billsfan89

I'm giving credit to the entire brain trust that's put together a good roster prior to Josh and around Josh. Could it be better in some respects? Yes. But it this a 5 win team without Josh? No. I also think you craft a different roster when you draft in the mid 20's and lower year after year while also having a big chunk of your cap occupied by a QB contract. Without Josh this team also has a lot more cap space to spread around. When you have a QB on a massive contract that changes the complexion of the roster because Josh's 40-50 million cap number is a number that can produce 3-5 starters. Then of course you have the multiplier impact of drafting lower.

I noticed that in the thread, he also has cool nickname in Forrest Thump. Liking this signing, low risk high quality depth that could turn into a good effective starter.

From 2017 and the 5 games in 2018 without Josh the Bills have a 10-11 record (10-12 if you include the playoff game). Despite taking an enormous amount of dead cap in both seasons to clear the books of a lot of the Rex Ryan era bad contracts. A game or two below .500 in those circumstances seems to go against your argument. The first year McBeane took over they broke a 17 season playoff drought. But in year two they went 1-4 without their rookie QB on a roster that was clearing cap space so they are bad.

He was with the Ravens previously a reunion would make sense. Jets cleaning house which is what they need to do.

"Losing Record Without Josh" is just you trying to find a problem where there isn't one. Josh has since his rookie year played every single game. Yeah in his rookie season they have a losing record without him. You are just cherry picking an insanely small sample size that makes no sense. Taking out turnovers is insane, the Bills had a defense that made big plays, doesn't seem like a negative. If this team had Sam Darnold plus 20-30 million more in cap space to get a couple of extra pieces this team may not make the playoffs but I think they would win at least 9 games. Certainly even if you factored out the cap space I think this team with an average starter would win at least 8 games. Josh helps a lot but this team wouldn't win more than 8-9 games if the supporting cast was a 4-5 win team.

This team went 9-7 with Tyrod at QB. The team has a decent amount of talent outside of Josh. The team boasts a top 5 offensive line, a top 5-7 RB core, a top 5-7 TE combo, and an at worst above average defense. Yeah the defense could use a few more pieces and the WR core might need a piece but to act like if you put Sam Darnold on this team instead of Josh they would go 5-12 is just dishonest.

Bills don't like to restructure older players or players coming off of injuries. Ed will be 28 later this season and doesn't have a major injury history. Seems like a good bet for a restructure. The Bills have some other levers to pull to open up cap space. Knox, Milano, and Dawkins all could have their deals reworked and McGovern could be extended. I think they will pull the lever on Dawkins and possibly rework Knox's deal, I think with Milano they leave it be while also McGovern might get extended. I think the Bills will be fine cap wise they should have space to make a upper mid-level or lower type move at least.

5th for a 6th this year plus getting a 7th in 2026 is a solid return, seems like that amounts to a mid to late 5th rounder. Cowboys taking a chance on Elam a player whose a very good athlete and might just need a change of scenery. Win/win trade. Best of luck to Elam.

I hope Bishop locks down a spot. I think he looked a little shaky when he got some starts later in the season, but I think he started to look a lot better by the time the playoffs came around. I think his issue was just getting a better feel for the game and the more snaps he got the better he looked. I hope with the snaps he took and an off-season to work on it he locks down a starting spot. Forest/Rapp/Hamlin locking down the other spot I'm fine any of them. But considering how high of a pick he was and the potential he flashed Bishop not locking down a starting spot would be a disappointment. Ideally having Forest and Bishop with Hamlin as a reserve and Rapp flexing around as a "big nickel" seems to make the most sense.

Hamiln plays Special Teams, so if Forest takes a starting job and puts Hamlin on the bench there's still a role for Hamlin.

I don't think the Bill draft needs have changed that much. Maybe they are less "desperate" with the work they have done in free agency but they still need the following and that's not much different than what they entered into free agency needed. Top Needs requiring early picks D-Line youth/depth/development - Bosa and Larry O are nice additions as is Hoecht but Bosa and Larry O (as well as D.Jones) are injury prone and older. Plus AJE is on the last year of his deal. The Bills don't have much in the way of players on their rookie deals. Carter and Solomon are the only rookie deal players on the defensive line and those guys aren't exactly high end prospects. Bills luckily are in a good draft class for defensive line. I would expect the Bills spend 2 out of their first 3 picks along the D-line. I think finding a big run stuffing DT plus a high end edge prospect in rounds 1-2 will solidify the future and depth of the defensive line. And when you have older injury prone players drafting two rookies high up is good insurance. Corner- Bills right now don't have a good corner opposite Benford. I do expect the Bills will sign a vet to not go into the draft desperate at corner. But even if the Bills do bring in a capable vet starter there exists a need for depth and development there. The Bills only really have Bishop as a developmental prospect in the secondary so they have to add more here. WR- Palmer swapping in for Cooper isn't making me confident that the Bills don't need more at WR. Hollins is gone so there's also a need for depth here. Too ideally I think the Bills do need to find a way to add more punch at WR. Mid to late round needs Safety- Rapp/Hamlin/Bishop is a decent trio and Forest is solid depth but Hamlin and Forest are on one year deals. Bills will need to invest a mid-late round pick here to try and develop a player there. Corner- Bills likely need two corners to develop, with Elam gone even if the Bills sign a vet starter adding two picks to the corner room might make sense. Linebacker- Bills frontline trio of Milano/Bernard/Williams is good, and Spector isn't a bad backup, but the Bills LB corps always runs through injuries. Finding some more depth in the mid-rounds is kind of a yearly need. Offensive Line- For once the offensive line isn't a major need but with McGovern and Edwards on the last year of their deals a mid-late round pick to add depth wouldn't hurt. Tight End- Not sure if they will bring back Morris or not but adding a mid-late round developmental pick could be a good use of a pick.

Bills don’t have a lot of “prospects” in the secondary so to speak. Bishop is a big one but after that it’s a bit lackluster. Hamlin and Forest are on one year deals too. So I suspect the Bills will likely invest two picks (potentially one very high) in the secondary.

The Hyde singing was in 2017 considered to be by most fans a very good signing. The Poyer one was mostly panned (myself included). Poyer was a fairly big contract given to a player with not that many starts under his belt. Fans were dead wrong on Poyer but they loved Hyde

The Hyde singing was in 2017 considered to be by most fans a very good signing. The Poyer one was mostly panned (myself included). Poyer was a fairly big contract given to a player with not that many starts under his belt. Fans were dead wrong on Poyer but they loved Hyde

Right now Carter and Solomon are the only “prospects” along the D-Line, Bills are in a good position in a deep draft class for D-Line to add 2 picks in rounds 1-2 to solidify both the short term depth and long term future of the D-Line while still having a pick in the first two rounds to address a need elsewhere

They let players walk all the time. Last year with Gabe, Tremaine was allowed to walk, I could go on but this team let's players walk all the time.

Still nervous about CB/WR. Palmer isn't a bad signing but he's not a big time difference maker, even if they add a 2nd round pick to the group I'm not sure that's good enough. CB there's still vets out on the market and draft options but I would rather go into the draft not "needing" a corner. Get a good to solid vet opposite Benford and draft another at pick 108 would be my philosophy.

D-Line in terms of vet and prime talent looks very good. Bosa/Ogunjobi/Hoecht should plug in nicely while the left over talent of Ed Oliver, Groot, AJE, Daquon, Solomon and Carter are a nice group. But I think the Bills are going to draft DL twice with their first three picks and that's going to likely be what puts the group over the top and solidifies it long term. If the Bills can get a big presence at DT and a good edge prospect in rounds 1-2 I think that puts this unit in elite territory and solidifies it longer term given that Bosa/Daquon/Ogunjobi are older while AJE is an expiring contract. I would have preferred a big time war daddy difference maker but Bosa if he can be close to that for 7-9 games that might be the bridge rookies need to step into larger roles.

Bosa and Ogunjobi both expire after this season while I wouldn't have been against a DK trade comparing players occupying 3 roster spots on completely different contracts to DK a player that would have required additional draft capital and future commitments cap wise is not really a fair comparison.

28 years old, core ST ace, and fills the FB niche well. We used Gilliam for 12.5% of offensive snaps so its still a niche in the offense to use a FB. Very good piece of business another key role player back.

Probably my least liked signing, it is not a bad signing. Will be 31 and not a super high end player. Nice rotational piece but it seems like a high amount to pay for an older role player. Still the Bills needed a good backup for Ed at the 3-Tech. Let's hope in the draft or in free agency they round out the DT room with a big run stuffer.

I like it, I know fans don't really like Hamlin but he is a solid starter and if he's in your safety room competing with Rapp/Bishop and hopefully a mid-round pick you aren't in a bad spot. The fact that he's a willing ST player (and a decent to good one) adds value to having him on the roster. Adding a player that can start and be decent when needed whose also willing to play ST is a positive.

Shocked to see it is a lot of grade 1 strains only one grade 3 tear and another grade 2 in his rookie year. Hopefully the Bills training staff has a good plan for him.

6 foot 4 and 267 lbs is still solid off the edge not a smaller guy even at that weight.

What I like about the Bosa and Hoecht signings is that they are very physical edge players. Bosa is 6 foot 5 and 280 pounds and Hoecht is 6 foot 4 and 311 pounds and both guys play with a mean streak. Groot is a good edge setter but now the Bills have multiple guys they can put aside him. Gotta get bigger and nastier up the middle of the defensive line.