billsfan89

Personally my perfect off-season scenario would be a cap a bit higher than 180-185 million and closer to the 190-195 million range. That extra 10-15 million would help make it easier to retain talent. Generally speaking I hope they do the following moves under a 195 million dollar cap. Existing cap space under a 195 million cap 16.2 million Cut Lee Smith and Vernon Butler (Savings 9 million) Restructure Quinton Jefferson to 4.5 million (Savings 3.5 million) or cut Jefferson if he isn't willing to take a pay cut (Savings 6.5 million) Restructure the following players John Brown, Mitch, Addision, and Hughes to save about 3 million on each (Total savings 12 million) Convert some of Diggs, White and Dawkins base salary into a signing bonus (Savings 15 million) Those types of moves (assuming you keep Jefferson at a reduced rate) would give the Bills about 55 million in space to work with. Taking out the rookie pool and emergency money that leaves you with about 40 million to work with and you only lose Lee Smith and Vernon Butler (who is replaced by Star). Using that 35 million I hope they are able to make the following moves. Resign D.Williams 9.5 million aav Resign Milano one year 8.5 million deal (hoping he doesn't get the big offer he wants and takes a one year deal) Resign Mongo 5.8 million aav Resign Wallace, Ike and Bojo to their restricted tenders (not sure what their tenders are I will allocate 8 million to getting them done to deals) Resign Roberts one year 3 million (got to keep your return game stable) Resign Ty Nesh one year 2.75 million (keep depth on the oline) Resign T.Jones one year 1.75 million (special teams ace) Those resignings would eat up just about all of the useable cap space at 40 million but most key free agents would be retained only losses would be Mac, Kroft, Trent Murphy, TJ Yeldon, Norman, Brian Winters, Matt Barkley, and Dean Marlowe which in my mind is nothing to lose. Then you just have to hope that you can get those last few pieces you need via the draft. It isn't sexy but run back a good team and add to it via the draft.

Brown is a very good WR. A quality WR2. His issue is just staying healthy. Even being banged up this season if you added up his 8 starts and prorated them he would have produced about 900 yards and 6 TD's on 66 catches. Really solid numbers. 3 out of the past 5 seasons he has either missed significant time or had his play really impacted by injury. 2016- He played or was available to play in all 16 games but he battled hamstring issues all year and his production dipped. 2017- He missed 6 games outright and was not very effective in his 5 starts and 10 games played 2018- Pretty much stayed healthy with the Ravens 2019- First year with the Bills and he put together his best season as a pro. 2020- Missed 7 games outright and was banged up most of the seasons. Somewhat effective when he played but certainly less impactful. That's not a tragic injury history but Brown will be 31 in April and I am not sure if this team can justify a 9 million dollar cap hit on a guy that has a history of being banged up. I would love to see the Bills and Brown work out a restructure. Maybe give Brown 6-6.5 million guaranteed with 500k in incentives. That would free up 2-3 million in space and keep Brown in the fold for one more year.

I feel like they could have used a better picture of Josh. Him wearing a suit really makes his female doppelgänger look worse. Not saying Josh is Jimmy G or anything but they really picked the worst picture.

He made a lot of big plays. I can think of two games in 2019 where he made critical big time plays that may have been the difference in games. He also was the teams most consistent pass rusher. He was a flawed player because I do think his play contributed to the bad run defense in the middle of 2019. But once McD adjusted around his freelancing it worked really well.

I look forward to the Bills enjoying the Patriots cycle of players looking good for the Bills getting signed to inflated deals with other teams and then 2 years later being cut from those deals and signing back with the Bills on the cheap and producing at a high level again.

Would want a more dynamic player but if this staff like Knox to have a breakout then Rudolph could fill that Kroft role of established flex backup well. Would be a solid add on a one year deal to replace Kroft.

In a supposedly deep O-line class I would rather do my best to resign D.Williams and Mongo and draft a O-line player in round 3 to take over longer term for Mongo or D.Williams and provide short term depth/competition. Given that O-line play is rarely "plug and play" high up in the draft I wouldn't want to count on a rookie even a first rounder protecting Josh at a critical position esp if you have an established fairly young option at both positions.

Wouldn't mind brining him in on a cheap deal. Could be a Lorax type player. I just would still want to bring in another DE to help the pass rush in addition to him.

A lot of teams will want him as a mentor or get backup. But his days as a unquestionable starter are done as you said. Hope for his sake and all the work he put in that he hangs around as a high and back to another year or two, he deserves to be around the game.

The article is basically an old man yelling at a cloud type stuff. Yes social media is yet another pitfall for players to fall into. But social media also gives players a platform and a voice that can be used positively to interact with fans or get around bad media spin. It also allows the players to showcase their personality directly. It also allows players to shape their own narrative and not be bullied by the organization. The NFL has incorporated social media literacy and how to use social media responsibly as a public figure into the rookie transition program. So these players are made aware of how to use it. I think teams even offer their marketing agencies to run their accounts if they want to. If teams have to hire a few entry level staff to monitor their players social media so be it. But overall things aren't that bad as this article makes it seem.

That's my exact take on it. He has 9 sacks the last two seasons. He hasn't been a highly impactful player since 2018 when he had 16 sacks. He is 32 this upcoming season and while for a DE that's not tragic (DE's can reasonably play at a peak or close to peak level from ages 32-33) but given his injury history and his decline since his 2018 level I wouldn't want to commit anything more than 8-9 million on a one year deal. Unless he has been a better more disruptive player than his sack totals would indicate the past two seasons I just am not committing 15.5 million aav to this type of player.

The Rams have a top heavy roster and that’s ripe to be taken out by a moderate amount of injuries. I think they are a good team but their lack of depth is going to be a big vulnerability. The Niners can be good but that QB situation can sink them. Seattle is tough but not a juggernaut either.

Not sold on the 49ers, their QB situation isn’t that great. The Rams have a lot of issues and lack depth, also not really sure if they have the right QB. Seattle if Wilson stays is tough but not a juggernaut. Overall that division isn’t this beast many here are making it out to be in my opinion. It is a good division but not insurmountable.

He will have to comfort himself with his big pile of money.

JJ got a nice payday from AZ much bigger than the Bills or another team like the Steelers could offer. I can’t blame the guy for taking the money and a situation where the team may not be a clear contender but they should be competitive. In the NFL your window to make money is short and a 15.5 million dollar a year deal at his age and productivity is insane. Glad the Bills won’t be signing him, would rather trade for or draft a younger DE. AZ isn’t a slouch team, they should push for 10 wins. But even adding JJ they aren’t a serious contender unless Murray hits bigger than expected. Still can’t blame a guy for taking one last big pay day and getting a shot at making the playoffs

If this draft is deep at OT I would rather Beane fill the position short term with Williams the next 3-4 years and then draft an OT in rounds 3-5. Because if a draft is deep at a position then you are better off getting value at that position later on as opposed to creating a hole at a critical position.

Getting old is weird and sucks (although it beats the alternative). Although Jennings did stick around through 2004 but played LT from 2002-2004. But yes the RT position has been mostly putrid partly due to lack of investment at times from 2009 to 2013 they didn't do anything significant at the position and then from 2015-16 and again in 2018 they seemingly were find with Mills for some reason. Every off-season from 2009 to 2019 I had listed RT as a big time need and so many years they just wouldn't address the position. It also doesn't help that Mike Williams and Cyrus were big time busts. In 2014 I was super stoked that they drafted Cyrus in round 2 to finally fix the RT position. Even though Cyrus was a bust it was good to see them attempting to fix the position with significant resources. Then in 2017 they drafted Dawkins in round 2 to try and anchor the position but he had to be shipped over to the left side due to Glenn's continued injuries. So once again an attempt to fix the position was appreciated. Then in 2019 they signed Ty a respectable veteran and drafted Ford high up in round 2. They then didn't stop in 2020 as after mixed returns on the Ty/Ford combo they signed D.Williams to toss into the mix and hit on that big. One thing I like about McBeane is that they seem to understand where the weak points of the roster are and they do what they can to address them esp when cap space or draft assets are there to.

The Bills need to treat Allen like the franchise player he is especially if he duplicates his 2020 success in 2021. He is by all accounts the exact type of leader you want and the type of player you want to hand the keys to the franchise too (much like the Texans should have with Watson) and his play in 2020 certainly justifies it. I think getting lucky to keep Daboll for one more season is only going to help Josh with continuity and with the Bills planning an heir apparent for Daboll.

That's my philosophy. I look at a lot of successful teams and many draft O-line and D-line/pass rushers consistently high up. Baltimore, Philly, Steelers, Patriots, and teams that generally speaking have a lot of success are consistently investing picks high up in the trenches. My issue wouldn't be drafting O-line or D-line but mainly drafting an unproven O-line player because this team let an about to be 29 year old RT coming off of a great season walk. No reason to have a need to plug a hole. It also makes it harder to justify spending draft capital there because offensive linemen sometimes take a few years to develop and the Bills can't afford a learning curve. I would much rather resign D.Williams and Mongo and use pick 30 on the D-line.

I can't honestly think of the last time this team had a good RT before Williams this season. Maybe Langston Walker or Peters over a decade ago? This team can find LT's so much easier than RT's which is baffling. Looking up on Pro-Football Reference the Bills lineup history and cross referencing it with my memory and this list since 2001 is a sad sack of players at the position. For 9 straight seasons from 2009-2018 this team simply couldn't find even an average RT. Don't let a good one go if you can. 2019- Combo of Ford and Ty not tragic but Ford was up and down and Ty was average at best. Definitely the best the RT position had looked in a decade. 2016-2018- Jordan Mills, they tried to replace him with Dawkins in 2017 but Glenn got hurt. Capable run blocker but terrible pass blocker 2014-2015- Seantrel Henderson- From what I remember he was below average and struggled with a medical issue. 2011-2013- Erik Pears- I remember him similar to Mills as being a capable run blocker but horrid in pass protection. 2010- Mansifeld Wrotto - Who I have no recollection of but he must have been terrible as he was cut the year after. 2009- Kirk Chambers - I remember how terrible he was. 2007-2008- Langston Walker - This might be the only better than average player on this sad list who played more than one season. And even Walker wasn't a Pro-Bowl caliber player here. 2006- Terrance Pennington - No idea who this was but apparently he started 9 games at RT that season. Cut the year after and didn't catch on. 2005- Jason Peters - Definitely the last time this team had a Pro-Bowl caliber player at the position. Quickly was moved over to the left side. 2002-2004 Mike Williams - Showcasing that despite the high draft pick at the position this team still wasn't able to find a good player there. 2001- Jonas Jennings - A good player, much like Peters in 2005 he got moved over to LT after over performing at RT.

Never hate to see Oline as a high pick but I would hate to see D Williams leaving be the reason one is taken high

24 million dead cap would be foolish. As for the Bills if the cap isn't a big issue I could see them biting for pick 30 and maybe a conditional 3rd in 2022. But if the contract has to be reworked to accommodate a larger hit for the Bills than it jams up both draft and cap resources for a position that is kind of a luxury and might not be a strong need for the Bills.

The Bills in 2013 were in such a horrid place. It was a terrible QB draft and there weren't even a lot of vets in the market via trade. The Bills at least had the decency to trade down a bit to accrue some picks before taking EJ.

I know a lot of people are clamoring for the Bills to take an O-line player high. But my preference would be to try and retain Mongo and D.Williams (and Ty on a one year deal for depth) and draft in rounds 4-6 a O-line for depth and to take over for Mongo 3 seasons from now. And while I am never one to shy away from high draft picks along the O-line I think Anderson is the exact type of player that would fit the type of prospect that could be a good value in round 4-5. Ideally I would like to go with a swing tackle that can kick in but an OG/C combo isn't bad depth either.

CMC is going to be 25 this year in June which even for a RB is young but not only is he on a huge contract but if the Texans trade Watson they are looking at a 3 year rebuild around a rookie QB drafted this season or next. So by the time the Texans possibly are in contention CMC is 28 and that's towards the end of a RB's prime. I think the Texans would rather get additional draft compensation so that they can build with players who will be in the middle of their primes 3-4 years from now. Granted I have no clue what you can get for CMC. Stafford went for two firsts and Jamal Adams went for two firsts. CMC was a pro-bowl player in 2018 and a MVP type player in 2019. But he is coming off of a banged up 2020 and plays a non-preimum position and on a big contract. I suspect if they are shopping CMC they could at least get a late first that they could add to a Watson package.