy and started every game.

▶ OL David Edwards: Provided quality veteran depth and then became a chess piece for both Dorsey and Brady by lining up as a sixth lineman and eligible receiver when the Bills wanted to go heavy on run downs. The Bills used Edwards in that role on 164 snaps but sadly, they never had the guts to throw him a pass.

Defense: Floyd emerged as best pass rusher

▶ DT Poona Ford: He was supposed to be a key rotation piece behind DaQuan Jones, but for whatever reason, the coaching staff never fell in love with him, even after Jones got hurt as they turned more heavily to Jordan Phillips and later Linval Joseph. Ford appeared in only eight games for 151 total snaps and was inactive for both playoff games. It was a disappointing season.

▶ DE Leonard Floyd: A home run signing considering Beane didn’t get him until early June. For the $7 million investment, the Bills got a team-high 10.5 sacks plus 65 QB pressures from the 30-year-old. Floyd’s play dipped a bit in the second half, but he was a hugely important player given that Von Miller was invisible all season.

▶ DT Linval Joseph: Joined the team off his couch on Nov. 1 but the 35-year-old didn’t have much left. In nine games counting the postseason he made just seven tackles and a sack on 189 snaps.

▶ S Taylor Rapp: This felt like an opportunity for Rapp to play a year as a backup and prove that he could be a long-term option as a replacement for Micah Hyde who was in the final year of his contract. But Rapp was an average performer whose biggest play happened to be his last of the year, a game-saving interception in the finale at Miami on which he hurt his calf and thus missed the postseason. He was a four-year starter with the Rams before coming to Buffalo, and if he wants to return, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to see if he can become Hyde’s replacement.

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: Bills free agent signings: Here were Brandon Beane's hits and misses