Two Bills Drive

‘As for Aran’s question, the top free agent at the position is Oakland’s Jared Cook. He’ll be 32 at the start of next season, but is coming off a career year in which he made 68 catches for 896 yards and six touchdowns. Would he go for a short-term contract? If so, I’d be interested in that, but I wouldn’t want to go past three years at his age. The Bengals’ trio of Tyler Eifert, Tyler Kroft and C.J. Uzomah are next on the list. Eifert and Kroft have injury concerns, so I wouldn’t count on them being the unquestioned starter if they were signed.’

‘Kelso and his wife, Robin, remain based in Western New York. They have two sons, each of whom is pursuing a medical degree, and a daughter, who is practicing law. Kelso, 55, is best known as the analyst on Bills’ radio broadcasts, partnering with play-by-play man John Murphy since 2006. He was the development director at Saint Mary’s High School in Lancaster, and served as defensive coordinator of its varsity football team from 2003 to 2010. He also taught fifth grade at Main Street Elementary School in East Aurora.’

‘Expectations that he would become a major red-zone threat never came close to materializing, and the absence of a consistently effective No. 1 tight end contributed to the Bills having one of the worst passing offenses in the league.’

‘If Cook is out of the Bills’ price range, there are expected to be plenty of cheaper options. Baltimore’s Maxx Williams is a former second-round draft pick who never reached his potential with the Ravens, but is still young (24) and might need a fresh start. He had 16 catches on 17 targets for 143 yards and a touchdown.’

‘“The decision I made to retire from football is about coming to terms with the totality of my concussion history and what is asked of me as a linebacker,” he wrote. “My position put me at an elevated risk for further injury with the likelihood that I would be exposed to hundreds of even thousands of similar situations. I understand that in order to continue playing at the level expected of me, I would have had to put myself in those exact scenarios.”‘

‘Bills starters lost a total of 30 games to injuries in 2018. That’s an improvement over the 39 games lost during the 2017 season and ranked tied for fourth fewest in the NFL, according to roster analysis by The Buffalo News. The league average was 51 games lost to injury by starters.’

‘”Any time you can get out there and you can support your local community, wherever it may be, I think is a really fulfilling thing,” offensive coordinator Brian Daboll said. “As a staff, I know among coaches, the support that we have as an organization from the people around this area is important. This is obviously just a very small gesture of appreciation, but any time you can do that, I think it’s important.”‘

‘Long, 28, spent the 2018 season with the New York Jets, with whom he started all 13 games in which he played at center and left guard. Last March, the Jets signed him to a four-year, $28 million contract. However, they decided to release Long on Feb. 5 after watching him struggle, thanks in part to a finger injury that impacted his snapping, and not wanting to pay a $3 million bonus he was owed three days after Super Bowl LIII.’

‘Williams’ role will be similar to the one set for retired Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Joe Thomas. He will be joined by the NFL Network’s Shaun O’Hara in providing analysis of the on-field drills for offensive linemen on March 1.’