BarleyNY

Are you saying that you think they’ll sign someone during the first wave or that teams will get into the second wave this week?

I don’t think the Bills rush into signing this week. Maybe they bring back one or two of their own, but I think they wait for the second and third waves.

No. I posted this thought earlier today. Other than Allen, there’s no elite player on the Bills. They have some really good ones - Oliver, Milano, Cook, Dawkins, Kincaid and probably still Diggs for another season. But no one besides Allen is keeping HCs and coordinators up at night.

Not really. Actual player usage is what is important - and right now their usage is different. Which player someone labels TE1 is immaterial. That was my point, not that a specific player deserves that label. Edited to add: I think the long-term plan is for Kincaid to develop as a blocker and become a do-it-all TE. That will pave the way for the team to move on from Knox. But Kincaid is not there yet.

He’s certainly a better receiver than Knox, but he hasn’t learned to be an effective blocker yet. That limits his usefulness to the slot while Knox can play in-line. Until Kincaid develops as a blocker those two play different positions, even if they’re both labeled TEs.

Sure, if they don’t mind paying him $50M for that one season.

He still has value as a WR but the new team would take on a $19M salary. Maybe a 4th plus. A 3rd if we are lucky. I think it’s becoming more of a situation where we need to part ways because the relationship is deteriorating. That’s tough when you’re revamping a position group. You don’t want a disgruntled star player to negatively impact the youth. The cap hit is bad. But the other side of that coin is that keeping him adds $19M to his total cap liability. Trading him involves a difficult, but manageable short term cap hit. Long term it’s probably worth it, especially if we get the Diggs from the second half of the season. Or worse.

I think that this is reasonable and that it will be the general direction that the Bills take. But it highlights my concerns with the team. The roster looks solid, but other than Allen it lacks difference makers. Some quality players will be on the roster for sure. Oliver and Milano on defense. Cook, Dawkins, Kincaid and Diggs on offense. But none of them are keeping HCs and coordinators up at night. Allen is going to need a lot more help.

I think the injury reporting rule is that teams are required to report any injury that prevents a player from practicing or practicing fully - or is otherwise significant. He could’ve been dinged, but not so much so that it prevented him from practicing. That said, it’s been obvious that he hasn’t been happy here for years. It’s entirely plausible that his effort and desire to stay on the field aren’t what they should be. He could not have been happy with Brady’s focus on the run game. It’s probably best for the Bills to move on ASAP. My prediction is that either the Bills trade him or things get worse with him and the team. He’s been quiet, but that won’t last forever.

I would be very disappointed in Beane if he gave Von Miller assurances of playing time or that he would not bring in another quality DE. I just can’t see that happening. Von should earn his time on the field just like everyone else. I would also be disappointed if Beane relied on Miller to be a quality player this season. The Bills have to have another viable starting caliber DE in case Miller does not round back into form. That's just for this season. It doesn’t even address our DE needs in 2025 and beyond. The odds that Von Miller will be here in 2025 are close to 0. We need someone in the pipeline. It doesn’t have to be a Mack or Bosa, but we need someone worthy of playing time.

He’s falling off to be sure. I expect him to be a top 32 WR this season, but I have no such expectations beyond that. We need to restock the WR position and the draft is the place to do that. Well, that and the trade market if we can swing something there for a younger player.

I grew up in the Cleveland suburbs and lived the first 42 years of my life in the Cleveland and Columbus areas. I’ve only ever been to Youngstown a few times - and that was for work. It’s just not a place even Ohioans go, mostly for the reasons you gave. Godspeed at getting to a place more to your liking.

The Browns can easily create a great deal of cap space. That’s a non-issue for them.

Excellent point.

He would cost the team trading for him $10M. $7M salary plus $3M roster bonus due on 3/16. I’m sure he wants an extension so that would be part of the whole situation. So much of his trade value hinges on his contract demands. He’d be a very nice get though.

No chance. He will be 30 before the season starts. His cash this season is $10.3M, which is excellent for an above average LT (which he has comfortably been). A big issue would be that he is under contract for only this season so any team trading for him would have to extend him. That’s not going to be cheap. And there’s the question of how he will hold up. His weight issues are well known. To his credit he’s always rounded into shape and played well. But as he plays into his 30s that gets sketchier. Plus if the Bills are looking to trade him, then that’s a red flag to other teams. I’m not sure how telling him to play out his deal would go over though. This is extension time. The Bills legit might have to move him if they can’t come to an agreement on an extension.

I think Sutton is a much better version of the kind of WT Gabe is. He certainly has much better hands. Neither are good at quickly separating though - and that was the issue here with Gabe. If you need an X WR to threaten the sideline, then you can do a lot worse than Sutton, though he is not a burner (again, similar to Gabe on that). I just don’t see him as a great fit if we are going to stick with quicker hitting routes though.

I see this type of thing posted here a fair bit and it makes no sense to me. He’s been there two seasons and was suspended for almost all of the first. Then he broke his throwing shoulder last season while playing through an ankle injury. I get why people don’t like the guy, but not why they make stuff up about him.

Looks like it. Almost $13M for his 5th year option salary. That’s why he was so cheap. I do think the Bills could handle that for a player they want though. He’s more expensive than Jeudy though. His salary this season is $13.6M and $14M next so they Bills would have to really want him. I don’t love him as a player for the Bills. He’s a lot like Gabe Davis. He may get cut though, so there’s that.

Second thought: Less playing time than anticipated? IlThat is believed to be a criteria and he missed three games.

Last season weren’t there six 3rd round comp picks awarded? This season it’s 4. Not sure how that can be it.

I think because the point is to develop minority candidates, not create an affirmative action plan. If the hiring team was compensated then there is always the question of whether they were the best candidate. A team could also name a minority as GM in name only. The hiring team’s reward is getting the best candidate for the job.

That’s not going to happen publicly. The NFL will not disclose their formula. I’m sure the Bills could ask the league. But what are they going to say? “Hey, we expected that pick that had not been awarded to us - and that we don’t know the formula for - to be higher. What the hell is going on?”

No. If a team develops a minority that another team hires as their GM or HC, then the team that they were hired away from gets two 3rd round comp picks. One each in two consecutive years. The team that hires the person does not get any picks for it. Not sure. Maybe the league’s formula changed? OTC had been nailing all of the comp picks for years. They seemed to have it all dialed in. I’m shocked.

I could not disagree more. The teams that actually develop the minority coaches and GMs and help them become quality performers are the ones that should be rewarded.