Sumin

I'm intrigued by Ben Tate and Jason Worilds. Both are solid players, but not big-name guys May get flamed and trolled for this, but I honestly think Jonathan Martin could be a good pick up. I don't have a link right now but some sources have said that Martin will be unlikely to play for the Dolphins again. If he comes back to football, I'm sure he'd relish the opportunity to play again his former teammates. I also doubt many teams would look into him seriously. Martin was average during his tenure with the Dolphins. I do recall him being a great run mauler in college, and would consider him at RT (if nothing, would provide cheap depth.) He still has quite a bit of potential, and having depth on the OLine is not a bad thing if we get rid of Pears

It's good you took the CB off the list.. I'd posit that the Bills will not draft a CB this year at all, although a late round flier wouldn't surprise me While the Byrd situation is tenuous, we drafted two safeties last year and besides the injury spree in the beginning of the season, our CBs played just fine. I'd put LB as a far more pressing need on defense, as would many others. As usual, great post Astro. Appreciated.

WR: Watkins, Benjamin, Matthews TE: Ebron I've done some extensive film study of college prospects. If I get time I will share my findings, but all I will say is that Ebron is far above any other TE prospect- he is by far the most complete and athletic. I'm not enamored by ASJ, and I would say Jace Amaro would arguably be the second TE off the board.

Sure, let get go of one of our best players in Byrd, and create a hole... just keep adding to your long list of what the Bills need to do. It's not your money: the Bills need to field the best team possible and part of that has to do with continuity. You want players to sign here? Then show them that you will pay them for being good players, like Byrd. Who will replace Stevie Johnson? You want to get rid of proven production and bring in an unknown? Or are you banking on TJ Graham, Woods, and a seemingly always hurt Goodwin to become an elite receiving core? Hire a new OC and digress in terms of continuity in the offense, thereby affecting a young quarterback who could use some stability, especially since he did not play a full season..? How do you know this "vet" OC will be miles better than Hackett? Acquiring 2 CBs? What for? Will they see the field at all? Is there any apparent need, other than the fact that injuries decimated our secondary early in the season? It is unrealistic that any team can accomplish all the goals you have set. You are setting yourself up for disappointment in this manner (and I condensed your post and deleted more of your suggestions, too!) We have plenty of cap room. We can retain our talent and spend pragmatically. It is important to attempt to improve every position, but that doesn't mean tossing players to the street because of injury concerns, a down year, etc. That is only running around in circles in the name of "having cap space," which by the way, will garner complaints that "Ralph/Whaley is cheap," etc. Look at the 5 teams with the most cap space.. and tell me they aren't riddled in mediocrity. I'm not suggesting anything here.. I saw no mention of OL. Do you consider CB to be more of a weakness on this team than OL? I think you need to prioritize, man.

Here's the FA list from last year: http://www.wgr550.com/Bills-Free-Agent-Rundown/15194404

It was mentioned by Chris Brown that he had overheard Doug Whaley during games talk to himself saying that the Bills needed a big physical receiver I think WR/TE has more value than a LB in round one for us. Especially because Stevie had injury concerns, Graham should just be a special teamer, and Goodwin also has injury concerns I am sure the Bills will be thoroughly scouting Ebron, Watkins, etc

Same here. But I'm surprised at how well Watkins is playing. Granted, no Bradley Roby, but I doubt even Roby could stop him tonight. I'm not even sure if Benjamin will declare for the draft. The other guy I really like is Jordan Matthews out of Vanderbilt. Great athlete.

Wow. That's a surprising statistic. Doug Marrone talks about accountability: this guy should not be on the roster next year. Period

Agreed. What's even more asinine, however, is that the Bills had no plan for replacing Levitre. They let Chad Reinhabfoshv walk and didn't draft an OL in the draft, instead drafting 2 safeties that barely even saw the field. There were talented players in the draft like Barrett Jones and Brian Schwenke that I was sure the bills would select in those middle rounds. But they did little to address the hole, and the play from that position is evident of that

I was actually pondering the same thing and now that you mention it, I'm seeing some resemblance. His release is all sorts of wacky. Good observation

Anyone who claims Byrd made no difference did not watch the defense carefully enough. Byrd is electrifying and in a passing league is extremely valuable Let's not create a hole at another position. We have cap space, let's get a multi-year contract done, and solidify our secondary for years to come

Looks to me like Bortles needs some seasoning.. well advised to stay in school and spend another year learning nuances of the position. Dudes footwork and mechanics are all over the place, but looks like he possesses some talent

Agreed. I haven't been impressed with Mike Evans to be honest throughout his collegiate career, and the game against Duke only buttressed what I've watched. Manziel makes Mike Evans look great.. not the other way around. Those passes he "throws up" in desperation are pretty darn accurate. Evans runs much of the same routes, and hasn't shown consistent separation. Granted, he's young so he will improve. But his play is a far cry from that of Matthews who is one of those "open even when he's not" type of guys.

Mosley is excellent. I'm a little shaky on Robinson. He reminds me of Stevie every time I watch him. Which isn't a bad thing, mind you, but we need variance at the WR position. I like Jordan Matthews and Kelvin Benjamin in R2. I wonder if the bills will attempt to do what the Colts did with Luck and surround EJ with FSU players. There is an OT I believe currently projected to be picked up in the first round from FSU. I love Carlos Hyde but our running game is one of the best in the NFL. I'd rather focus on improving the O-Line, which has played a significant role in making our running attack inconsistent.

I would consider it an option, but not a dire need. No position on defense is an urgent need for the draft, imo. If the Bills are to extend players like Dareus, Byrd, Aaron Williams and possibly Jerry Hughes.. we've got a lot of cash locked up on the defensive side of all the ball, and the way to keep that defense intact is to pay peanuts on the offensive side of the ball. I see O-Line as a HUGE need in the draft. Since Hairston is an unknown at this point, we arguably could be replacing two starters. I agree with you on TE, WR, and RB. I see Goodwin as more of a #4 right now due to durability concerns, and Graham should be buried in the depth chart. Graham is a good option to have in case Goodwin gets hurt and can take the top off of a defense, but he shouldn't be seeing the field as much as he does. I like Jordan Matthews and Kelvin Benjamin and would be thrilled if we drafted either. I think Eric Ebron honestly would be a great pick in the first round. Kid is so athletic, has a ton of potential, and is most pro-ready of all TEs in my opinion

Playing for home field advantage is one thing, but I'm sure any playoff team would love to have momentum going into the playoffs also

With the concern over EJ's injuries this season? They will not keep 2 QBs. I can envision them cutting Lewis, however. This goes back to the conversation that if you cut a player, you better have a replacement at the ready. Lewis is not irreplaceable by any means... and Tuel should not be on this roster. BUT there is no point cutting Lewis if the bills cannot acquire an equally talented or better player

I think geographic arguments carry some weight, but what happens when a team relocates? Additionally, divisional rivalries have been imbued into football for some time now, and to shake those up.. not a huge fan. A more practical change would be to make playoffs be based on record. If a division sucks any given year, winning your division just gives you a sense of satisfaction. Perhaps if two teams have the same record and are vying for a final spots in the playoffs, divisional ranking would determine which team would make it in. It really sucks for Arizona, though..

In my opinion, Thad Lewis is an average backup with some upside. I would like for the Bills to pursue signing a veteran QB this offseason- one without recurring injury concerns like Kevin Kolb. If someone like Matt Schaub hits the market, I would prefer to have him as a backup option and competing with EJ. Otherwise, we're rolling with Manuel, Lewis, and Tuel, and that's unacceptable imo

Great move. The D-Line is a strength of this team and Branch is a big reason behind that. In terms of who this leaves for deals next offseason.. big names will include Scott Chandler, Jairus Byrd, and Carrington. Hughes is signed until 2015 (1 more season) and Lawson is on a 4 year deal.

Finishing 8-8 gives us a chance to squeak our way into the playoffs, or if not, be happy in our progress and momentum and the fact that our season was not a losing season. Obviously you have a right to your own opinion, but I don't subscribe to this loser mentality a large portion of Bills fans willingly throw ourselves into. Draft position? We have enough talent to make things happen. Learning how to finish and win games is what is hurting this team, so why wouldn't you want them to win games and improve?

Knows the system, still plays pretty well. Good vet signing In case Byrd is unable to play, Leonhard should be a guy who can play right away, since he's familiar with the system and has played in the league a long time. I also think signing him means we cut Searcy who has struggled. I doubt we carry 6 safeties. In regards to the whole AWilliams at CB thing, I doubt it, for now. We have 5 guys there, and personally, I'd rather live and die by those 5 and get them more experience rather than move AW, who has sucked at corner, over there and create a problem in the safety position. TBH I'd rather see what Brooks and McKelvin can do. Brooks especially. I think people forget just how bad AW was at corner. Too move him when he's playing adequately at safety is asinine IMO. Keep in mind, Leonhard is only a short term situation and we'll need to continue to address the secondary, but it is a good start.

Streeter is another speed guy, good measurables. TBH I wanted him in a late round, not a bad pick for practice squad. Lewis makes sense too. In that same vein, people keeping talking about the lack of ILB depth.. Keith Pough was a guy too me who showed potential, why not keep him on the PS and bring him up to the 53 if an injury happens. Not signing an ILB to the roster gives us flexibility to sign upgrades to the OL and CB group, which I consider more of a problem at the present time.

You sir, are a genius. It's these types of decisions our FO never makes. We could trade a 7th round pick, that's little investment. It's not like he won't see the field or anything like that, he's a good player

That's good news. I may be alone in this, but I was a fan of Legursky, he provides good depth and has been in the league for a while. Lets hope his recovers quickly