Niagara Gazette

‘A smile and engaging personality catapulted Simpson to stardom no Buffalo athlete has ever experienced, parlaying a career of running through defenses to running through the airport in a national Hertz car rental commercial, while working as an analyst on Monday Night Football and the NFL on NBC. And then all of that was washed away on June 12, 1994.’

‘For close to 10 months, in 1995, as a reporter for WIVB TV/News4Buffalo, I spent an average of 60 hours a week chronicling Simpson’s trial for the slashing murder of his estranged wife and a restaurant waiter. It had been dubbed the “Trial of the Century” (though truth be told it was more the “Trial of the Second Half of the Century,” proceeded in 1935 by the trial of Bruno Richard Hauptmann, the accused Lindbergh baby kidnapper).’

‘Perhaps the Bills take a step back this season and reach the playoffs as a wild-card, but once a team gets into the tournament, anything can happen. The Giants in 2007 and 2011, the 2012 Ravens, the 2020 Buccaneers and 2021 Rams are all examples of teams that weren’t expected to do much damage but got hot in the playoffs and won the Super Bowl.’

‘What the Bills currently have is a chance to craft a more diverse offense, and although Diggs was an elite receiver for the Bills, both he and Davis lined up split wide more than 70% of their snaps in Buffalo. The three top receiving threats remaining — Dalton Kincaid, Curtis Samuel and Khalil Shakir — all played more than 50% of their snaps out of the slot last season.’

‘Diggs, 30, caught 445 passes for 5,372 yards and 37 touchdowns over four seasons in Buffalo after being acquired from the Minnesota Vikings for a first-round pick in 2020. He is the only player in franchise history with four consecutive 1,000-yard receiving and 100-catch seasons.’

‘While Diggs caught 100 passes per season and the team was ascending, it was easy to overlook his eccentricities, his brooding and vague messaging on social media. But over the last year, the drama increased and the production declined, making Wednesday’s trade to the Houston Texans inevitable.’

‘The Bills don’t currently have the resources to make such a move, nor can they risk future resources for such an impulsive decision. Perhaps they could move up into the middle of the first round if the fourth option, LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr. shoots up draft boards, but history says trading up for a receiver at any point in the first round isn’t a fruitful endeavor for any team seeking to make or win a Super Bowl.’

‘The also Bills officially announced the signing of Austin Johnson Thursday to be the primary backup for DaQuan Jones, Williams fits more into the role of Ed Oliver’s backup at 3-technique. A chunk of his career has been spent in 3-4 defenses, where he has flipped between defensive end and defensive tackle, but 57% of his career snaps have come as 3-technique defensive tackle, where he’s more likely to play in Buffalo’s four-man front.’

‘Buffalo, like most teams, have kept special teams-only players on the roster like linebacker Tyler Matakevich and cornerback Siran Neal. Two years ago, running back Taiwan Jones played on the team in two stints over five seasons as a special teams ace. More than 75% of Neal’s career snaps came on special teams since being drafted by the Bills in 2018. After signing with Buffalo in 2020, Matakevich appeared in every game, playing 1,490 snaps and only 2.8% came on defense, while only five of Jones’ 820 snaps from 2020-2022 came on offense.’

‘“I think we’re a work in progress roster wise when you look at it,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said Monday at the NFL owners meetings. “… We’re not content with being where we are and you’ve constantly got to reinvent yourself, evolve both schematically and roster-wise, trying to stay ahead of it. When people want you to zig, you zag and I think that’s the importance of evolving in this situation.”’

‘Johnson will turn 30 years old in May and has made 241 tackles and eight sacks over eight NFL seasons with the Titans, New York Giants and the last two with the Los Angeles Chargers. At 6-foot-4, 314 pounds, Johnson has started all 42 games played over the last three seasons.’

‘The Bills announced Edwards signed a one-year deal with the team Wednesday after winning Super Bowls with the Chiefs and Buccaneers during his five-year career. But Edwards has been a full-time starter once in his career and it led to a one-year, $3 million contract with the Chiefs last season.’

‘PSLs are something fans purchase in order to eventually purchase season tickets. The Bills have more than 60,000 season ticket holders and thousands more on a waiting list, but the PSL numbers have not been released, which could impact who follows through on season tickets.’

‘Seven of Buffalo’s 12 signings during free agency have been re-signings. They also gave Pro Bowl tackle Dion Dawkins a three-year extension to free up cap space, while giving All-Pro cornerback Taron Johnson a three-year, $31 million extension Monday that should create more than $4 million in salary cap space. Meanwhile, two key players with a year left on their contracts are now signed through 2027.’

‘Each offseason since being drafted in the fourth round in 2018, Johnson rarely had to question who was going to start alongside him. Four of Buffalo’s five starting defensive backs on opening day last year had been with the team since 2018, but now he’s the last man left.’