WGR

‘Guard Vlad Ducasse is still under contract, but he’s clearly not a certainly to even be on the opening day roster, much less in a starting spot. So where can the help come from in this year’s free agent class? Here are some options the team may consider and how they might or might not fit the Bills in 2019…’.

‘The Bills now only have Jason Croom and Logan Thomas under contract at the tight end position. Thomas, however, is a restricted free agent.’

‘To say the Bills are not the Patriots is the understatement of the sports century. You can hold yourself as a disciplined outfit, and I suppose also find players who would consider that appealing, but if you don’t have wins to show for it, what are those players buying into?’

‘Considered by many to be the best free agent tight end available, Cook is coming off a big year, catching 68 passes for 896 yards and six touchdowns. At 6’ 5”, 254 pounds, he’s always had the measurable and ability to be a standout at the position. But he’s already been on four teams in ten years, probably because he’s never really had the kind of season he did last year and had too many dips in production along the way.’

‘According to NFL insider Adam Caplan, Long’s deal is worth $13 million, but he has the possibility of earning $15 million overall.’

‘Here are 10 wide receivers whose contracts are set to expire who may be targets for the Bills, and my feelings on each…’.

‘The letter also reiterated something he has said since his arrival less than two years ago – that the team will continue to focus on drafting, developing, and re-signing its own players. It said that he realizes the team has needs in all three phases, and also stated that now that their salary cap situation is extremely healthy, they will be “active, but calculated” in this year’s free agent market.’

‘The Fanduel Sportsbook in New Jersey has put together their early odds for who will be the Super Bowl champ in 2019. Put them on the list of who’s counting against the Bills in 2019. They have the Bills tied for the worst Super Bowl odds at +15000. The Arizona Cardinals are also at the bottom with the same odds.’

‘Chad Hall has been promoted to receivers coach. Hall has been on the Bills’ staff for the last two seasons as an offensive assistant, mainly working with receivers. Hall worked closely with Robert Foster and Cam Phillips last season and will replace Terry Robiske, who is now the running backs coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Similar to Dorsey, Hall spent some time in the NFL, playing for Philadelphia, San Francisco and Kansas City over four seasons.’

‘The 63-year old Culley joined the Bills in 2017 as part of head coach Sean McDermott’s initial staff, coming from Kansas City where he was the Chiefs Assistant head coach and wide receivers coach.’

‘The Bills have had just two long snappers in the last 10 years. Reid Ferguson took over for Garrison Sanborn in 2016, after Sanborn spent eight seasons here in Buffalo.’

‘It’s possible they could still grab that offensive lineman in the second round, given how much lower he is on their board, giving them one of the ten best prospects in the draft and still addressing that need later with a player they like. But if they take that lineman at nine, they’ve given up any opportunity to take one of the top players in the draft just to fill a current hole with a much less thought-of prospect.’

‘Hughes has been a very good player for the team since arriving in a trade prior to 2013. He’s stayed healthy, not missing a single game in his six seasons with the club. He’s averaged 5.5 sacks over the last four years, but is now five years removed from his last double-digit sack season. The Bills already need to find a premiere pass rusher and Hughes will be 32-years-old before the 2021 season kicks off, which means that position should be on the table no matter what already. If they grab one early-on, it would give the team a lot more options on what to do with Hughes, knowing they already have a young pass rusher in the pipeline.’

‘“I’m always going to be emphatic about that,” he said. “I know people say, ‘well last year you needed a quarterback and you drafted one.’ Well, my answer to that would be, ‘we didn’t draft him at 21. We moved up to where we thought we had to get to do that.’ If we had stayed at 21 and just taken whatever quarterback was left then, that would have been drafting for need. We’re at nine and we’re going to take the best player, offense or defense, and we’ll continue to do that rounds two, three, and beyond.’

‘“It’s weird,” Beane said. “This year we’re in the top ten and we don’t need to be. It’s funny how it all works out, but it’s nice to be able to focus a little more of our energy all the positions.”’