dpberr

No. 1. The expanded regular season and playoff runs increasingly makes the NFL game a young man's game relative to NFL "playing age." 2. The emotions surrounding players released this season will be forgotten by the time we are cheering on the 2026 Bills, which should be a fantastic team. The moves made today create that team of tomorrow.

Turns 31 during the 2024 season (November).

With the information at hand, I graded an A. The 2024 season is about arranging the team's contracts so that they can spend money on the teams that will be on the field in the new stadium. Moving an expensive, long term contract for a 31 year old player, when presented with an opportunity to do so, is a component of that strategy.

Clark Hunt is following the first rule of being absurdly wealthy - never spend a dollar of your own money. I feel like between the gambling, foreign (government) investors like the Saudis/Chinese, and crews like BlackRock and Bain Capital that Hunt wants to bring into the league, the NFL is missing just one horseman from the destruction of its product.

Deion Sanders PROMOTED Pat Shurmur to OC at Colorado. You can't trust Deion's judgement on anything, including the weather.

2022 was the last great year, and 2023 was effectively his last full season of play. I won't be surprised to see him cut before the regular season begins.

Weird Day 2 signing. This particular player is Preston Brown v2. The stats are deceptive. The Bills did not necessarily need one of the Eagles' slow linebackers.

I understand why the Bills made the move to a degree but I still wouldn't have done it. This is my least favorite of the FO moves this offseason to date. I don't think a 33 year old DT is going to have much in the tank come December/January to impact games, so why bother with the investment? My preference would have been to give those minutes to a rookie or a younger player.

I think Watson is in Operation Quiet Quit. Just sit back, go through the motions and collect the checks with the "let's not get ourselves killed out there!" mentality. I doubt he will ever play a full season for the Browns simply because he has no desire to do so.

This is the guy that doesn't block and pouts on the sideline. Zero percent he's a Buffalo Bill IMO.

I don't think the Bills desire to bring back any of these players for the 2024 season as of today.

He is the definition of the washed player who's time has come to either retire or latch on to a playoff team in November. His days of regular season play are over. He'd be smart to hit that November free agency market rested and ready to go. There is value in his services there. His ego won't let him of course, so he'll sign this spring and get cut at the end of someone's camp and bounce around practice squad and be salty about it.

It's not a big list if you remove players 29 and older and then of that remaining pool, you remove the injury prone - less than 75% games over two seasons. IMO, that's the realistic baseline pool of FA the Bills should be looking at. You factor in performance and salary wants with that pool of players.

I'd be interested in knowing whether there is art to holding a football for a kicker attempting a field goal. The only reason to bring a relatively lousy punter back is that he was quietly excellent at holding footballs for Tyler Bass field goal attempts.

There is a burgeoning free agency period in November where old vets sign on with teams for a playoff run. Diggs will be one of these players. Unless you're a team that doesn't care about the 2024 season, you aren't giving starter minutes to a 32-year old safety.

I want to like that trade and pick because that college production is impressive and he plays fast in the games and late in the games. However, I'm ultimately not drafting that neck or its injury history in the first round. The more I read about that injury, two words are in my head - "borrowed time". At best, you get the Vander Esch career with the neck stingers and injuries. Worst case, it's one terrible hit and he has to retire.

Just say no to old safeties (Diggs) and oft-injured safeties (Adams).

NBA: Long time Spurs fan to the mid 80s. MLB: Recent Twins fan, divorced the Pirates in 2018.

"We're family here."

Relates to our 1970s discussion compared to how things feel today in 2024. You can see the level of entrepreneurship, and the embrace of risk and expression in all of those items. You see a lot of ideas, good and bad, hitting the market in the 1980s. I'm surprised this list didn't include colorful carpet everywhere, especially in bathrooms. 😕

James Franklin's program at Penn State is underwhelming and unfortunately, so are most of his draft eligible players. There's no production in college from this player, and he's not a 1st round selection. His sacks came against the cream puffs on Penn State's schedule. Of his four sacks in 2023, two came against the juggernaut University of Massachusetts in an October 63-0 blitzing. One against Rutgers, one against Iowa. He had no stats in the 2023 games against Ohio State or Michigan.

He should go to the UFL. Get reps, learn, improve that terrible decision making, and perhaps light the league up. Why settle getting traded for a 7th round pick and being a backup?

I'm ok if the Bills part ways with Rasul Douglas. He probably has a year of outstanding play left at CB at his age, but he will want a contract and the compensation that exceeds that year. The Bills don't want to be paying for that one great year for three seasons, and they don't need yet another older player who is a fantastic player for "most" of the season but fades come playoff time because his body is just out of gas. I think all players are struggling with this longer NFL season, but it is especially harder to be anywhere near peak performance come playoff time the older you get. I think a lot of 30+ year old players will get used to the fact that their market is evolving to 1-year deals where they join a team in November/December for playoff runs.

The Chiefs are not giving a 27-year old CB (with zero Pro Bowls or individual awards) who played great in a contract year the long term contract in the ballpark he's looking for. That contract would be one only the Saints would love.

I liked it. I always thought he either got shot by the guy in the USA hat, or had a heart attack (onion rings).