GunnerBill

I was talking regular season. In which case it is once in like 3 years. The Ravens last year. If the stat is made up, fair enough. I didn't post it.

Hahaha. I don't think he is a big talker at the best of times.... but yep.... he looks stoned.

It's speed rush against the inside shoulder. That is where I think he still has a bit of a weakness. He did improve a tad the second half of the year last year... so if he can stay on the ascendency then he will earn his payday.

Let's see how Cybo plays this year. I think he has been fine. I don't yet think he is someone I am rushing to pay. If he has a good year and it willing to take a reasonably team friendly deal I'm in. But if he wants to be in the $15m and over tier of guard deals I'm letting him play out year four before I even think about that.

It's as I have said all offseason. Macro I want that gamebreaking ability to come from my receiving room not my running back room. But until I have it from one I'm unwilling to give it up from the other. I agree I am not a "pay running backs" guy. But in this situation I was always leaning slightly towards "pay Cook".

Beane's best draft since 2018 (for obvious reasons). Sadly looks like he followed it in 2023 with a bit of a dud. Big year for all those guys.

Right now (before Cook details out) the Bills are less than a million over Spotrac the estimated cap of $307m. If recent years are anything to go by Spotrac has come in slightly on the conservative end prediction wise so my guess is the Bills right now would probably be very slightly under the cap. But there are some easy options for freeing up money. Ed Oliver, Dion Dawkins and Josh Palmer are easy restructures that get you up above $30m of space, Taron Johnson and Dawson Knox are both guys who will either be restructured or possibly cut dependent on performances in 2025 (and can get you another $12m) and then you are probably cutting Curtis Samuel to save around $6.5m. In contrast to this year the Bills don't have a ton of contracts coming up. That is largely because unlike this year where the 2022 draft class became due extension eligible and that meant Cook, Bernard, Shakir and Benford... the 2023 class that becomes eligible next spring is more questionable. Right now I think the right play on Kincaid is pick up the 5th year option then decide on whether to extend him AFTER 2026. O'Cyrus right now I'd allow to play out his deal and consider an extension before he hits free agency in spring 2027. Dorian Williams isn't even a starter right now - but might be about to step into a starting role in his final contract year if Milano doesn't come back.... so you make him earn it. Therefore my spring 2026 priorities are retaining Conor McGovern and seeing whether there is a deal that makes sense for David Edwards too.

Yes. That $48 mill will essentially be spread over 5 years because the amortised signing bonus will start immediately and some of that money will hit the 2025 cap. EDIT: but the $5.7m cap charge already due this year has to be accounted for too. So if it's a 4 year $48m extension that leaves him with a 5 years $53.7m contract......

$12m sounds about right in relation to the Williams deal. As ever the details will matter in terms of how and when the team flexibility is built in.

For sure, but a lot of the other top teams are rarely down that big either. We know, for instance, the Bills have lost once by more than a score over like 3 seasons now so most of their losses are close going into the 4th. My guess is if you crunched the numbers of Philly and Baltimore that would be similar.

Agree on the receivers. I actually think with Samuel hurt again (and I sensed some real frustration in the way McDermott spoke about him yesterday) there are only three sure things - Shakir, Palmer, Coleman. I'd then price Samuel up as 4th fav and likely to make it but if he can't get back on the field before pre-season game 3 not an absolute slam dunk. Then Moore still I think just ahead of Shavers but that job is more open than I believed going into camp. On SVPG it really depends what is up with him. They described it as a "calf" initially but for him to still be on PUP after 3 weeks of camp with a calf does strike me as a little bit odd. The rules on PUP are if you end up on the reserve/PUP list at cutdowns you are out for the first 4 games. But then you have a five week window (so until week 9) to begin practicing and then after he starts practicing a 3 week window (until week 12) to be added to the active roster. If a player either doesn't hit the 5 week window or the 3 week window they are then done for the year. I don't believe you can be moved directly from PUP to IR. I think you would have to come off PUP to an active roster designation and then be IR'd. And obviously you need the roster spot to do that moving about with.

That was simply not how he played for most of last season. He had 3 or 4 great games and a lot of meh. He has been great. I used to argue how underrated he was. But he isn't the 5th best QB in football right now. No way. Except it shows why Pat is still the number 1 despite not being quite as sharp the past two years. His ability to meet the moment is greater than anyone else.

He was incredible last year. The last time a QB played anything like that well and missed the playoffs because of the ineptitude around him was 2015 Drew Brees.

Comparing the Athletic Survey's tiers to mine posted earlier this offseason: Tier 1 Gunner: Mahomes; Allen; Burrow; Jackson Athletic Survey: Mahomes; Burrow; Allen; Jackson; Stafford Tier 2 Gunner: Hurts; Herbert; Prescott; Daniels; Goff; Love; Mayfield; Stafford; Stroud Athletic Survey: Daniels; Herbert; Goff; Stroud; Hurts; Mayfield; Prescott; Love; Purdy Tier 3 Gunner: Tagovailoa; Purdy; Nix; Smith; Lawrence; Murray Athletic Survey: Murray; Rodgers; Tagovailoa; Lawrence; Smith; Nix; Darnold; Maye; Williams; Young; Cousins; I've cut it off after that as the way they categorise is different.... indeed the last five of their tier 3 guys are the four guys who were in my tier 4 (with Rodgers) plus Cousins who I didn't rank as I ranked Penix as the Falcons likely starter. But basically the big differences they have are Stafford and Rodgers who they have a tier higher than I did (as I said above, classic NFL GMs who are typically late to spot the decline on these things) and Purdy who they have bottom of tier 2 and I have top of tier 3 - I am a little harsher on him given how he looked when his pieces were out last year.

Who is voting Matthew Stafford into Tier 1? It's not a lifetime achievement award ffs. It's a problem these things always have. NFL GMs are slow to move guys down. Seen it in previous editions with Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers to mention but two. Matt Stafford was underrated in his prime partly because he spent so long on bad Lions teams. And now it has flipped the other way. He is not a tier 1 Quarterback at this stage of his career. Not even close.

I knew I'd forgotten someone on the DL!!! Yes. Take Shavers out. 5 receivers. EDITED my post. And just on Forrest... it comes down to special teams. I don't think they have six rosterable linebackers right now; none of the five receivers we presume will make the roster can offer you special teams snaps; Strong and Hancock both have some experience on coverage teams in college but different rules in the NFL etc and there are no vet corners playing teams on this roster. If I had to put together a special teams core right now (you generally need 8 or 9 guys who can play on most coverage and return teams) from guys I'm sure will be on the roster it is: Hawes, Gilliam, Soloman, Andreessen, Lewis, Strong, Hancock.... That feels at least one light. I think Forrest was brought here to play teams rather than safety. It does leave the overall roster defense heavy.... but on the flip side the offense feels a lot more settled. Both starters and backups. The reason I think they might keep more on defense is because they don't have as clear of a pecking order at DL and DB in particular.

I have avoided a roster prediction thus far.... but let's have a got at a 53.... now that we have seen a pre-season game: QB: Allen; Trubisky (2) FB: Gilliam (1) RB: Cook; Davis; Johnson (3) TE: Kincaid; Knox; Hawes (3) WR: Shakir; Coleman; Palmer; Samuel; Moore (5) OL: Dawkins; Edwards; McGovern; Torrence; Brown; Grable; Van Demark; Anderson; Lundt (9) DE: Rousseau; Epenesa; Bosa; Solomon; Jackson (5) DT: Oliver; Jones; Sanders; Carter; Walker (5) LB: Milano; Bernard; Andreessen; Williams; Thompson (5) CB: Benford; Hairston; White; Johnson; Strong; Hancock; Codrington (7) SAF: Rapp; Bishop; Hamlin; Lewis; Forrest (5) ST: Ferguson; Bass; Robbins (3) PUP: Van Pran-Granger (1) SUS: Hoecht; Ogonjobi (2)

I don't think he can go on PUP now. You have to be on PUP to start camp to stay on PUP. Once they are into camp if you are hurt you go on IR (point stands though that puts him out 4 weeks and I can't see them doing that).

I mean his best year Von barely played....

I hope not. Yep. That was the same last year. Not saying the pass rush was great but the secondary was the bigger issue.

No I don't suggest they are opposites. There is an extent to which synchronisation is dependent on the call. But my point was more in a vanilla cover 2 call that has to be right. And there were times last night it was off.

White threw 3 or 4 god awful passes. That's why. He rebounded well on his last two drives but he looked considerably less in control than Trubisky to me.

I don't think they are synonyms. In every defensive call you want the rush and the coverage to compliment each other. Its as much getting timing down as anything.

Fair, but also fair that it is my single biggest concern going into 2025 about the entire team. It was woeful last year. I would imagine it has been a point of emphasis the entire off season. And yet they were really disappointing yesterday. It isn't just scheme either. It is basics. Tackling, spacing, synchronisation of rush and coverage. Those things don't need creative scheming and when you get more creative scheme wise you better have those fundamentals down pat.

Not for the first time this week I disagree with Joe. He lost rush discipline multiple times. I do good night / bad night after every pre season game win or lose and have done for multiple years. These games are about what you learn and I try and hone in on what the Bills will have learned and how much it all matters.