billsfan89

The opposite of being too conservative is not to be stupid. If a good player that makes sense and fits the cap comes at the right cost (even if it is two firsts) then you take it. But I am also not a fan of a team making panic moves overpaying for players that don’t make enough of an impact. Balance is key to almost anything in life. And you should never mortgage the future for a bad opportunity to win now.

Minnesota with Jefferson out is a fire sale candidate. Hicks is playing solidly (good PFF rating, decent stats and fans seem to think he is having a solid year) and could be had for cheap. I am not sure how his contract is for future years, however. If the cap his is easy to get out of in 2024, I think a 5th rounder could get it done if the hit this year and next year is manageable. Although I would think the Bills are looking to the next 3 games to see if Dodson/Williams can step up before making a move at LB. The next Torrence, Bernard, Benford, Groot or so many other good talents the Bills have found in drafts in recent seasons could also help the team short and long term. Just silly to say mortgage the farm because like any team the Bills have some busts.

The Bills last year made the moves of acquiring an ace returner and third-down back in Hines and adding a depth safety in Marlowe. I suspect that the Bills will make similar small to lower-mid-level additions this season. For one the Bills are capped strapped and two I doubt they want to give up much draft capital. I think defensively a depth LB, depth corner like Levi Wallace or a startable 1T DT will be made. Maybe 1-2 of those smaller additions. As far as offensively barring major injuries I think we are looking at smaller role-player additions like a Patterson or a Mecole Hardman both would be cheap and add some pop to the offense.

Especially considering that Epenesa is a free agent at the end of the season. If he maybe had one or two more years left on his rookie contract (which at that point why would the Bills a team starved for cheap talent trade him) a team might pony up a 2nd or 3rd but not only is he not the type of talent that generates a first-round pick (truly dynamic talent, AJ is playing good but let's not call him a top NFL DE either) but his contract is also not the most appealing.

Dodson will likely get the start but I wouldn't put it past them to get Williams some meaningful snaps in. I think Williams missed some tackles coming in for Milano. I think he showed dam good speed and instincts out there but he might need more seasoning before taking on a bigger role. Whereas Dodson against the Jags mostly made the "ordinary" plays and showed to be decent out there.

If Denver passed on a big return for him (a 2nd round plus a mid-rounder let's say) then I think they have to be kicking themselves. Right now they would be lucky to get a 4th round pick for him at the moment.

Poona Ford, Can he effectively backfill for D. Jones? If he can't hold the fort against a bad offensive line then this team needs to make a trade asap for a decent 1T DT. If he can play well as a 1T I think the defense will eat well as they should be able to handle the Giants ground game with a good 1T clogging things up.

If a DE is out long term I think giving up a 6th is fine. But I just don't see the Bills adding a 6th DE to the roster esp with Kinglsey Jonathan actually showing signs of being a good player.

I just don't see any meaningful WR's being out on the market for the Bills that would come at a reasonable cost and fit in cap-wise. Jeudy would maybe fit that mold if the Bills were fine with the 12 million cap number next season but I think Denver is not letting him go unless they get a high return for him. I just don't see that being something McBeane would do. Devante Adams has way too high a cap number and so does Cooper Kupp (and the Rams are not out of it either). Mike Evans was my dark horse as his expiring deal made for a possibility but the Bucs are going to be in that division race so they are likely to hold onto him. The rest of the WR's possibly on the market don't really "move the needle" for me. I know someone mentioned Hardman from the Jets if the Jets continue to lose or have no interest in playing him. Hardman would be a nice addition that likely wouldn't cost a lot but also one that isn't going to dramatically shift the offense either.

If Kyler Murray was 3 inches taller and had a better work ethic he would be a top 5-7 QB in the league. So a bigger Kyler Murray with a better work ethic is still a dam fine prospect.

I would rather see what Poona Ford can do to backfill for Jones the next few games before making a trade. But Phillips can be an interesting target.

This is a big game for the Bills. They have to kind of get their mojo back after that weird London disaster. Groot and Shaq should be back on the edge and Benford in the secondary along with Poona Ford being active to fill in for Jones who was out early in the London game. That should be some solid defensive reinforcements. If the Bills can't dominate the depleted Giants then who will they dominate? In the end, I think the Bills take this by 2-3 scores but I am always nervous in these types of "should win" games.

Giants are reeling, gonna have to put this game away early. Establish the power running game early and take it to the depleted Giants. Hopefully Groot, Benford and Shaq are good to go.

Achane was one of the faster RB's I have ever seen. But Miami's collision play style was bound to lead to injuries for that position which already has a lot of injuries. The Fins will be fine as they get Jeff Wilson back who can along with Mostert give them good production from the position. A blow to them for sure as I don't think Mostert or Wilson are as dynamic.

I think the Bills roll with Poona Ford and bring on a 1T DT to the PS and get them situated as a depth 1T DT. If Ford gets hurt or underperforms then I think the trade market will be used to address the 1T position. LB and CB could also be addressed via trade if a starter or depth is needed there. But I think for now the Bills are going to take these next three games to see where they need to go via trade as it is possible backups can and will step into roles effectively and trade assets can be used elsewhere on the roster.

Wallace would be like the Bills last season bringing in Dean Marlowe. Solid cheap depth addition but does not move the needle all that much. I think the team will be fine in the secondary. Benford coming back and Elam getting more experience and coaching should help him. The LB and DT positions will be interesting to see if they need to make a move. I think if Poona Ford underperforms DT is the most likely move as the defense needs a run-stuffing 1T DT and that should be available on the market for less than a 4th round pick.

Brown would be a great pickup but does McBeane want that 11 million dollar cap number for next season? I think given the circumstances that they only have one DT on the roster in 2024 they may be willing to take him on. But what would it cost? I think Carolina wouldn’t likely settle for less than a second, which may be too high.

Banged Up Bills said 10-12 weeks is realistic for Jones and that Milano's injury is at least not career-threatening injury and noted that it is technically possible for a late playoff return although that would be a perfect recovery. I think Jones coming back early to mid-January would be possible but Banged up Bills also mentioned he would have to play with a harness. So even if Jones comes back he likely will be compromised. Just sucks, but this defense is deep and Poona Ford was at one point in 2020 and 2021 a very good run defender. So at least there is someone to try and plug in.

Players gets dinged up and miss a game or two that happens. I am in your mindset one of them will play. Luckily the Bills have some options to go to at slot WR. I wouldn't mind seeing Shakir get more snaps if one of them can't go.

According to Banged up Bills Milano looks to be a season ending injury but not a career threatening one. Jones will have a small but not insignificant shot at a return late in the regular season or early playoffs. Not the worst outcomes

Didn’t Kincaid come back after being in the blue tent? Got to hope he is in protocol as a precaution. As for Knox hopefully it’s minor. If one is out then I would like to see Shakir get more snaps I like what he has done so far in limited targets

The Bills were 7-6 at one point in 2021. They turned it on in the playoffs and the end of the regular season. I am not writing this team off as just a wildcard or not that good. Looking at the schedule I think the Bills just have to take care of business against the teams they are "supposed" to beat and then go about .500 in the rest of the games to get to 12 wins with a margin of error if they drop one "easier" game that still puts them at 11 wins. That should keep them in the conversation for the division and at least get them a wildcard. They should be able to fatten up against the Giants and Pats and get to 5-2. They then can split the Bucs/Bengals games and head in at 6-3. Then they should be able to fatten up against the Broncos and Jets to get back to 8-3. Then they should be able to split a tough pair of games against Philly and KC and go to 9-4. Bills should at worst split the final 4 games against the Cowboys, Chargers, Pats, and Fins and get to 2-2 although winning 3 out of 4 is a possibility. That gets you to 11-6 or 12-5. I think the key will be winning the immensely winnable games (Pats twice, Jets at home, Broncos and Giants) get those 5 wins and you get to an 8 win total. Then you look at the Bucs, Bengals, Chargers, Eagles, Chiefs, and Fins as your more difficult 6 games. Take care of the Bucs and Chargers in that stretch and you get to 10 wins, just win one other of those 4 games and you get to 11 wins. Take a split of those games and you get to 12 wins. Getting far ahead of myself. Just have to get right against the Giants and get to 4-2. Nothing else matters.

The trade deadline is October 31st the Bills will get a chance to survey their roster the next 3 games before they make any moves. I do think that the Bills will bring in 1-2 lower mid-level to mid-level players for depth purposes. Similar to the Marlowe and Hines additions last deadline. But the Bills will take a look at the replacements they have on the roster in the next three weeks. If I were to take a look at what could be a deal I think DT is a position where depth could be brought in if Jones is out for the year. They will try to plug Poona Ford in but then if Ford goes down they need another option on the roster or if Ford is not performing well they will need to try to improve there. A cheap space-eating DT and maybe a depth LB/CB will make sense and fall in the Bills price range and fill needs. But anyone expecting a big WR/RT acquisition or a big-name LB/CB/DT is likely going to be disappointed. But if the Bills take care of business these next 2 weeks I think Beane makes 1-2 "smaller" moves to sure up the roster.

The defense played well enough to win against the Jags but the offense's inability to sustain drives and some bad penalties kept the defense on the field longer than any defense could/should and it wore them down. Also, the limited bodies really hurt some positions as well. Overall, the loss to the Jags was on the offense. The defense held the Jags to 11 points until the 4th quarter. The Bills at the very least should have been able to score 14 in the first three quarters but that wasn't the case.

Mostly accurate observations. I do think they may have unlocked something with Harty this past game. In weeks 1-4 they used him like a "gadget" player as opposed to a more "traditional" WR. I think in London they used him like a WR and it paid off with a pair of catches for 62 yards. If they can continue to use him that way I think his production ticks up. Elam was bad no doubt but I also think he was put in a position to fail. The dude went from four straight inactive games to starting in London against a good WR who had been in London the week before. I think he can get coached up some more and while he may or may not reach his drafted potential he will at least get better than he was against the Jags. I also think Benford coming back will allow Elam to take reduced snaps and put the team in a position to bring him along more slowly. Dane and Benford can be an effective starting tandem. I also generally agree with Dodson who seemingly played well and did a good job but I also liked the quickness I saw from Dorian Willaims he just may need some time to cook in order to make the tackles and plays to the spots he flys so quickly to.