BigBuff423

Nope, can't be....we're signing Kirk Cousins....or trading for Alex Smith....or signing Case Keenum / Sam Bradford....and we'll trade up for Darnold...or wait until the 3rd for Drew Lock....actually all of those....we're going to have the most QBs an NFL team has ever seen....we won't have enough money to pay the bus drivers, but we'll have QBs for days!

Out of that list, all depending on contract demands I'd take: Cade, Henderson (I know, but kid has so much promise), Kyle (of course if he decided to come back), Gaines (aforementioned price issue), O'Leary (duh?), Yarbrough....Preston and Cedric as depth signings...Preston is not a starter in McD's style of Offense, but he can be an asset if used properly. Honorable Mention: Logan Thomas, he's still making the transition and does have great athleticism, but at this point I just want the Bills to find another TE that is similar to O'Leary.

Vea....all day, twice on Sundays. Yup, I said it...one more reason why I'm on board with waiting to 21 to take the QB and then 22 take this guy or someone else who can really help the Defense.

Tahir Whitehead is an interesting name as an OLB, had a lot of tackles, played on an emerging Lions Defense, and seems like a quality FA but not going to break the bank - Spotrac has Whitehead identifying a similar skill set as one Kiko Alonso, minus all the bone-headed stupidity and cheap shots. With all the loads, and loads of Cap money the Jets will have, I don't see them letting Damario Davis, at the age of 28, out of NY, but IF he did make it, he'll be a premier ILB and he's worth it. Another value FA might very well be Cassius Marsh OLB, 25 years old, had 3 FFs, 3 sacks, 6 QB hits - and those numbers are not great, believe it or not, the sacks / QB hits / FFs are near tops of the FA class and given he played on SF's Defense, I think he's a guy who could come to be valuable to the Bills. Also, Devon Kennard of the NYG, had 4 sacks and 7 QB hits, is 26 years old....that's one that intrigues me as well. Last one, is a name we all remember: Nigel Bradham, he's now 28, has played in Schwartz's Defense - now twice - which again, would be a value FA.

You know what you don't see on that list? Linebackers.... This is the link for those: http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/free-agents/linebacker/

The issue with defending a position related to the QB, is that it also requires the knowledge of which OC will be present - whether it's Dennison or another OC because that determines exactly which QB would best fit the system and need, to some extent. However, based on the current information available and as of right now, January 11th at 8:20 a.m., Dennison is the OC and to that end I make the following proposition: 1. Trade a 4th round pick to KC for Alex Smith and here's why: Alex has a 2018 Cap salary of $17 million, actually LESS than Taylor's salary and the reports of the $20 million Cap hit are misconstrued based on Dead Cap and previous pay outs, take a look at his salary in Spotrac and it's only for one year, with no dead cap after 2018 and no commitments. Additionally his stats for 2017 were: approx. 4,000 yards, 67% completion rate, with 26:5 TD-INT ratio, had a rating of 104.7 and was sacked 35 times. He is NOT the long term answer, but getting Alex Smith who will be 34 when the season starts is just 4 years older than Kirk Cousins, who bill be 30 next season which bridges me to why NOT Cousins - Cousins had approx. 4,000 yards passing, with a 64.3% completion rate, while throwing 27:13 TD-INT ratio, was sacked 41 times and had a rating of 93.9. But, Cousins will cost approximately $26 million over at least 4 years with all kinds of guarantees and Cap hits if he doesn't work out or his age shows based on hits, making it a roughly $9 million difference just next year and you're committed to a 30 year old QB who on the down slope of his prime. 2. Draft your QB of the future - I would wait until 21 and hope Mason Rudolph is there; he has progressed as a 3 year starter by more than 1,200 yards in production from his Sophmore to Senior season, has increased his percentage completion rate by percentage points each season leading to a 65% completion rate as a senior, has gone from 21 to 37 TDs and maintained the same number of INTs, meaning his production has skyrocketed while his mistakes have remained steady. Additionally, he is 6'5", is a Senior, has an NFL arm (despite reports he doesn't - just watch the film), is accurate, relatively poised and has loads of experience. However, if FA plays out with Alex Smith and you're able to get lots of good depth players and a couple good starters by making multiple OTHER trades ala Jerry Hughes, Glenn, etc. then I could also see the Bills trading way up into the top 5 and selling out - IF they were to do that, then I'd say take Rosen since he's got the purest talent, but I would prefer to stay at 21. 3. And of course, I'd also like a 4th arm for camp and a lottery ticket, so I'd take Tyler Bray as well, let him and Peterman duke it out for that 3rd position.

Unfortunately if the Bills continue the upward trend, this is what happens to good teams, especially those that are well run. It’s part of the sustainability issue of success (which I’m not saying the Bills have found yet) and why the Bills need to continue to develop young FO talent - as much as they do Coaching and player talent.

Not to mention, comparing Russ to Tyrod, is ridiculous. Bevell scouted and pounded the table for Russ, so working with him and knowing his strengths was years in the making. Tyrod does not have the QB chops...Bevell did not miraculously make Russ who he is and was, he simply accentuated the existing capabilities. I’m all in on Bevell, but I would rather him look at the QBs in the Draft and have a say in which one is the future, rather than strapping Tyrod to him.

I’d happily take Bevell and Cable faster than I can dial their phone numbers.

And what's interesting to me is Doug Baldwin was an Undrafted FA, Lockett has been pretty much their deep threat / ST return guy and he was a 2nd rounder, and Paul Richardson has largely gone unnoticed until his FA year, which was 2017, even though he was a 2nd round pick in 2014. Yet, Bevell made it all work....he would be a fantastic hire in Buffalo

So, in your scenario you lose the Draft capital AND you lose the FA money....?? In all due respect, that hurts the team much, much more than it does help them. I'm not on the Cousins bandwagon much more so because it is cost-prohibitive in my opinion, but at least IF they were to try and get him via FA, you still have some FA money and a ton of Draft capital....or, if the Bills sign the leftover Vikings QB, they still have quite a bit of FA money AND Draft capital....or if the Bills trade UP for their QB guy, they'll have the FA money and a few extra Draft picks....your way, the Bills lose both...so basically the ONLY way to screw the team over for the next 2-3 years....sorry, no thanks.

If accurate, this would presume that Brown would be depth...which to me, I agree with since he's not bad, but he's not the type of MLB McD wants or needs to run his Defense. JMO

I think ANY Bills fan at this point, would take that kind of proximity to a Super Bowl win...also, if it was him, and it probably was, we can all learn right? This alone would set the Bills ahead 5 paces before anything else in the Off-season happened....and he'll be in high demand.

I agree that McD needs to make the break now, and demonstrate that being capable and good at your responsibility extends to all positions, all staff....everyone at OBD. Also, I agree that NOW with some great OCs becoming available and NOT having the QB is the time to do it.... Darrell Bevell please!!

This is the one I didn't see coming....but he is DEFINITELY the one I would go get. Several years ago I posted about his influence on Drafting Russell Wilson and how he got the most out of Favre in the twilight of his career. Super Bowl ring and loads of experience. Honestly, I have NO idea how he hasn't become a HC already, but if he stays at the Coordinator position, the Bills would be outlandishly stupid not to reach out and test the waters to see if he has ANY interest in identifying and developing another QB and installing his Offense. Another positive? He knows how to run the ball and get the most out of his QB, as Pete Carroll has said, Russell Wilson was all Bevell - this would be such a huge "get" for the Bills if they found a way to get him.

To me, and I supposed this is the optimist in me (hard to believe I know given I'm a Bills fan), sees some of these points quite differently while statements remaining true. For example, the QB situation being unknown - yes, that can cause an OC to be apprehensive, and those coordinators the Bills should NOT want...but an OC could also see the unknown as a great way to help put their stamp on the Offense to recruit via FA or have in-put toward the Draft, getting "their" guy so to speak... Second, many OCs went into a situation with the QB position unsteady or "undetermined" and helped stabilize the position and built their reputation on it, so again I see that as a challenge to the OC to come in and contribute and help make their mark Third, any OC that is interviewing for that position I would assume knows that no trade secrets could be revealed until hired, but isn't that true of all hires in the NFL? You don't get to peak at the goods until you're in the building, so that doesn't feel unique to me. Also, it's just as easy - I suspect true - that Beane and McD could tell the potential OC, "We have a plan, identified targets and the ability to acquire them, but we're waiting on our OC to come to our team"..... WR corps is a mess....no doubt, but again, Zay was a Rookie, Kelvin was injured, and based merely on numbers, the Bills will need to get at least two FA WRs in the building and if the OC has an interest in being apart of this total rebuild, he would WANT to have some say about the WRs that fit his system. I've made a number of posts in other threads that I think Shady is traded based on age and contract that coupled together helps this team much more in the long run and he has been their best Offensive player since he came to the Bills and a great teammate - no complaints. But as McD said at his presser yesterday, decisions about the team need to be "emotionless". As for Wood and Incognito, I think Incognito is also a goner but for Wood - I'd love the Bills to go and get Bodine in FA, but given Wood was just granted an extension, again unless it's a trade, I think he stays....for now. McD is not an established Coach, but considering what he's done in his first year, how could any OC who truly wants to be apart of something special NOT want to be part of this team??? Yes, both sides have gaps - but as Beane mentioned in presser they're not satisfied with the Offense as a whole and given the FA money without trades, and probably some trades do happen, and the Draft capital, they can make quite a bit of moves to improve BOTH sides of the ball..... All JMO..

No I wouldn’t - I’ve come around to Drafting Rudolph in the 20s while keeping all the other picks and a good FA. Since to me this gives the Bills the best chance at a true rebuild and long term success.

Again, I disagree - in a year where the roster gets another overhaul, having a 3rd 5th round pick means you have more capital to move in other rounds, ala 3rd and 5th for a low 2nd, etc. but even if the team gains a 5th and just uses it as is, this roster needs depth EVERYWHERE. And a 5th round pick could be a valued asset like Karlos Williams or Kyle Williams or a WR / ST guy...point being, a 5th round pick has value and can add to the youth movement while using that $3.7 million toward ANOTHER player such as a Paul Richardson type of Offensive line depth...

I disagree entirely, but especially after the presser today....I'm paraphrasing but he basically said he loved the way the team competed but that evaluating the team has to an "emotionless" decision...meaning, it's not about what he feels or likes personally, its about what's best for the team. Shady's Cap hit at age 29 while the Offense gets a total make-over - see Brandon Beane's comments from today about the whole Offense not being what it needs to be - and a new QB. I think Shady is traded for a low pick, say a 5th, because other teams know this too - Tyrod is gone (hopefully via trade but probably not), Hughes is gone, Incognito is gone, Mills is gone, Miller is gone, Glenn is traded, Preston and Thompson don't come back, and Lorax is let to walk away.... To me Clay comes back just because it doesn't save anything to get rid of him and he showed signs of promise, but IF the right trade with say, Seattle comes into play, then I could definitely see that too since O'Leary is more the type of TE I think McD and Beane want...dual threat to block and catch, less of the slim, fast TE / WR hybrid and more of the traditional TE....

From your lips to God's ears....

Remember when Philip Rivers was criticized for his herky-jerky throwing motion that was quasi-side arm?? How'd that work out? I don't understand people who say that Rudolph's arm isn't good enough....I've seen enough video - absent the one posted by the OP - that showed his arm is plenty strong enough for the NFL. Now, in this video, you see him throwing the ball routinely 50 yards at a time....with relative ease. You also see several "tight window" throws that require more zip than distance, and he makes those....does THAT make him a qualified NFL starter? No.... But when you look at his resume in its total, and you look at the game film, hard to think he's not well worth a late 1st round pick. He checks all the boxes....and yes, college spread Offense, but that has been the knock on several QBs and you can't blame the kid for type of Offense. He will need to work and learn how to take snaps under center and learn an NFL Offense, but when you look at his production, look at his progression and growth over 3 years as a starter, and then see videos like this one and others, you take the kid at 21 and don't look back....

I agree with some of the posters above that your original selection is not the best to make your point as Defense was quite good....BUT, I will say in looking at that play a couple times, Alex did do something that would make me frustrated as a fan. I can't see the number so I don't know the name of the WR, but the slot guy breaking over the middle of the field - that was virtually empty by NFL standards - had him breaking toward the middle and positioned so the Defender was behind him with the Safety still 5-7 yards away and Alex didn't pull the trigger at the right moment (or at all). The DE had just crested with Fisher toward the pocket but was not "on" Alex when the WR broke toward the middle, the ball had to come out at that very moment and it would have been a simple completion across the middle. Every other WR was blanketed, and even the flat screen would have been 0 yards because the Defender was on his way to him just as he turned around to look for the ball. The only place to go was the slot WR and it had to be done right at the break toward the middle. However, IF he had done that, little doubt the play would have been successful. Thanks for sharing... As for A. Smith, I couldn't agree with you more about him being a "bridge" QB, but for us Bills fans, a bridge QB wins us 2 more games and probably that Jax game which gives the fan base even more hope. That said, hope Mahomes is everything you believe him to be - but it will take a couple years to find out. Thanks again.

I’m not picking a discussion board battle here, I’m genuinely asking why?

I chose a guy I think is a good #2 because I’m hoping the Bills get their long-term QB for the franchise in the Draft.

He's had a year off, so maybe he takes an OC job...but, then again he may just want a FO job with the Broncos. However, if this link is to be believed, and Kubiak could return as OC, then yes, you do it and get a YOUNG QB so Kubiak can help develop him properly. Otherwise, except for changing names, you're not changing much.