billsfan89

Josh is going to get his deal redone in 2025, I think very easily the Bills are going to want to lock Josh up for an even longer period of time and Josh is deserving to be a top paid QB which suddenly he is only the 11th highest QB. I think given the tight cap going into this season and the Bills cap situation massively improving next season the time to do adjust Josh's deal and tack on a couple of seasons to it is now. In addition to the Bills trimming the vet fat this off-season and the better cap situation the Bills also have tremendous draft capital which should help them address more needs cheaper short and long term. The Bills have 8 selections with a whopping 6 selections in rounds 1-4 (all of their own plus Minnesota's second and Chicago's 4th) and they are currently slotted to get two compensatory picks which should help them replenish their 5-7 round selections of which they currently only have two sixths (they are projected to get a comp 6th which should act as a high 7th round selection while also being in line to get a comp 4th which should act as a high 5th round pick both of which will give the Bills a full complement of late round selections to go along with their higher draft selections.) So hopefully this teams plan of action works long and short term and they can keep Josh happy on a new deal.

2010 was a two front battle, it was the usual Millionaires vs. Billionaires up top but then internally there was a large battle between the players who got large rookie contracts and the players who felt that those deals were hurting the lower draft picks free agency contracts. Which I think the veteran players had a point on this one. In an uncapped league whatever let the players get what they can as rookies there's plenty of owners willing to overspend. But in a capped league if you have big rookie contracts eating up cap space for players who are getting paid dam near top dollar for what they did in college and it's eating up free agency dollars for players who have proven themselves at the NFL level for years. So a slotting system that still guaranteed first round picks a good mid-level or better salary but not super top dollar like they were receiving made sense. It also worked better for the product avoiding the issues with long lockouts that plagued the old system. But I think the issue wasn't one that was very contentious between the owners and players because the players share of revenue wasn't changing as it was more so a distribution issue vs. an overall amount issue.

If they want to they can convert the rest of Josh's contract and do the same with Ed Oliver and free up about 9 million. BUT I do not think they will do that unless they really need to make a move or something "too good to be true" happens.

Kickers lose confidence so quickly. It’s so frequent that once a kicker has a bad stretch that’s it they are done. Maybe they can regain confidence on a new team but it’s almost impossible one has as bad a stretch as Bass had in the end of the regular season and Playoffs and bounces back on the same team.

Bills should have another kicker in camp. Maybe bring in a UFL player or something they can’t go in with just Bass it’s far too risky

Palmer may also be more of a "jack of all trades" type QB coach not a hyper focused technique specific coach. If Josh identified his weakness as being his throwing motion and some other smaller technical aspects it might require a coach whose specialty is based in what Josh needs. For all we know Palmer maybe knowing he's not that type of QB coach probably recommended him to someone else.

McD is in my opinion the best secondary coach in the league and if he is keeping a corner around for a few seasons he is probably a player that can play at least solidly within the system

Not commenting on Coleman vs Ingram directly but Ingram is probably going to make the roster. He’s been with the team for two years he is entering his third offseason. I suspect the reason for the lack of any major depth corner additions (like a modestly priced vet) is because they really do like Ingram to replace Dane as boundary corner depth.

UFL is something I watch when it is on TV and I happen to pass by it. I tend to mostly enjoy it for what it is when I catch it but I never go out of my way for it. There’s just no attachment to the teams and no reason to be fully invested. I do hope the league sticks around. I think if they could get keep plodding a course for 10 more years they could make inroads. Sports leagues take time to build and spring leagues having a reputation for going out of business quick leads people to not be as invested. But if they can be there for at least a decade they could see more traction and get people to invest in teams that start to stick around. Look at the WNBA. The NBA kept investing in it and after it had a hot start it was a money loser that was only kept around because David Stern really believed in it and thought not only was it great marketing but also that if they could get the product to stick around and build market strength it could be profitable decades in. Right now the NBA keeping the WNBA around seems to be hitting a tipping point where in 5-10 years the league could be vastly more popular and is already undergoing expansion.

Over on the NFL Reddit page in a thread about Claypool Bears fans were saying there were similar reports about Claypool last off-season. Given that Claypool has a tremendous physical profile along with years of experience it isn't surprising to hear he's able to stand out in OTA's. The issues came when it was "live rounds" in camp and pre-season that only got worse during the regular season.

Shakir emerging as a consistent receiving threat is going to happen. If he doesn’t and there’s not any vastly surprising production else where on the roster the offense is in trouble

If he actually rises from the ashes and starts putting to together a good season then call him the Phoenix but until them he is just a reclamation project trying to make the team.

A lot of people resort to piracy which is not going anywhere. I would guess because 80-90% of people just want one team. I would say that most of NFL Sunday Tickets business is fans just wanting to watch their one team so discounting it would just reduce their revenue and its a business not a charity and such.

I hope SVPG can just take the starting spot and McGovern go back to guard. Return Edwards to the bench where he's a quality backup and helps a lot in jumbo packages. Van Denmark, Anderson and Collins round out the bench.

The NFL might be 20 times more popular than the NHL (In the USA).

Bring Clapp into camp, the Bills as far as I am aware do not have a center outside of Clapp with any significant NFL experience. SVPG is a pure center but just a rookie and while McGovern is the plan at center he doesn't have significant NFL experience there. So as much as I don't think Clapp will make the final roster I think they need him in camp as an experienced NFL center and he may be better than advertised.

Ingram is actually entering his 3rd year of being coached by one of if not the best secondary coach in the league in McD so him getting the better of a 21 year old rookie is not surprising. I think Keon is going to come along slowly but the rookies being behind the vets will not surprise me

Elam is the teams most athletic corner and he is entering his third year so him getting the best of a rookie is not surprising.

Claypool is the ultimate low risk high reward type player. He's very clearly talented. He produced back to back 800 yard seasons to start his career. He bounced around to 3 teams in 2 years and is now on his 4th team on a minimum contract. The issue isn't injury as he hasn't had a major injury. The issue wasn't supporting cast at least in Miami as in Miami he had two very good WR's to take attention away and while we ***** on Tua a lot he's at least an above average QB. He just got a lot to work on in between his ears where he just hasn't been 100% there. Hopefully looking at his 4th team in effectively just over 2 years and on a minimum contract in as good a situation to get snaps and targets from a top NFL QB as he's ever he's going to get (the Bills don't have any reason to place vets in front of him if Claypool shows out) realizes that he has to put it together now or that is really the end of his NFL career to be anything meaningful. I have very very low expectations for Claypool but the recipe for a bounce back for him is there.

I think the Bills are banking on Von having a bounce back they also drafted Solomon but neither option is all that inspiring to replace Floyd. However, Floyd's back half of the season and playoffs was not that great. His sacks, pressures and QB hits were way down the last 8 games of the season compared to the first 9. He also didn't make too much noise in the playoffs. I think it is similar to the Bills replacing Diggs in a way. Because Diggs is a big name and had a big stat line last season. But if you breakdown the production there's a big fade down the stretch to their numbers and production. If they can get Von to be 85% of what he was in 2022 they should be fine but that's a lot to ask of a 35 year old 1 year 9 months removed from an ACL by September.

If you go line by line, there are only 2 or maybe 3 "players of consequence" the Bills lost and possibly did not adequately replace. The Bills also, in most instances, got younger or found better fits for the players they lost, which should yield good results. Starters or role players lost who were adequately replaced or didn't really need to be replaced: 1. **Tre White** - Was replaced in-season by Douglas, who proved to be a good replacement. Douglas is still here, so there is no effective loss. 2. **Jordan Poyer** - Is being replaced by a combination of Rapp and a 2nd round pick, Bishop. As good as Poyer was, he was no longer an "elite" safety at his age and had been banged up the last two seasons. I think the Bills should be able to get similar production from the Rapp/Bishop combo. 3. **Micah Hyde** - Is being replaced by a solid younger veteran, Edwards. Hyde, similar to Poyer, was no longer an elite safety but still a solid starter. I think Edwards can come in at a similar level. 4. **Jordan Phillips/Poon Ford/Tim Settle** - The back end of the DT rotation has been filled by a 3rd round pick, Carter, and comparable if not better vets like Austin Johnson and DeShawn Williams. At worst, it's a lateral move but with upside in Carter. 5. **Shaq Lawson** - Replaced by Smoot. Shaq didn't have the strongest season. It's a smarter bet by the Bills to expect Smoot to have a bounce-back season, being further removed from a late-season 2022 injury. 6. **Dane Jackson** - The Bills' depth at corner was better with Dane, but they still have Elam as the first boundary corner off the bench, along with adding Hardy and continuing to develop Ingram. This is the only player on this part of the list not fully replaced, but given the Bills still go 3-deep at outside corner and have a solid developmental option in Ingram, the slight hit to depth here seems marginal. 7. **Gabe Davis** - Bills signed Curtis Samuel, who should be able to produce at or better than Davis. 8. **Trent Sherfield** - Replaced by Hollins, who fills that ST ace role as well, if not better, with more receiving upside. 9. **Deonte Harty** - Replaced as a punt/kick returner by Deaquon Hardy and at WR by MVS, who is much better as a WR. 10. **Ryan Bates** - Bills replaced some of the offensive line depth by drafting SVPG (who will either stay on the bench or move Edwards back to the bench) and signing La'El Collins. 11. **Latavius Murray** - Replaced with a 4th round pick, Davis, who should be better or at least the same but with more upside. Starters who may or may not be adequately replaced: 1. **Stefon Diggs** - The Bills used their top draft choice at WR to help replace Diggs by taking Keon Coleman 33rd overall. The Bills are likely going to have to find ways to have Kincaid, Shakir, Coleman, MVS, and possibly Claypool by committee soak up that production. Good news for the Bills is that Diggs didn't have the best back 60% of the season, so they may actually be better having more quantity than quality, so to speak. 2. **Leonard Floyd** - The Bills did sign Smoot, but he's more of a back-end rotation guy, and I think Solomon, who was a 5th round pick, is more likely to take minimal rotation snaps unless there is an injury. The Bills are likely banking on Von Miller snapping back, being further removed from that 2022 Thanksgiving ACL tear. While that's not an unreasonable bet, it's still a riskier one. However, Floyd was also not the greatest in the last 8 games of the season, so once again, the Bills are in a similar situation to replacing Diggs, as someone who was elite for only part of the previous season. 3. **Mitch Morse** - The Bills took an aging but still effective piece out of the starting 5 of the offensive line. They effectively replaced him either with Edwards moving from depth piece to starting guard or with an early 5th round pick, SVPG. I do have confidence that SVPG can take the starting spot, but it is a lot to ask of a 5th round pick to come in and take the starting center spot. Edwards was a competent starting guard on the Rams for a couple of seasons, including their Super Bowl run. So Edwards is not the worst option there. TL;DR: The Bills replaced all but maybe 2-3 lost players with just as good, if not better, players. If other pieces of the roster develop and the Bills maybe get a good mid-round find in SVPG and a bounce-back year from Von, then it's not much if anything lost other than Diggs, who didn't exactly have the greatest season last year.

Milano is 30 and coming off a serious injury zero chance they are going to do anything with him. I tend to agree that while I think if something "too good to be true" happened and they needed the space they would do Oliver's and Josh's contract for some space. But I think that they are going to be fine standing pat unless something drastic happens. But at least the options are there if they do need it.

Tre’s money basically allowed the Bills to go right up against the cap all offseason knowing that the “administrative” costs like rookie pool, practice squad and in season emergency money will be covered by Tre’s money. Functionally the Bills have a little bit of space to spare with about 1.3 million in “actual” cap space to play with after reserving the PS and emergency money after rookies are officially inked. The Bills can also free up some additional space like Converting the rest or Josh’s salary to a bonus which frees up 6 million in space.

The Bills usually like to reserve about 3 million for in season emergencies and 4 million is reserved for the PS. So that's functionally leaving the Bills with about 1.3 million in actual space. Now the Bills if some "too good to be true" trade were to come up the Bills do have some options to open up more cap space than the 1.3 million they currently will have to actually "play with". The Bills can convert the rest of Josh's salary to a bonus and open up 6 million more in space. I think they can also gain 1-2 million by doing the same with Ed Oliver. So if there's a will there's a way but I think the Bills likely will just wait until the trade deadline to make any moves where what little money they have and can open up will go farther.

JJ has some really amazing quick footwork highlights in addition to his contested catches. I don't think Keon is going to be breaking players ankles with his fluidity that often but if he can be physical at the point of attack and crisp with his route running I think he can be a very successful NFL WR.