WGR

‘Taylor finishes his career in Buffalo being carried off the field in a playoff game in Jacksonville. In 42 starts, his record was 22-20. He also compiled over 10,000 total yards, 65 touchdowns, 16 interceptions, and a playoff appearance. Nathan Peterman now stands as the only quarterback on the Bills roster.’

‘He also did it without having to pay that $6 million, and at the same time clearing over $10 million in salary cap space for 2018.’

‘Unlike Davis and even Ivory, Odighizuwa will likely be brought in mostly for depth purposes behind defensive end starters Jerry Hughes and Shaq Lawson, as well as backups Eddie Yarbrough, Ryan Davis and Cap Capi.’

‘Richardson is exactly what the Bills lack in their offense – a down-the-field threat. He’s also been very good at contested catches. Only 26 years old in a few weeks, injuries hampered Richardson early in his career. But he’s missed only one game the last two seasons and really took a big step last year in Seattle, catching 44 passes for 703 yards for a whopping 16 yards per reception (9th in the NFL).’

‘In 2015, Ivory was selected to the Pro Bowl after a season where he ran for 1,070 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 games played, 14 of which he started for the Jets. The following offseason, he signed a three-year deal with the Jaguars, but was released by the team on February 23.’

‘Well, what caught my attention the most was the staff. [They are a] great staff, a playoff team. [I’m] just looking forward to building with these guys.’

‘Middle linebacker Preston Brown is a free agent. The Bills have said publicly they want him back, but indications are that they aren’t going to spend too much money to make sure that happens and are willing to let him go if he gets better offers elsewhere, which he most likely will.’

‘Jackson was the headliner of the day in Indianapolis. A report says multiple teams asked him to work out as a wide receiver. Jackson said today “I’m strictly a quarterback… Whoever likes me as a quarterback, that’s where I’m going.” He also dismissed possibilities of playing wildcat.’

‘So, when they leave Indianapolis and start setting up visits at their team facilities and getting ready to attend pro days, that’s when the real work begins for teams.’

‘Kelly was declared cancer free in 2014, but had been recieving routine screenings in the years since.’

‘”There’s a lot of criteria, it’s not one thing. Obviously, you’ve got the physical tools, but also the intangibles. I talk about the leadership, the smarts. How competitive is he? Do his teammates like him? Can he rally guys? What’s his personality, his work ethic? Does he understand how to be a leader? There’s just so many layers to the quarterback position because it is the one guy that is considered the coach on the field, or the closest thing to a coach on the field, and a lot more is expected in preparation for that position than any other position in probably any sport.”‘

‘“I do like my picks, you nailed that,” he said. “It’s one of those things where if you’re going to move up, especially in Round 1, it takes a lot. The higher you go it exponentially increases. So you have to feel good about what you’re doing and you can’t just go up there and ‘hey, we need a quarterback. We’re going to mortgage everything to go up there.’ We’ve got to know that we feel this guy is the guy and is worth the ransom, or whatever you want to call it, that it would take to move wherever you have to move to get a guy that you think fits your long term plan.”’

‘McDermott did, however, say that the team does not plan on releasing Taylor “at this point,” which still leaves the door open for that possibility later in the offseason. There’s been speculation the Bills will attempt to trade the QB before they have to pay him a $6 million roster bonus on March 16. Last week, NFL Insider Ian Rapoport reported that if they are unable to do that, Beane would be comfortable paying the bonus when evaluating the situation throughout free agency and the draft and keeping Taylor until they are sure they have secured a better option.’

‘“It’s hard because Preston had a good year for us and this is his chance to hit free agency and, like houses, you have to put a market value on them,” Beane told me during a one-on-one interview. “I’ve been in these situations where you thought you could bring your guy back, or thought you could get a guy, and all it takes is one team who really felt like that was a huge need for them and they overspend and go way up. So we’ll value that and we’ll hope to get Preston Brown back, but until the ink’s on the paper you don’t know if that’s going to happen or not.”’

‘Ivory, 29, spent the last two seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, running for 821 yards and four touchdowns in 25 games played. His best seasons came when with the New York Jets organization, where he spent three seasons there from 2013 to 2015. In his three years in the Meadowlands, Ivory ran for 2,724 yards, 16 touchdowns and averaged 59.2 yards per-game in 46 games.’