Bleeding Bills Blue

This is true, i think some of that impact can be spread to coleman, knox, kincaid in addition to palmer. It's hard to determine... how good a blocker a WR is, but based on snap splits with a rookie and a 2nd year player (all 3 roughly the same), i'd imagine he was the best blocking WR on the chargers. After he landed hard in the jets game he played less than 40% of snaps the rest of the way. Like i think we all expected him to be healthy and ready for a snap increase in january and it actually went the other direction.

I don't think either player's at their peak from an elusiveness standpoint, which was a big part of both wilson and tyrod's games. Other than that they are very similar players. High low type reads, they don't throw people open, not rhythm passers, solid deep ball (wilsons is better). It's a boring safe QB who has enough athleticism to hurt you if you break contain, but if you're smart they'll probably sack themselves a couple times a game.

I think its kind of the going rate though. He's a better route runner and wide receiver than hollins, while hollins adds contributions on special teams. If he had broken out in LA he probably gets closer to 15-20M AAV.

I mean the Jets are weakest at QB, but they have a good defense. Dolphins will have a better offense than the patriots as they have better playmakers even if their offensive line isn't a strength, but their defense took a big step back last year and they can't really hang with playoff teams. The patriots are picking 4th overall, won 4 games total - Bengals week 1, Jets, bears, bills backups week 18. They were blown out 7 times. They were truly among the worst teams in the league. 31st in yards, 30th in scoring, 21st in turnovers, 29th on 3rd downs. Diggs, Maye development, and some offensive linemen don't fix everything. Josh McDaniels (who's never coached a top 10 offense without brady) isn't going to just fix a bad unit in one season. As for the defense - they were 22nd in the league and can't really stop the run. They added some players to help there, and will probably get a contributor in the first between either Hunter or Carter - but nothings just overnight fixing a young team like this. I don't see them finishing 2nd, and if they do i would assume NYJ and MIA had terrible seasons more than NE making a massive jump. You do get the last place schedule though - which gets you the giants, raiders, and titans as non-common opponents. Commanders season show that it CAN be done, and the easier schedule did seem to tilt things their way (giants did this in year 1 with daboll).

I think there's some truth to that, but all 3 played a similar number of snaps. It's hard to see how many run vs. pass snaps though, and they were a running team. Running teams use a lot of rotation, 2 TE's, a FB, multiple backs. I don't expect him to pop off here statistically, because we philosophically do the same thing with player rotations and running plays. But i do see him making some impact plays, and potentially being the 3rd option behind Shakir and Kinkaid (ideally). The group as it stands now (not including backs): Shakir - give this guy the ball, he makes plays Kincaid - rough 2nd year and a very big drop. Hopefully him and Allen can get on the same page because tight ends can be chain movers. Coleman - who i see making a jump and being the 3rd target in the passing offense. He's a little janky at times but when he's on, he's pretty solid. Active blocker too which just keeps you on the field. Palmer - Man beater type for high low crossers. Chiefs killer :-). Maybe he can be like a bateman though and step up. Samuel - Forgotten injury guy but he's a speedy yac guy and can be a man beater against certain teams. Knox - Sunk cost financially, but the guy scores touchdowns and blocks well which again gets you snaps.

I'd have to look at the exact ramifications... but I'd have to say it limited things the bills were able to do during the season. It created a hole that they were only realistically able to fill with cooper from a salary perspective.

I kind of agreed that it made no sense from a cap perspective to create space to then use that space with dead money - but they did it and the team was fine in 2024 and better positioned in 2025. I do like that they go a bit more in depth onto things. Keon coleman has a low separation grade - ok... lets see why on actual plays. Is it speed? Route running polish?: Challenges with release? etc.

None of that 120 contributes to the run game, or protecting their QB.

Well i don't know that a depth safety knocking hamlin off the roster makes sense at 30, if you like a player at 30 to be a potential stud in your defense at safety i think pulling the trigger is appropriate.

This is part of the reason having all those picks is valuable. You can use them to maneuver - but I'd be shocked if a safety and a nickel with some size aren't priorities. Same goes with another linebacker to replace spector and another option for post-milano WLB.

Yeah... like if someone were to ask me if XXXX said something about an incident with Wiley the day after it occurred - and that date of this alleged conversation was even 10 years ago, i would not be able to definitively say anything. I also think defense cross examination would expose me as an unreliable witness.

Yes he is. Next question.

Then you get the players who are released in cap crunches looking for a new home. If they were still superstars they probably wouldn't be the cap casualty.

They were not, they would definitely have cut him next season though. Agreed. This season's the best season to plan for post-milano.

Right on Knox - we haven't figured out how to use these guys to stretch the field enough. Another year in system though, so maybe a new wrinkle. They also need to use these guys in the red zone more. His abilities to block are likely going to reflect positively when you look at the least sacked team in the league, and a top 10 rushing attack.

I think end of the day - they are in fine shape. I think a few things need to happen this season: More targets to shakir (100 up to closer to 130 - best hands and best wiggle to turn short plays into longer ones), and more targets to kincaid. Maybe tack an additional 50 onto that pair. Last year the group of players Coleman, Hollins, Samuel, and Cooper had 218 targets. Coleman, Palmer, Samuel somewhere in the 175 range total would be ideal. RB rotation is fine - all can catch and ty johnson plays more 3rd downs. We tend to not use them for check downs and short stuff as that tends to go to kincaid and shakir.

They have literally done nothing to improve on a bad defense, a line that doesn't protect well, or a bad running attack. They have 6 picks. The 3 players they pay all this money to... were on the team last year that went 9-8 and missed the playoffs, and their pay indicates they are among the best at their positions. Free agency doesn't fix all of your problems, but what's the point of cap space... and making cap space with extensions... if you don't use any of the cap space to improve your roster?

If the #5 plays on special teams.. shavers should have a chance for that gameday activation spot imo.

They need to nail this draft or the house of cards is going to go tumbling down. The fact that they waited to get this done until AFTER free agency is the most telling piece to me. Higgins tag was 26M cap hit and Chases 5th year option was 21.8M. 0 sense of urgency to spend to the cap, or to get these deals done. You do it before free agency starts and you show the league you're serious about paying your players, and you can add void years to maximize cap space. You do it after when you want good PR after literally signing like no one. I think yes - but having a pair of great WRs sure makes it easier to throw up 1x1's when the chiefs blitz.

10 picks is a lot of picks too

Shenault isn't really a core special teamer and has never returned a punt.

It always seems like a good idea, then somehow 6 weeks in we're scrambling and have Hyde or Shakir out there catching them. Codrington shouldn't be guaranteed a job (he was actually quite good at returns last year though) - but Harty, Roberts, and Hines didn't really do much for the offense either and all of them cost considerably more in an attempt to get more out of that roster spot. I'd throw mckenzie in there too, but he didn't inspire confidence as a returner even with the TD against Miami.

I'm not sure this guys gonna make the roster, especially if he doesn't return punts. I suppose it's good to have guys like this in camp though in case of emergency.

Between him and John Franklin-Myers those were two guys that always gave buffalo issues, and wilkins and howard for miami. And now they're allllll gone 🙂

Its tough to find those players. If the player was good - they're probably not a free agent at all, let alone at a young age. The league tends to give more chances to players like an Elam because of draft pedigree, and you realistically only have a 4 year window to make an impact before you're obselete. The league brings in 100s of new players every season, which just makes back of roster battles that much more difficult. You hit free agency and its like every team has a young safety, or pass rusher, or whatever - and the draft coming up. Usually the ones that do have a 2nd half of a career do so by being involved with special teams. Justin Watson, Mack Hollins, or Kalif Raymond for example.