Olean Times Herald

‘Of the 70 players on the roster from last season — including injured reserve and the practice squad — only 53 remain. However, he added a surprising 18 in free agency and, after this weekend, eight more via the draft.’

‘That is to say, with Beane and coach Sean McDermott cleansing the Buffalo roster of the selections made by former GM Doug Whaley, excluding what happened this weekend, only 11 of the 53 returning players were Bills’ draftees, by far the lowest percentage in the NFL.’

‘“I feel like it’s a long time coming,” Oliver said of the 2019 draft. “I feel like I could have played in the league after my freshman year. It’s just another waiting game. I had to play two more years before I was able to come out.”‘

‘But they got their man, Cody Ford, the top-rated guard in this year’s lottery — who many mock drafts tabbed as a first-rounder — with the 38th pick, which Buffalo acquired via trade with Jacksonville. The Bills sent their pick at No. 40, plus one of their two fifth-round choices (No. 158 acquired from Oakland in the A.J. McCarron trade) to the Jaguars to leapfrog Tampa Bay at 39, which was in the market for an quality offensive lineman with eight already having been selected, two tackles in the three picks before the trade up.’

‘He added, “Ed Oliver is going to come in and earn everything he gets … he’s a good player that plays hard, brings his lunch pail and fits the way we play on the field. The thing that stands out is how quick he is at the line of scrimmage. You can feel his energy … his juice … his competitive nature, he wants it. That hunger is that critical piece we look for.”’

‘“We knew it was going to be close,” Beane said, though, the Bills were optimistic that Oliver would fall to them. “The other thing you worry about is somebody trading up (past you). But we stayed patient. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t … but it worked this time”.’

‘In short, general manager Brandon Beane already has a 72-player roster and, over the next three days will add 10 more via the draft unless he makes a trade.’

‘“Let’s say it’s the third round,” Beane said. “We’re pick No. 74. If we’re getting close to our pick … five or six away, and we’ve got a guy rated high in the second round and he’s sticking out like a sore thumb and we’ve done our due diligence, our board is telling us, ‘Let’s try and go get this guy.’ We think he’s significantly better than the player, if he’s gone, than the one we’d be choosing from the rest of our (third-round-rated) guys.’

‘“YOU TRY and let the board to fall (as you imagine it will),” Beane said. “We make every scout the GM of a team and our pro (player specialists) go through what we see their team needs are. Obviously, you’re not necessarily supposed to draft for need, but teams still do it. At that point, you start looking to see where need and skill level fit.”‘

‘“There’s a lot of teams, over the years, that have put talent in the locker room, but haven’t been able to develop that talent or bring them together. No. 1, the challenge is on our players to get together and for us to get to know them, and then also for us to do different things to try and build that team, that bond, that chemistry that so embodies good teams.”’

‘That’s significant because, based on the schedule, Buffalo fans, who can acquire tickets, can comfortably drive to five of the Bills’ eight road opponents.’

‘Given Western New York’s eroding population and slipping economy, taking on the financial burden of a new facility – even with New York state, Erie County and the Pegulas combining resources – makes no sense.’

‘But while Owens never met a camera or microphone he didn’t like, and occasionally complained he wasn’t getting thrown to enough — which most every pro wideout does — you never saw him throwing Gatorade coolers on the sidelines, arguing with assistant coaches, bad-mouthing his quarterback, skipping meetings or stiffing his team in a game vital to its playoff run.’

‘Currently, Buffalo has eight unrestricted free agents and figure to sign only one of them for sure, but possibly three.’

‘It can be argued that no NFL head coach since the 1970 merger has been more underappreciated for his performance in that role than Marv Levy’s successor in Buffalo.’