[Is Cook worth it?]

Cook plays a position that historically has a very short shelf-life in the NFL, and there is a good chance that this is his one-and-only shot at a huge payday -- so it is hard to fault him and his agent for playing hardball and try to get every penny they can. 

 

Meanwhile, Beane has to be fiscally responsible and look at the entire roster structure and contend with a tight salary cap. We're mercifully pretty far removed from the Russ days of the front office going to the press to demean players during negotiations to preemptively cast them as malcontents or greedy in the public's eye (and hope fans view the player as such when he inevitably signed somewhere else). 

 

The good news is that Cook did show up for mandatory workouts, so hopefully that is a sign that both sides are working in good faith. 

[Chad Johnson says Stevie Johnson the best route runner ever seen]

I've always likened that 2008 draft in which Stevie was drafted out of Kentucky as an almost after-thought in the 7th round -- but became a much more significant part of the team than the higher profile (and unfortunately late) James Hardy, who was drafted early in the 2nd round -- to what happened in 2022 when the Bills whiffed on Elam late in the 1st but made up for it by landing Benford in the 6th.

 

Regardless of how you view him after all these years, one thing is for certain: Stevie certainly way out-played his draft position.

[1994 - Kelly & Reed vs Favre & Sharpe - NFL Throwback]

IIRC that was the “hug and make up” game for Kelly and Reed. The previous game, the offense struggled, and Jim and Andre had a very public and heated altercation on the sideline.

 

This GB game showed them clicking on all cylinders, and I believe Andre set the record (at that time) for the most receptions in a game.
 

Showed what a leader Jim was. 
 

Such a shame that Jim went down with a knee injury a few weeks later in a comeback attempt against the Vikings. The Bills lost the remaining 3 games without him and failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 1987.

 

[Expectations for Javon Solomon]

With two of the recently acquired DL on the shelf for the first several weeks, Solomon should get some opportunities. What he does with those opportunities is up to him.

[Keon Coleman success by route - Not pretty]

22 hours ago, DJB said:

 

Considering his size and basketball background, I could absolutely see Keon being successful in that role if he toughens up and uses proper leverage and nuance to block out defenders. I also thought that -- admittedly with a limited sample size -- he was somewhat effective as a rookie with screens/bubble routes. That is an element that had been missing from the Bills' passing game in recent years (Diggs was terrible at them)

[Mini-Camp: A James Cook Barometer]

1 hour ago, gjv said:

I'm not sure in today's NFL, Cook is a 15 mil/yr back. But I do believe that the Pro Bowl player on our offense with the 2nd most touches of the ball, 2nd most TD's, 3rd most receptions, and rushed for over 1000 yards is worth at least Josh Palmer and Khalil Shakir money. That would put him at a minimum in the 12 mil/yr, 60 mil 4-year contract range. 

And this is probably the range in which the two sides will wind up -- $12M to $13M per year -- unless Cook and his agent prove to be unreasonable.

 

 

[Elijah Moore Visiting the Bills today (Update: Signed!)]

1 hour ago, The Wiz said:

Welp.  Already started. 🤣

 

 

Maybe I am missing something but Shakir, Coleman and Samuel were all on the team last year.

Hollins is gone and has ostensibly been replaced by Palmer. Amari Cooper is gone and now potentially replaced by Moore.

 

So not sure why Clay seems to think there is not enough room for all of them.

[Bills 3rd Rnd pick in 2025 Draft : Landon Jackson - DE - Arkansas]

3 minutes ago, buffaloboyinATL said:

He was originally projected in the 2nd round, so slipping to the top of the 3rd round  was not much of a slide. I think his not getting picked sooner, was more about teams evaluating value at positions of needs at the time of their pick, etc.  

 

He was already pretty productive at Arkansas, but I believe he is still considered a raw prospect in many ways who needs to continue to develop counter moves, get comfortable with his recently added weight etc. It is his potential upside that makes people say he is a great value in the 3rd round, because If he hits his full potential, he would be a first round player.

 

We all know that there is no guarantee that he will reach that potential, but even his current production (6.5 sacks last year, 2nd team all SEC etc) combined with his elite combine performance, make him worth the pick, in my opinion.  It is if and when he gets closer to his ceiling that he will become a true "steal".

Yes.

 

The biggest knock on Jackson appears to be that he was wildly inconsistent -- he would rack up multiple sacks in one game and then be MIA the next. Similar to some of the issues we have seen with Groot. Kiper referenced this at the time of the selection.  Hopefully the coaching staff can get the most out of him.

[Bond out on bond]

I don't think we need to worry about the Bills drafting him -- remember, the front office does not draft prospects who played at Texas.😛

[TSW 1.0 Poll - Who should the Bills select at #30 (Poll Closed)]

While Amos may not be an exciting pick, I think he is a great fit for McD's defense (reminds me in some ways of Tre). He's a guy we draft, don't get much hype about it -- and then just sit back and watch him play at a quality level for the next several years.

[Bills 8th most expensive offense in 2025]

How much of that $ is dead cap?

[Former Bill, Marcellus Wiley accused of rape]

11 hours ago, Another Fan said:

I have to admit I don't remember him very much as a player 

He was Bruce's understudy his first couple of years in the league. In 2000, the season after Bruce/Andre/Thurman were unceremoniously released, Wiley moved into the starting position and played pretty well in a contract year. When John Butler headed to San Diego the following off-season he snagged Wiley as a free agent. Even when he was backing Bruce up, he was a favorite of reporters' for quotes as he was very engaging and articulate -- which stands to reason, coming from Columbia, I guess.

[Your thoughts on the Bills offseason so far]

First and foremost, Beane has done a remarkable job of retaining key players, and even re-signing many of them to long-term extensions. That alone, gets the front office a passing grade IMHO.

 

Compare to last year where, due the salary cap restrictions, the team lost some key players. This year the only noteworthy players who have left are Hollins and Martin -- and neither of them were a great loss. As much as we will miss Hollins the character, I think Palmer is an improvement at WR.

 

Bosa and Forrest are low risk/high reward rolls of the dice. Dane Jackson is familiar with the system and will probably enter the season as the starter at CB opposite Benford. Getting anything at all for Elam, I think was also commendable. I would still like for Beane to bring in another corner -- and there are a couple of familiar faces still out there in Gilmore and Douglas.

 

If not for the PDE issues with Hoecht and (especially) Ogunjobi, I would say the off-season has been Excellent rather than merely Acceptable.

 

Let's not forget that the draft is coming up too!

[Hoecht and Ogunjobi 6 game suspension for PEDs]

3 hours ago, eball said:

So first, a mea culpa -- I was on vacation last week when all of this went down and wasn't spending much time on the board.  I haven't -- and won't -- read through 36 pages of this thread, but here are my thoughts:

 

• I don't have a problem with the Hoecht signing at all, since Beane knew about the suspension and it's a 3-year deal; they obviously wanted the guy.
• The Ogunjobi situation bothers me.  Who is that guy's agent?  Did he know about the pending suspension when he started negotiating with teams?  If so, the agent should be blackballed and/or have his credentials revoked -- that's 100% unethical and bad faith.  Beane says he went through with the deal because the DT market had been picked through -- ok, I guess, but not a good look at all when the guy you signed to a 1-year deal will only play in 60-70% of your team's games.

 

The Ogunjobi situation really bothers me as well. I noticed that Beane chose his words very carefully when talking about how the team did not know about his situation at the time that the agreement was made vs. at the time of the signing. I will say that there is some precedent with Ogunjobi and his camp in regards to proper disclosure of information prior to working out a contract: After his career year with the Bengals, Ogunjobi agreed to terms with the Bears but failed to disclose a foot injury, which the Bears uncovered when they did a physical. The Bears were able to get out of the contract thanks to the physical, and Ogunjobi signed with the Steelers instead.

[Diggs' Drama]

Let's just assume for a moment that Diggs has had something of a epiphany -- that he is willing to be a good soldier, bury the hatchet with Josh and the team, and return to the level of play he exhibited in his prime. Is that good enough to help the team get over the KC hump?

 

Well, even in his best years, Diggs historically had problems against KC. In three playoff games against them (2020, 2021 and 2023), he failed to haul in a single TD pass. His overall numbers in those 3 games were terrible: 12 receptions on 25 targets for 106 yards and 0 TDs. That is over 3 games, NOT a single game. His average for a single game in the playoffs against the Chiefs looks like: 4 receptions on 8.3 targets for 35.3 yards. Not exactly worthy of the drama.

[Free Agency Rumor Thread]

11 hours ago, Aussie Joe said:

Ok …who do you like?

I like CB Trey Amos out of Ole Miss, who would seem to be an ideal fit for what McDermott looks for in a corner. He may even be there in the 2nd round.

[Hamlin back on one-year deal]

7 hours ago, Logic said:

I truly believe that Damar's cardiac arrest incident forever clouded many people's ability to evaluate his on-field play in a clear-headed way. 

No, I don't believe Damar Hamlin is a high level NFL starter. Yes, I DO believe that he constitutes good depth, provides a baseline level of acceptable play when he's on the field, and is a great fit in the locker room and the community. 

Every team in the NFL rosters backups that aren't high level starters but can contribute and play useful football. Damar Hamlin is one of those, but to hear some people tell it, he belongs nowhere near an NFL field. 

Do I want him penciled in as starter? Nope. Do I think he can get you out of a three-week stretch with minimal negative fallout if your starer goes down? Yep, absolutely.

I think the emotionality, the politics, the super weird "he's a Make-a-Wish player" argument...all of it...shrouds many people's opinions in emotionality that they can't shake off, and doesn't allow them to respond to or evaluate Damar THE PLAYER in a reasonable way.

I will die on this hill.

Very well said!

 

Suddenly the safety depth chart looks much deeper with Bishop/Rapp/Hamlin all returning and the low-cost acquisition of the Forrest kid.

 

Drafting a safety high is no longer the priority I thought it was going to be -- and Beane could (and should) still invest at least one of the mid-round picks on a young safety with upside.

 

Not really any downside to re-signing Damar. He will probably never be elite, but he is a professional and understands this defense. I like him on the team in 2025, regardless of role:

-- Providing quality depth

-- Mentoring younger players

-- Keeping the seat warm until a better player DOES come along

[Kaiir Elam traded to Cowboys]

5 minutes ago, Logic said:

So is the 5th round of this year's draft like...JUST the Bills now?

In all seriousness, getting a 6th for 5th pick swap AND a future 7th for Elam is a huge win. Thank God for Jerruh "glory hole" Jones!

I'm only half joking when I say (especially in this draft where the top-end talent appears to be weak), they should go ahead and use all of those picks and draft multiple players (defensive backs in particular). Throw enough you-know-what against the wall, and maybe something will stick!

 

After all, the miss on Elam was somewhat salvaged in that same draft by acquiring Benford in the 6th.

[Free Agency Rumor Thread]

10 minutes ago, DCofNC said:

I wonder if they want out bad enough to post June 1 cut him.  The cap hit to trade him isn’t as bad, but still fairly significant.  If he’s healthy, it’s not a bad contract compared to what people are going for thus far.  I say flip them a 4th and tell Palmer the deal is off 😂.

The issue for the 49ers, I believe, is that he has a large roster bonus coming up -- and if they designate him as a post-June 1 cut, I believe they are responsible for paying him that bonus (even if he is picked up by another team).

 

Personally, I would prefer a healthy Ayiuk over Metkalf -- and we just saw the large contract (plus trade compensation) the Steelers gave up for Metkalf. Of course, the operative word there is "healthy", and the injury that Ayiuk experienced last season was devastating.

[Players the Bills have met with at Combine]

9 hours ago, Kirby Jackson said:

Wasn’t sure where to put this but think it’s important. For those of you that bet the draft it may also be helpful:

 

 

Interesting about Golden. Conventional wisdom has him as WR 4 in the draft (behind McMillan, Burden and Egbuka). Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I guess.

 

I saw that the Bills reportedly met with him at the combine. I never expected him to last until 30 but thought that he could potentially be the target of a mild trade-up like the team should have done to acquire BTJ last year. If this news is true about him being the first WR off the board, there's probably no chance of such a trade up now.

 

[Rank your Top 10 Bills QBs]

4 minutes ago, JP51 said:

Dude Clod Collins gotta be in this mix someplace... 

And let's not forget Billy Joe "I never read my playbook" Tolbert.

[NFL to use electronic measuring in 2025]

And to think, while the Josh Allen "no 1st down" call will forever be remembered, the officials also spotted the ball short of where it should have been SEVERAL times in that game. If the ball is properly placed in all of those situations, maybe the game doesn't come down to a "failed" 4th down attempt.

[Free Agents we like for the 2025 Bills?]

21 hours ago, Rigotz said:

Am I the only person not clamoring for a Wide Receiver?

 

Wide Receiver is not the reason we lost to the Chiefs. We could draft a fast guy and get a veteran for cheap.

 

The $30M/YR contract needs to go to D-Line. Hell, I'd even take a safety and corner with that money.

You're not the only one.

 

We saw last year how much $$$ went to mediocre WR free agents (including Gabe Davis). The FA market isn't great this year, so I expect the few "name" WRs to command over-priced contacts again. I just don't see Beane investing that much money when there are pretty big needs along the DL and secondary.

 

Simply maintaining the status quo at the position (as underwhelming as it was) from 2024 won't even be easy. They just re-signed Shakir to a decent contract, and I expect that they will do whatever they can to retain Mack. Will they try to bring back Cooper at a reasonable deal?

[New McD comments about Coleman]

2 hours ago, Kelly to Allen said:

 

 

Almost all of Worthy's production was rub routes and behind the line of scrimmage stuff. Coleman was a much better big play wr before the wrist injury. 

 

I'm concerned about Coleman after the injury but Buffalo got the better wr and deal. 

 

 

Interesting take about the pre-injury Coleman vs the post-injury Coleman and how he stacked up against Worthy.

 

At the time of the injury, as I referenced earlier Coleman had:

35 targets/22 receptions (62.9%) for 417 yards and 3 TDs, He averaged 11.9 yards per target and 18.95 yards per reception.

 

Meanwhile, Worthy had the following stats at that time:

37 targets/19 receptions (51.35%) for 235 yards and  3 TDs. He averaged 6.35 yards per target and  12.37 yards per reception.

 

So indeed Coleman was noticeably more productive pre-injury (at least in the passing game). On 2 fewer targets, he had 3 more receptions and nearly 200 more yards receiving than Worthy.

 

Granted, Worthy turned it on more in 2nd half of the season (and in the playoffs). But on the full season, despite his hyped 40-time, his average yard per reception (10.8) dwarfed that of Coleman (19.2). I know he was very productive in the playoffs against the Bills and Eagles -- but how much of that was because the Bills fielded a MASH unit in the secondary, and virtually all of Worthy's production came after the Eagles had the game well in hand?

[New McD comments about Coleman]

1 minute ago, Straight Hucklebuck said:

Coleman needs to be in the weight room all offseason and out on the track with a track specialist to improve his explosiveness and long speed. 

 

Next offseason he can work on refining his route running. 

 

But he needs to meet the prerequisite speed component first. 

Agreed. Also, he and Josh need to find the time to work one-on-one during the off-season. Improve chemistry on timing routes -- and Coleman needs to learn how to best help his QB when a play breaks down.