mjt328

The Bills definitely rotate the Defensive Line more than most teams. But at the same time... if a guy is playing really well, he's probably going to earn more snaps than what we are currently seeing from Ed Oliver. Von Miller is easily the best D-Lineman that we've had during Sean McDermott's tenure. He had quite a few games around 70-75% snaps. That's quite a bit less than stud pass rushers on another team. For example, T.J. Watt usually gets 85-90% of snaps for the Steelers. But it's also way higher than Jerry Hughes in his last year with us, who maxed out around 60-65% snaps.

Last season, Aaron Donald missed 6 games at the end of the year. Leonard Floyd had 4 sacks during that stretch. So it's not just the attention that Donald commands. And even though the Bills don't have anyone the caliber of Donald on our D-Line, we are still far beyond what Floyd had next to him on the Chicago Bears.

Marvin Harrison Jr. is probably the best WR prospect since Calvin Johnson. He's a lock for a Top 5 pick, and will probably get some #1 overall consideration depending on who is drafting first next year. I would like to hear your plan for getting into a position to obtain this player.

Initially, I was very surprised by this move. But after thinking about, maybe it shouldn't be so surprising. Brandon Beane seems to be a guy who adjusts his strategy after making a mistake. For example, he's been quick to admit how much he regrets trading Wyatt Teller so early, instead of giving him more time to develop. That's probably why he was slower giving up on Cody Ford and is standing fully behind Spencer Brown right now. And even though Beane hasn't admitted it (yet), I think he really regrets not signing Tremaine Edmunds to an extension last year. He decided to let Edmunds play out his contract. Then he proceeded to have his best season yet, and priced himself totally out of our range. Worse yet, it was a bad year for Middle Linebackers in both free agency and the draft... and now we go into the season with a big question mark in the middle of the defense. Ed Oliver's situation is almost identical to Edmunds. He's a 1st Round Pick that has shown flashes, but questionable consistency. Many people (including myself) expected a breakout season in 2022, but were disappointed. I think it's fair to say Oliver hasn't earned the contract extension we just gave him, but it could eventually be a bargain if he does manage to reach his potential.

Excellent move. Figured a veteran Edge Rusher was coming, but didn't expect one until later in the offseason.

Adding Brandon Shell makes me much more comfortable with the Right Tackle position. If Spencer Brown totally fails to progress, we have a veteran with a ton of starting experience ready to step in. I think the next move will be for a veteran Edge Rusher like Yannick Ngakoue, Frank Clark or Justin Houston. There is currently no rush to get one of these guys into camp (they probably don't want to be there anyway), and waiting until closer to the season may ultimately get us a better deal. The news about Buffalo doing another medical checkup on his ACL tells me that restructuring Tre White would probably be our first move, in the event more cap space is needed.

To be a good Slot Receiver, a player needs to excel at: 1. Route Running / Timing 2. Short-Area Quickness 3. Great Hands If a WR can't get open in less than 2 seconds, be exactly where his QB is expecting on the field, and then be able to grab a lightning quick pass in traffic... he's just not going to be good in that position. There are different kinds of speed, and Isaiah McKenzie is more like a small running back. He can accelerate quickly and be shifty with the ball in his hands. But ask him to make quick cuts to get open... just not really his skillset. Not to mention, his hands can be questionable at times.

Yeah. I'm not thinking this is going to happen... Before the draft, DeAndre Hopkins gave everyone the impression he wanted to play on a contender with an elite QB. That put us among a handful of NFL teams who could legitimately be competing for his services. But now that he's a free agent, reports are circulating that Hopkins spent this week visiting with the Texans. Yes, the same Texans who once traded him away for peanuts, have a rookie QB and were probably the NFL's worst team last year. Sorry folks. The guy is looking for $$$ above everything else. He isn't going to sign a value deal just for a chance to win a ring, which is clearly going to take us out of the running. Good news is that he probably won't be signing with Kansas City or Baltimore either.

Outside of Quarterback, it's hard to point to any single position and say definitively that it was THE missing piece in the championship. Obviously Matthew Stafford was the biggest move for the Super Bowl Rams two years ago. But it could certainly be argued that Odell Beckham and Von Miller helped give them the final push in the last quarter of the season. From your short list of receivers above, I would point out that adding Randy Moss almost helped the Patriots complete an undefeated 19-0 season. You can't really blame him for the team falling short in the Super Bowl. Adding Terrell Owens in free agency helped the Andy Reid-led Eagles finally get over the NFC Championship hump. And many believe that if he was healthy in that Super Bowl, Philly might have ended up winning. It could also be argued that drafting Reggie Wayne was ultimately the missing piece that pushed the Colts to the next level. Even if it didn't result in an immediate ring. Same argument could be made for Jamar Chase and the current Bengals. The point is... adding DeAndre Hopkins to an offense that already has Stefon Diggs is borderline unstoppable. He makes this team better, gives them a better chance of getting past the Chiefs/Bengals and ultimately winning the Super Bowl.

Josh Allen's biggest weakness has always been trying to do too much when the team around him isn't performing. - It was the primary reason his stats weren't great in college (everyone else on Wyoming was terrible). - It was an issue during his first few years in the NFL, and got national attention in his first playoff loss against the Texans. - Even after his breakout season, there are still stretches every year where the offense slumps and his turnovers are again a problem. If defenses can successfully take Stefon Diggs out of the game with double-coverage, and then get consistent pressure up-front... that's when our QB tends to get antsy and starts putting too much on his own shoulders. It's pretty clear Allen needs to have quick/check-down receivers to help avoid those situations. Losing Cole Beasley was huge last year, and the impact cannot be overestimated. Hopefully Dalton Kincaid and Deonte Harty can be the solution. If the O-Line plays better this season, that would also be a tremendous help.

To be a true fan of a team, you stick with them through everything... regardless if they are winning or losing. I'm fine with bandwagon jumpers, as long as they don't get involved in trash talking. If you can't stick around and take it when your team is bad, then you don't have the right to dish it out when they are good. I just about blew a gasket with my brother-in-law during the Miami playoff game. He doesn't root for a particular team. But still couldn't shut-up all game long about how much the Bills sucked. He is no longer getting invited over to watch football at my house.

In addition to those six guys, you can add Jadeveon Clowney and Jason Pierre-Paul as veteran Edge Rushers who could help. I fully expect the Bills to end up with (at least) one of these guys, once the season gets closer. Demand appears to be low, so the contracts should be pretty cheap. By waiting, the players can avoid training camp, which is a plus for them. By waiting, the Bills can also get a better idea on Von Miller's health and if any of our young guys (AJ Epenesa, Boogie Basham) appear to have made progress in their development.

My problem isn't paying to watch games. My problem is that I need to pay $390 for Sunday Ticket... and I'm still missing a big chunk of the Primetime matchups. I still need to get Amazon Prime for all the Thursday nights. I still need some kind of TV subscriber with ESPN for all the Monday nights, and NFL Network for the international matchups. And now I need to add Peacock for at least one Bills game and one playoff game. Because of my wife and kids, I'm already stuck with paying for Netflix and Disney Plus monthly. At some point, the cost to have all these subscriptions just isn't worth it.

I'm sure you're right. But I think it does the total opposite of what players intend. It makes them look selfish, greedy and more about their paycheck than team-players. Above all, fans care about the team winning. They are worried about the 2023 schedule. Not their defensive tackle's financial security. To the general public, Quinnen Williams is still under contract for another season. But he now gives the impression that he's moving on mentally and not dedicated to the Jets, because he wants his big contract RIGHT NOW. Fans are OK with the Jets pitching low-ball offers early in the negotiation process, because a favorable contract is to the overall TEAM'S benefit. Now if the Jets drag their feet and ultimately let Williams become a Free Agent next season (and as a result, hurting the team)...that's when the front office becomes the bad guy and fans start turning against them.

Inside Linebacker Easily the weakest spot on the roster. But if the Bills haven't made a move yet, I think we are just going to see a change in defensive philosophy towards this position. They are going to try rolling with Tyrel Dodson as the initial starter... hope Terrel Bernard takes the job in training camp... and then rely on AJ Klein as an emergency fallback. If you really think about it, the Bills got screwed at ILB this year. They would have been foolish to give Tremaine Edmunds the contract he got from the Bears. The options to replace him in Free Agency were extremely slim. And this year's draft class was not only very weak, but had zero chance of falling favorably our way. Defensive Tackle We are in very good shape for 2023. Nobody is signed for next year, but we still have plenty of time to give extensions to anyone who deserves it. Running Back Short of having an elite/star runner, you really can't ask for more from the Bills group. They have a strong mix of veterans, young guys, pass catchers, power backs, etc. They are fine here. Offensive Line Guard was probably over-addressed this offseason. We are still good at LT with Dion Dawkins and C with Mitch Morse. The excesses at Guard give us the option to slide Ryan Bates over if Morse gets another concussion. The only weak spot is Right Tackle. I wouldn't mind getting a veteran fallback in the event he doesn't progress this season. In my opinion, the Bills still need to bring in another Edge Rusher. We clearly didn't get enough out of Shaq Lawson, AJ Epenesa and Boogie Basham last year down the stretch. As of right now, one of those guys is pretty much guaranteed to start the season. My guess is that Beane is probably waiting to get a health report on Von Miller before making a move. There are also a half-dozen veteran guys still on the market who could potentially fit this need. Yannick Ngakou, Justin Houston, Leonard Floyd, etc. Maybe he waits for the season to get closer before adding one of these guys.

I caught the Jim Rome interview, and was going to post the same thing. At this point, I think Bills fans just need to accept that our coaching staff just sees the that position in a different light. The days of Mike Singletary, Junior Seau and Ray Lewis are long-gone. We have no interest in that kind of player in our defensive system. The big complaint with Tremaine Edmunds was that (despite his large size), he wasn't really great at taking on blockers and plugging the run. His greatest value always came in coverage and preventing throws over the short/middle of the field. He always played more like an OLB. It was always going to be tough to get a replacement with Edmunds physical characteristics. But with us drafting Terrell Bernard last year and Dorian Williams this year, I think it's pretty clear that we are still more concerned with stopping the pass. If that means being undersized compared to the traditional MLBs around the league, then so be it. For now, I think the plan is for Tyrell Dodson to start. Hopefully Bernard or Williams eventually takes the job. If everyone sucks, we have AJ Klein as a fallback.

Trading Ed Oliver gets us extra cap space for 2023. Probably not quite that much, since you also need to spend something to sign a decent replacement. Assuming there is still anyone out there on the market. If you are worried about re-signing Micah Hyde in 2024, then just don't give Oliver a long-term extension. If he walks in free agency, then we have that extra cap space available next year regardless. Looking to the future is great. But at some point, you do need to think about fielding the best team today. We already have a huge question mark in the middle of our defense at linebacker. Do we really want to downgrade our D-Line too, just for some extra cap space?

My opinion on this team is a mixed-bag. This front office and coaching staff did a fantastic job turning around a franchise, which was a total embarrassment for over 20 years. The main reason is obviously (finally) landing a franchise-QB in Josh Allen, something which eluded the previous regimes. But it also extends to the drastic change in culture and confidence inside the locker room. Players around the NFL actually want to to be in Buffalo and expect to win here. With that said... it's just tough to win a Super Bowl. For all the things Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott have done right, they have done just enough wrong to keep us from getting over the final hurdle. A few too many ineffective draft picks. A few too many bad free agent signings. Some bad coaching decisions at key times. Sprinkled in with some bad luck. I'm not trying to be a negative person. I think Beane has done a good job this offseason with very tight resources. But I can't pretend that guys like Connor McDermott and Deonte Harty are going to be the key puzzle pieces that push us past the finish line. I also can't ignore the strong rosters being constructed by the Jets and Dolphins, or that the Chiefs and Bengals still have everything needed to contend. Hoping I'm wrong, but I just don't know if the Bills have done enough.

In our defensive scheme, the two starting Defensive Tackles have different roles. Poona Ford was signed to backup DaQuan Jones at the 1-Tech spot. This was the position that Star Lotulelei manned for a few years, and is more about occupying blockers than getting penetration. Ed Oliver plays the 3-Tech spot. His backups are Jordan Phillips and Tim Settle.

So you would be OK with trading our starting 3-Tech Defensive Tackle for a late round draft pick, with the only benefit being that we gained some extra cap space? This is also keeping in mind that: 1. The only other 3-Tech DTs on our roster are Jordan Phillips (always hurt) and Tim Settle (below average) 2. All the best free agents have been gone for months, and that $10 million would really only help sign veteran cap casualties. In my opinion, our best bet is hoping Oliver plays great this season (similar to Tremaine Edmunds). We reap the benefits of that great play for 2023. If he wants to re-sign then great. If not, we can get a 3rd-4th Round compensatory pick next season in return... which is higher than we would probably get trading him away right now.

All the people pushing to trade Ed Oliver... What kind of return do you think the Bills can get?

It's not the huge deal everyone is making it out to be. There is probably a 99% chance that DaQuan Jones gets re-signed, long before Free Agency next year. That immediately locks down one starting spot. Jordan Phillips and Tim Settle seem to be OK without long-term deals, and just going along with the 1-year contracts. Neither generates much interest on the open market, and can always be a fallback option. The only question mark really is Ed Oliver. And I think he will get the Tremaine Edmunds treatment. Play out the 5th Year. Offer him a fair deal to stay on the team. If he decides to leave, then we address the position next year.

Only Dallas knows for sure if they were going to take Dalton Kincaid at their pick. And they are certainly aren't going to reveal that information to the public, because it makes them look bad. So whatever Jerry Jones says now means absolutely nothing. With that said, I've read over tons of mock drafts over the last few weeks. There was a very strong assumption amongst anyone plugged into the Cowboys that they were targeting Tight End early in the draft. Of course it could have been a smokescreen. But the information sitting out there suggested Dallas at least could be looking at Kincaid. Now if you listen to Brandon Beane, there were multiple offers to trade-down on the table. He didn't expect anyone they had a 1st Round grade on to reach Pick #27. The Bills were fully expecting to trade back. But when Kincaid unexpectedly dropped to #25, and he was the last person with a 1st Round grade they had, Beane decided to make the move. Time will tell if the Bills scouting on Kincaid was correct. And ultimately that is all that matters. But based on the grades Beane had, and the reasonable expectation that Dallas could take him, I do believe the trade-up was a smart move.

We will see. Many of us had record-setting hopes for the 2022 offense, and things didn't quite work out that way. - Ken Dorsey had pretty bad struggles in his first year as OC - Josh Allen wasn't able to stay on the level he played during the postseason - Gabe Davis wasn't quite ready for the #2 WR role - Cole Beasley was more important than most realized - Rodger Saffold was not the upgrade we hoped for at LG - Spencer Brown failed to take a step forward in development Our hopes for improvement are pinned heavily on Dorsey figuring things out, and our "low-key" free agent signings being diamonds in the rough.

In terms of the player himself, Dalton Kincaid was a fantastic pick. One of the better Tight End prospects in the last several years. Universally considered a mid/late first round guy. Very possible the best offensive weapon available when the Bills were on the clock last night. Just like many others on the board though, my concerns are not about Kincaid the player. It's more about Ken Dorsey and how effective our offensive coordinator can be in properly utilizing his skillset. For the last 3-4 years, this team has run mostly 11 personnel. Now with Dawson Knox's big paycheck, and us investing a 1st Round Pick on another Tight End, this team is signaling a switch to mostly 12. It's going to be a transition. Last year, Beane made it a BIG priority to add a pass-catching RB to the offense. He went after JD McKissic in free agency (missed out). Then drafted James Cook in the 2nd Round. Then traded for Nyheim Hines. We had the players to make this a big piece of our offensive attack. But Cook ended up with only 32 pass targets all season, and was simply used interchangeably with Devin Singletary. Hines was barely used at all, except for returning punts. Total waste of talent. I hear all the ideas about Kincaid being a chess piece and matchup nightmare. I hear all the creative ideas on how Kincaid will help us attack defenses. My fear is that Dorsey isn't creative enough to do that. Within a couple years, fans will be complaining that either the Knox contract or Kincaid draft pick was a bad decision, because our OC couldn't figure out how to use both.