Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘Kroft is a former third-round pick of the Bengals in 2015. During his four years in Cincinnati he started 35 of 51 games and caught 67 passes for 661 yards and eight touchdowns.’

‘So it goes in the NFL’s two-day legal tampering period where hopes rise and fall by the minute. If you thought the overnight rollercoaster ride that was the Antonio Brown to Buffalo saga was pulsating, welcome to the start of free agency.’

‘“You want to make sure you’ve got the young quarterback, or any quarterback, protected,” McDermott said, referring to tight ends who can block. “If you start there and start building out from there, the tight end is an important position for a quarterback. You see how that helps a young quarterback whether he becomes a security blanket, he can turn a 5-yard completion into a 15-yard gain. Obviously, the work on third down and in the red zone, I think it goes without saying how important the position is.”’

‘The tweet storm that raged through the night — those memes depicting the look on Brown’s face when the Florida native learned the Steelers dealt him to a city even farther north than Pittsburgh that’s in a rebuilding mode — sure were hilarious.’

‘Wide receiver, as we all know, has to be a priority, even in the wake of both Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott saying at the combine that they don’t really believe in the concept of a No. 1 receiver.’

‘The overhaul up front is the most important activity the Bills will undertake between now and the start of training camp. Quarterback Josh Allen needs to be better protected, and if McCoy is still on the team on opening day, he needs linemen who can open holes because he has lost some of his burst and elusiveness.’

‘The Buffalo Bills have pressing needs at offensive line, wide receiver, tight end and edge rusher. Here’s a look at some of the players national publications think the Bills could choose in the first round of the NFL draft in April.’

‘He went on to say that he really enjoyed the Bills fans, and that was part of why he wanted to return. “If you want to have a college environment with a rowdy crowd where everyone loves you, this is the place to be.”’

‘Metcalf did 27 reps on the bench press, which tied for the most among wideouts with Arizona State’s N’Keal Harry and was more than all but 12 of the offensive linemen. In fact, only two other receivers going back to 2006 have ever done 27 reps, North Carolina’s Greg Little in 2011 and Brooks Foster in 2009.’

‘Not surprisingly, that tidbit got a lot of attention in western New York. But it also caught the ear of Saturday Night Live writers, who turned it into a Weekend Update joke.’

‘“It always starts with who the person is, you have to be able to check that box first,” McDermott said Wednesday in his first public comments about Dorsey. “So obviously firsthand experience working with Ken and who he is, the great family he has around him. You start there and go to the other parts of it. The overlap, his work with Cam Newton. There’s similarities (to Allen) between what Cam brings to the table in some ways with the athleticism, the mobility, the size, there’s certainly some parallels.”’

‘“We’ve got some guys that are free agents that we could bring back, but you’re right, if all of them left, we could have two to three holes,” general manager Brandon Beane admitted. “We’ve done our homework. We’ll see what happens in free agency. We’ll try and make sure we add a couple of those back if it’s not those same guys, other guys that are coming from other teams. And then the draft. We’re focused on those guys. I think there is depth on the line as well and I think we’ll be able to find some value.”’

‘When it all came to a head in the first round of the 2018 draft, Beane maneuvered his way up to the No. 7 spot and it was there where he selected Allen. Allen now goes into 2019 entrenched as the starter, and Matt Barkley and Derek Anderson are already signed up to be the backup and mentor, respectively, so Beane and his staff can turn their focus to the other positions of need on the roster, of which there are several.’

‘“The tight end is an important position for a quarterback,” McDermott said. “Being around a couple good tight ends in my history, both in Philadelphia and Carolina, namely in Chad Lewis and then in Greg Olsen, you see how that helps a young quarterback whether he becomes a security blanket, he can turn a five-yard completion into a 15-yard gain. Obviously, the work on third down and in the red zone, I think it goes without saying how important the position is.”’

‘What the combine provides coaches such as Sean McDermott and general managers such as Brandon Beane is the chance to gauge and compare the players in a similar environment. Everything is the same in Indianapolis — same watches timing the 40-yard dash and the cone shuttle, same 225-pound bar on the bench press rack, same benign indoor conditions for the quarterbacks to throw and receivers to run routes and catch, and, most importantly, it’s the same, unbiased medical experts examining the players.’