billsfan89

The Chiefs added Ragland for 2018, that's why they gave up a pick in 2018 knowing that Ragland was likely going to "Redshirt" the 2017 season. This year for Ragland is a wash, I wouldn't be surprised if he gets IR'd. The Chiefs were smart to take flyer on Ragland while he still had 3 years left on his rookie deal. The Chiefs can have Ragland learn the system and culture this year while getting his knee to 100%. Then in 2018 he can take over for the older players they have at MLB.

The Bills are either soft tanking or competitively rebuilding. Lets look at the big free agents they let go. 1- Gilmore- No doubt the Pats* over paid Gilmore but Gilmore was a good player at a premium position. Gilmore is the 8th highest paid corner in the league at 13 million a year. That's a bit over an overpay as I would rank Gilmore somewhere in the 15-23 range at corner. Ideally he would be paid somewhere between 9-10 million per-year. But he hit the market at the right price and got paid. Also there is no word on if the Pats* offer was the highest or did he take a little less to go to a winning situation? If the Bills had to pay 15 million per-year to keep him I would have passed. But not overpaying a corner who might not be a fit for the system isn't a move intentionally getting worse. 2- Robert Woods- Woods is the 23rd highest paid receiver this year at 6.8 million per-year. He is nowhere close to being the 23rd best WR in the NFL and his production doesn't come close to justifying that level of pay. Overall this one was sensible to let him walk. This one was a smart move. 3- Mike Gillislee- I think Gillislee is a good back and I would have retained him. But this was a move more so born out of getting that draft pick and finding that you could replace a backup running back much easier than you can acquire an extra mid round pick. Then you have the big trades. No doubt the Bills got less talented players but that doesn't mean they will get less production. Jordan Matthews vs. Sammy Watkins - This is a clear downgrade in talent. But if Watkins can't stay on the field for more than 6 games and Matthews plays all 16 at a above average level then who is the more productive player? It is clear that long term the Bills don't want to risk their seasons on Watkins injuries and they don't want to be in a position to have to pay or franchise Watkins after 1 season if he stays healthy. Matthews will be much more affordable to sign long term and is in general more reliable. EJ Gains vs. Darby- Darby once again is much more talented but not exactly a fit for the system. Gains fits the scheme more. So once again the Bills might have a player that while not as talented will be much more productive. Reggie Ragland- Not a fit for the system at all and coming off an injury a 4th round pick was not a bad return at all. Overall I think the trade down draft day and the trades have made the Bills roster roughly about as competitive as it was before those trades but with the added benefit of having a boat load of draft picks to make a big move for a QB or simply build up the roster.

It would be interesting to see if the Colts somehow got the number 1 pick how they would approach it. Luck is still very young but if you could get from the Bills lets say hypothetically pick 10 (Bills 1st round pick) pick 24 (Chiefs 1st round pick) pick 42 (Bills 2nd round pick) pick 74 (Bills 3rd round pick) and the Bills 2019 1st for Luck would you do that? Would you take a QB 1st overall and then have 2 more 1st round picks and an additional 2nd and 3rd to build around that young QB and pocket a additional 1st the next year? Or would you take those loaded picks for pick number 1 and use those picks to rebuild around Luck? It would make more sense to build around Luck since he is a much more known entity and still young but teams get enamored with QB's coming out of the draft sometimes. I would be concerned trading away a lot of that draft capital for Luck since Luck is dealing with a major injury and any team willing to trade away a young good QB is concerning. But if Luck were medically cleared I would do that trade in a heartbeat. That would still leave the Bills with a 2nd and 3rd round pick in the draft to add some young talent, it wouldn't be a complete bankrupt of draft choices.

If you draft poorly in the NFL you are !@#$ed anyway. Free agency is a good way to supplement needs but you can't build a sustainable window of winning with a bunch of high end free agency signings. A high volume of trades tend to not work out either. You can make a big splash trade now and again if you are close to winning and need a piece to get you over the top. In the end you have to build through the draft and the Bills have the picks to do so. I also think that the Bills haven't bagged this season all that much. Jordan Matthews and Gains may be less talented than Watkins and Darby but a healthy Jordan Matthews for 16 games is a much bigger contributor than Watkins over the course of 6. Gaines is a much better fit for the scheme than Darby too. So in a way they might be slightly better due to fit and health.

In 14 games he threw 21 times per game, that's extremely low . Yes his yards per-attempt were high but that was skewed by the fact that a lot of his throws were coming on third and long. The 2004 and 2005 Steelers played a style where they ran the ball on 1st, 2nd, and 3rd and short. They had Bettis and Duce Staley both rush for over 800 yard and 900 yards respectively. Big Ben ranked 28th in passing attempts in the league in 2004, they only had him throw when it was completely needed. That's not to say that Big Ben didn't make plays now and again but he definitely was a game manager his first two years in the league. In 2004 and 2005 his job with the Steelers was to simply not turn the ball over and convert a few third and longs now and again. It wasn't until 2006 that Big Ben would eclipse the 400 passing yard mark and even in that year he struggled throwing 18 TD's against 23 INT's. I think Big Ben became a real franchise QB in his 4th year in 2007 when he started to be counted on more and got more comfortable shouldering more of the offensive load. But I do think that Big Ben was definitely a case of a QB finding himself in a excellent situation where the team developed him slowly while the defense and surrounding talent was good enough to carry a weaker QB.

PFF Pre-Season I am sure can be skewed but it is a good sign to get a good grade on advanced metrics even if it is just pre-season.

Big Ben was more of a game manager his rookie year. He had a team that had one of the top 3 defenses in the NFL and a great rushing game. He even had a stacked receiving core with Burruss, Ward, and even Randle El. Big Ben didn't light it up that first year throwing for 2600 yards and 17 TD's to 9 INT's. The Steelers played more conservatively which suited their talent and Big Ben made a handful of plays when they needed him to. He was much more similar to Tyrod then Dan Marino early on in his career. I feel like Big Ben and Russell Wilson (Even Flacco to a lesser extent) are QB's who grew with a stacked team then developed by learning on the job so to speak. Big Ben was a game manager for his first 4-5 seasons in the NFL but made the big plays when it counted in the 4th. He gradually grew into the total package at QB Wilson was kind of the same way. I feel like people who think you can just draft a QB and then it solves all your problems are kind of right but QB is a position where development and good situations are needed. There are very few QB's who come out of college as number 1 picks and then light it up.

He will be lucky to be in the league as a backup in 2 years. I actually thought he would be a decent QB in the league. Maybe he still can be in the right situation but I doubt it. I think he will float around as a game manager backup QB type but won't ever even be in a starting QB competition.

I feel like Richardson has no interest in being with the Jets long term, the Jets also have Leonard Williams who will be requiring a big contract in a season or two and Mo Wilkerson who is a year into a big contract extension. So they can still have a good D-line without him and they get rid of a player who simply doesn't want to be there. Of course it is a down grade in talent but they helped their desperate WR core with Kearse and they got a pretty good pick to help facilitate a rebuilding process. I also like this trade for Seattle as they desperately needed a little help on defense if they wanted to be an elite unit and Richardson is certainly a good player (Although a bit overrated in my opinion.) Seattle gives up a pick but for a team in win now mode that pick is of less consequence and Kearse isn't much of a loss as he was never lighting it up with Seattle.

Dorsett is very interesting to me, I think that he could have a decent impact popping in a big play now and again. Kind of has a chance to be what Goodwin was last year but maybe stay on the field. I think that the Bills will find a WR on the wire. Elite players don't become available at this time of year but useful players can be had.

If he stays healthy and he refines his already polished skill set I think he can be a pro-bowl caliber player. He isn't an elite athlete but he certainly has enough athleticism to get the job done. But what really impresses me is his hands and route running. So many receivers get drafted very high with less than stellar fundamentals because they are freak athletes. But Jones is a good athlete with high end skills and fundamentals. Very polished out of the gate. However it is unfortunate that Sammy isn't here (In terms of development for Jones.) Without that front line receiver to take away the double teams Jones is going to see a lot of coverage his way. Which is going to hurt his chances and being productive.

This might be a case of Bills fans overvaluing other teams mediocrity. The reason he has moved around the Browns line so much the last two seasons and this off-season is because he hasn't really played all that well at any position.I am not so sure he would be any better than Miller who I think is not as bad as a lot of people here would believe. I would give up much more than a 7th or 6th round pick for this guy. I wouldn't trade anything much for a guy who has shuffled around the line of the Browns.

It's weird that Spikes fit somewhat well as an early down LB in Schwartz's system but seemingly Ragland a somewhat similar player didn't look like a fit in the current system. I wouldn't be opposed to bringing in Spikes if the depth on the roster is lacking or they feel he can be an early down player. But I just don't see it happening.

Hurns for a mid round pick would be a great move. Would certainly replace a lot of what was lost when Sammy was traded (Big Play threat and field stretching) but not so sure about Dial. Dial is coming off of a big injury and was productive but not dominant when he was at his best. Maybe a 2019 7th if they were to kick the tires on him. But a 2018 4th for Hurns would be a good move esp since he is young and can be a #2 WR when healthy and in the right situation.

I don't think that there will be another trade. But I do think that the Bills are going to take a look at filling a couple of roster spots with players cut from other teams on the final cut. I suspect that if a vet wide receiver is cut they will more than likely try to pounce.

Not the worst return a 4th round pick is nothing to sneeze at. Would have preferred a 2018 pick but oh well. I think people freaking out over "Helping" the Chiefs are being hyperbolic. Reggie at best can contribute to being a run thumper on early downs. Something that will have a limited impact. This is more of a long term move for the Chiefs who probably are eyeing Ragland to be a role player in 2018 than grow into a starter in 2019. Good luck to Reggie but always remember that the team that trades away the player is the team that knows him best. If he was never going to fit the system then you could do a lot worse than trading away a mid round pick for him.

I like Tyrod for this season and as a option to hold the QB position while a young QB incubates for a year or two. Having even a decent QB on a somewhat affordable contract is a luxury in the NFL. The Bills shouldn't be so quick to throw him away, we could be in a much worse spot at QB.

This a very narrow and unlikely trade scenario for the Bills. But being pre-season and the team coming off of two very controversial trades it has been fun to talk about trade speculation. If a team that had a similar style QB to Tyrod had their QB suffer a major season ending injury and they offered the Bills a good deal for Tyrod would you if you were the GM take it? To get more specific, Russell Wilson suffers a bad injury and will be out for the season. Seattle gets desperate and offers the Bills the same package of picks that Minnesota offered Philly for Sam Bradford. Seattle offers this trade package 2018 1st 2018 4th 2019 6th Do you take that deal? It would give the Bills 3 1st round picks and an additional 4th plus a late 2019 pick. That's a haul for a QB that might not be in the teams long term plans and was never much more than above average. I think you have to seriously consider it since there is not going to be a chance to take advantage of a teams desperate injury situation. But I also think that Tyrod is way better than any QB in recent memory and if the team drafts a QB having an established starter could be a luxury in terms of QB development.

There isn't a huge return for Shady. Maybe you get a 4th round pick in 2018 and a 5th round pick in 2019. No team is going to give up anything more than mid round picks for 29 year old running back with many years in the league. I would much rather keep him and try to be competitive this year. Tyrod I don't see a big market for unless a contending team with a similar style QB gets hurt. If a Russell Wilson or Cam Newton gets hurt then I can see a team getting desperate to salvage a season and trading a 1st and a mid rounder (It would have to play out similar to the Sam Bradford trade circumstances.) If you found yourself getting a Godfather offer for either player I think you consider it. But right now you shouldn't give away those players just to get something and tank. That's stupid and just foolish.

QB- Same (Slightly better depth) RB- Same (Slightly worse depth) OL- Same if Glenn is healthy but could be worse if Glenn is out FB- Same/who cares WR- Worse if Sammy was healthy but compared to last year potentially slightly better TE- Same DL- Better LB- Better Secondary- Way worse I think that the defensive scheme is much better suited for the talent but our secondary is way worse. The rookie and younger players in the secondary could struggle a lot. Overall I think the team will be better defensively and slightly worse offensively. Should win 7 or 8 games.

There is no team that is one running back away from the Super Bowl. So I don't see a big market out there for Shady. Like I said 2 mid round picks from a team like Green Bay or The Redskins is the return that makes sense to me. Contending teams that lack punch at the running back position might be willing to part with a 2018 4th and a 2019 5th to try and get 2 elite years out of Shady. Why bother !@#$ing up your season just for some fairly meaningless mid round picks. The only trade I see out there for Tyrod that would net an actual return would be if a contending team with a similar QB type (Seattle and Carolina come to mind) suffered a devastating injury at QB and they offered a similar haul to what the Eagles got for Sam Bradford. So if Cam Newton or Russell Wilson suffered a major injury I could see those teams willing to give up a 1st in 2018 plus 2 mid round picks for Tyrod. At that point I think you would have to consider it but that's an unlikely scenario.

If you can get a first round pick for Shady do it, he is a 29 year old running back (a position teams don't value) on a huge contract with a lot of years in the league. I think even if you get a second round pick offer you have to consider it because he is a 29 year old running back (a position teams don't value) on a huge contract with a lot of years in the league. But guess what there isn't a big offer coming because he is a 29 year old running back (a position teams don't value) on a huge contract with a lot of years in the league. The Eagles traded him for a promising linebacker coming off of a major injury when he was 27. Why would the Bills get anything more than mid round picks for Shady? So get rid of this notion that the team can get a "haul" for the player. I would rather hold onto him and try and keep this team competitive unless there is a Godfather offer that isn't coming. As far as Tyrod, why wouldn't you want an established veteran productive QB on the roster? He isn't a top 10 QB but have we forgotten how bad the QB position can be? Even if the Bills moved all in with the treasure chest of Picks on a QB, why wouldn't they want Tyrod for a year or two to take the hits while the team rebuilds the talent?

After the 2018 season is an eternity in the NFL. That's 2 draft classes and free agency signing periods where they can bring in potential replacements. Is suspect Groy will be the incumbent to Wood, and it is likely Miller will be resigned. Dawkins also looks to be a part of their plan for the line going forward. Glenn could also hold down that LT position for a few more seasons. I doubt they don't either sink money or picks into replacing any of these positions. The future of the O-line ain't as bleak as you are making it out to be.

He won't be playing against 2nd and 3rd string players in real games. That's a huge difference. Not saying Mahomes won't be good. But rather that I can't put too much stock into pre-season. With Alex Smith there he won't likely play much this year unless there is an injury or Smith is horrendous. Mahomes is a gun slinger type. He makes plays but he also makes bad decisions. I would relax before calling him the second coming of Bret Farve. Too much stock put into pre-season.

That sucks, I think he saw the Sammy trade and probably didn't want to put his body through one more NFL season to try and help a team go from 6 to 7 wins. I think his leadership and role on the field would have helped the team. It is unfortunate but I can't blame the guy. Hopefully the Bills can try and get a younger player with that roster spot.