Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘On an unusually sunny spring day in Orchard Park, elected officials, construction workers and Bills staff looked on as a black and gray beam with the words Buffalo Bills sandwiched between two Bills logos slowly made its way up over and into the top of the new stadium to the sound of the ‘Shout’ song.’

‘Playing in Buffalo’s favor is that the draft community consensus is that this is a deep defensive tackle class, and first-year starters or key contributors can be found on Day 2 in the second and third rounds. Here are five players who could be good fits as the Bills try to find the eventual replacement for one-technique DT DaQuan Jones.’

‘“I feel like I can do it all,” Nolen continued. “Aaron Donald did it all at the highest level. I’m a younger, upcoming version of Aaron Donald. I just can’t wait to show everybody that when I get this opportunity I’m being blessed with.”’

‘“Talked to my family, talked to my village,” Harmon said at the NFL scouting combine on his decision to leave Michigan State. “They told me to just pray on it, and that’s what I did. I just prayed on it and that was the best decision for me. I feel like it was the best fit for me. It was a hard decision because I went 2,000 miles away from Michigan. That was probably the hardest decision that I’ve had to make, but I had to make it for my future.”

‘I certainly can’t argue with the logic because everything about Grant screams Buffalo. At 6-foot-4 and 331 pounds, he is exactly the type of player the Bills need in the soft and undersized middle of their defensive line, but it just feels like it would be an upset if Grant were still sitting there in the late hours of Thursday night, April 24, when it’s time for the Bills to finally go on the clock.’

‘“Well, that’s a point of emphasis for us, like it is probably for most teams, building a defensive line to where we need to have it,” McDermott said. “That’s a position we value greatly.”’

‘According to Spotrac.com, this deal makes Benford the 13th-highest paid corner in the league based on average salary at around $19 million per season.’

‘Production for the Buffalo-based movie will start later this year and the entirety of the movie will be filmed in and around the Queen City, including Highmark Stadium, according to a news release. Bills fans won’t have to wait long to see the final product, either, as it will premiere during this year’s Hallmark Channel Countdown to Christmas.’

‘The Bills already have a playoff-caliber roster and Beane augmented it by signing eight free agents from outside the organization and re-signing four from within through Tuesday, but there are still positions that must be upgraded in the draft which begins almost exactly one month from now.’

‘Like all running backs, Cook is fighting the new order in the NFL, one that has devalued the position to the point where in terms of franchise tags, if a team were to place one on a running back in 2025, the pay would be $13.6 million for that one season. That’s the second-lowest tag number ahead of only a special teams player which is $6.3 million.’

‘This move cut Milano’s 2025 cap hit to $12.8 million and opens approximately $3.6 million in cap space which the Bills need as they are trying to get their newest free agent contracts to fit inside the $279.2 million bubble.’

‘One player who is due a contract extension is the one remaining starter on the outside, Christian Benford, and the reason that hasn’t gotten done yet is because it’s going to be costly.’

‘Elam’s style of play never fit Sean McDermott’s system and the coaching staff was never able to get him to adapt, and there were rumors that former defensive backs coach John Butler never really had faith in Elam.’

‘No, it’s not, and the situation has put the Bills in a challenging spot because the No. 1 area Beane needed to upgrade was the defensive line. In that effort, he has done so with a former superstar in Joey Bosa who has struggled to stay healthy for half of his nine-year career, and two players who won’t be able to play until Buffalo’s seventh game.’

‘However, this is merely a move to make sure the Bills have a veteran who knows this system to battle for a backup job. Christian Benford is locked in as one starter, and the Bills absolutely need to either sign a starting-level veteran free agent, or spend either a first- or second-round draft pick.’