Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘Friday during the interview sessions with receivers and tight ends, several players confirmed they have met with the Bills this week including wideouts Zay Flowers of Boston College, Jordan Addison of USC, North Carolina’s Josh Downs and Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and tight ends Darnell Washington of Georgia and Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer.’

‘Logically, it tracks that Tre’Davious White and Elam – who came on at the end of his rookie season, partially because he wasn’t sharing snaps with Benford – will be the starters at cornerback. And the Bills will probably try to re-sign Dane Jackson as a restricted free agent, though it’s possible they could lose him. If Jackson returns, that makes for a crowded situation at boundary cornerback, so moving Benford might make sense.’

‘If the Bills are going to add a tight end, the decision on who it would be will hinge on what traits they’re looking for. Do they want someone who can run routes and make plays in the passing game similar to Knox, or do they want someone who can serve as a sixth offensive lineman in the run game?’

‘“So last week was kind of a week that we gave everyone off in the office, coaches were away, and so during that time Leslie reached out and just talked through some things,” general manager Brandon Beane said at the NFL Scouting Combine. “Ultimately, he didn’t want to retire. He’s not there in his mind but he just wanted to take a step back. The way we left it is he’s gonna take 2023 off, but talking to him, he has full plans to return to coaching in 2024.”’

‘Here’s the thing about Davis: After not facing elite competition in college playing for Central Florida, he came to Buffalo and did a nice job assimilating to the NFL in his first two seasons, especially in a secondary role amid a veteran receiving corps that at various times included Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley, John Brown and Emmanuel Sanders.’

‘However, Singletary was a functional player for pretty much his entire four-year tenure with the team and he brought a notable consistency to the position. He rarely gave the Bills the type of explosive plays you’d love to see from a running back, but he was a solid producer who averaged 4.7 yards per rushing attempt, caught a few balls in the pass game, and the Bills weren’t afraid to leave him in as a pass protector.’

‘Ideally, the Bills need to find a true No. 2 starter opposite Stefon Diggs and return Davis to the role of No. 3 man on the depth chart. And forget about free agency because that type of player will cost too much.’

‘And if you want to connect a potentially interesting dot to dot, among several stops, Henry was receivers coach and passing game coordinator at LSU while Odell Beckham Jr. was playing there, and he also coached Beckham during stints with the Giants and Browns.’

‘To sit in the general admission areas, the price will range from $550 to $1,850, averaging out at $1,038. The cost of the club packages will range from $2,045 to $5,105, with an average of $3,050. That’s for nine games total – one preseason and eight regular-season. Remember, one of the Bills “home” games will be played in London.’

‘There has been speculation that the Bills might consider moving Benford to safety. They did this with Siran Neal (2018) and JaQuan Johnson (2019) who were both drafted as cornerbacks. With Jordan Poyer probably gone, Damar Hamlin’s future uncertain, and Micah Hyde in the final year of his contract, there’s certainly a need and Benford’s size (6-1, 205) might make him an interesting candidate.’

‘Diggs has said that Hall is one of the best position coaches he has ever had, and Diggs has thrived in Buffalo with three straight 100-catch seasons. But in 2022, the receiving group as a whole underachieved. Davis struggled most of the season and failed to build on his record-breaking game in the playoff loss to Kansas City and Isaiah McKenzie did not take advantage of his opportunity to replace Cole Beasley as the primary slot receivers.’

‘There are other players the Bills would like to retain, most prominently safety Jordan Poyer and to a lesser degree, running back Devin Singletary, defensive linemen Jordan Phillips and Shaq Lawson, and maybe special teamers like Tyler Matakevich, Taiwan Jones and Jake Kumerow. But they pale in comparison to Edmunds, both in terms of what he means to the team, and what it will cost if they decide to bring him back.’

‘Jessica Pegula wrote about the family’s wishes to keep Kim’s medical condition private, and it was quite remarkable that until Tuesday, no one outside the family and perhaps their closest friends knew what had happened.’

‘Singletary is a free agent and it’s tough to imagine the Bills will re-signing him, and Hines might become a salary cap cut. If so, the Bills will turn to Cook as their lead back and then they’ll have to find someone – be it in the middle rounds of the draft or the lower tier in free agency – to be a productive backup.’

‘This season, forgetting for a moment the disaster that was the Bengals game, the defense played very well, especially when you consider the rash of injuries which diluted the unit from the very start. No Tre’Davious White until Thanksgiving and even when he returned, he wasn’t close to the Pro Bowl player he’d been.’