Archives for March 2016

'Right now, the Bills 51st earner is LB Tony Steward at just under $556,000 (without knowing what Jim Dray’s deal is for). So, the next free agent or draft pick signed to a contract above that amount will only count for the amount of that deal minus $556,000 against the team’s overall cap.'

'Dray, 29, figures to have the inside track on the No. 2 tight end spot behind Charles Clay, who ranked second on the Bills with 51 receptions for 528 yards and three touchdowns.'

'"The thing that's not measured is what you have in here and what you have in here," said Williams putting to his head and heart. "And I've got plenty of that left to give. I want to see everything, every dream, every goal I've had since I've been here 10 years ago, I want to see it come true. We've got a great staff and we've got a lot of guys who believe in one another. So I'm going to give you what I've got until I can't and we'll figure that out together.'

'The college ranks don’t appear to offer much in the way of top-level receiving talent. You probably won’t find a whole lot of dynamic talent such as Sammy Watkins or Odell Beckham Jr. or Mike Evans in this group.'

'With Charles Clay, Nick O’Leary, and Chris Gragg on the depth chart, Dray would be a natural fit as the blocking tight end on running downs because neither Gragg nor O’Leary is proficient in that area. That was a role held most of the season by Matthew Mulligan before his release.'

'Dray is likely signing a cheap deal given that the Bills entered the day with a little more than $7 million in salary cap space. Both defensive tackle Kyle Williams and kicker Dan Carpenter re-structured their contracts to free up space for Buffalo. At this point, the Bills have money for only minor signings like Dray.'

'The 6-foot-5, 255-pound Dray has caught 56 passes for 605 yards and three touchdowns in 87 career games since the Arizona Cardinals drafted him in the seventh round in 2010.'

'The team also announced that free agent wide receiver Deonte Thompson was at OneBills Drive yesterday.'

'Georgia has several defensive prospects in the upcoming draft, including outside linebacker/edge-rusher Leonard Floyd, who many consider a possible first-rounder.'

'Williams was due a base salary of $6 million in 2016, and count $8 million against the team’s salary cap. He also had a $500,000 roster bonus due earlier this week. No details yet on if that was paid out or part of the re-done deal.'

'Dray, 29, spent the last two seasons with the Cleveland Browns serving mainly as a blocking tight end. At 6-5 and 255 pounds that’s expected to be his role in Buffalo in Greg Roman’s run-oriented attack.'

'Kerley (5-9, 188) is all too familiar to most of the Bills coaching staff. The former fifth-round pick spent his first four NFL seasons under Rex Ryan with the Jets. He was also coached by Bills receivers coach Sanjay Lal. Kerley led New York in receptions and receiving yards in 2012 and 2013 working a good deal out of the slot before his role was reduced under the club’s new coaching staff.'

'Boykin (6-2, 215) is one of the size additions to the receiving corps. He hasn’t been able to find an NFL home of late, but being a former college teammate of Tyrod Taylor at Virginia Tech provides him with a chemistry edge that other newcomers to the roster don’t have.'

'Eighteen years later, they're together again.'

'The shorter Kerley would be more of No. 3 slot receiver and had a down 2015 season with 16 receptions for 152 yards. But there would be a sense of familiarity in that the 5-foot-9, 188-pound receiver played his first four pro seasons under Ryan. The Jets released Kerley last week to save $1.3 million under the salary cap — he was used sparingly in offensive coordinator's Chan Gailey's offense.'