GunnerBill

I have been a Coleman sceptic since long before he was a Bill. I had provided a pretty full critique of him on this forum even before he ran his infamous Combine 40. I think as an outside receiver he is never going to be more than a guy in the NFL. If he is going to really succeed in the league it will be as a big slot or a flanker used almost entirely on inside routes where you get the ball in his hands quickly and use his best attribute which is his YAC ability. I've said this since February 2024. However, on the bolded - he isn't. He has been with the 1s entirely I think through two days of camp. Now he had a very rough day one, but unless I've missed it all of his action day two was still with the ones. That doesn't indicate him being buried on the depth chart. I share your concerns about him long term. But right now, the Bills organisation still sees him as a starting receiver and I don't expect that to change before September. Whether it is the same come January? Different question.

That's your opinion. I disagree.

I think George Pickens is more a contested catch guy than he is a separator but he sort of separates at the catch point with tremendous agility rather than just relying on 50/50 balls. Mike Williams (just retired) had a pretty good run with the Chargers as a #2 who was mainly a contested catch guy, couple of thousand yard seasons in there.... and he had less YAC ability than Keon. But I agree separation is the thing that generally sustains in the NFL and there are not too many guys who make a living as mainly a contested catch monster and the ones that do are better at it than Keon is right now. Keon's pathway to success is as I said pre-draft, big slot or flanker running short in-breaking routes where you get the ball in his hands quickly and let him make things happen.

It's who Keon is. He is a non-separator and he isn't a good enough contested catch guy to get away with it.

Yea he comes from a much more scheme adjacent place to the Bills than Elam did from that Florida defense. Most of his holds come in transition and in and out of breaks. The Bills D requires much more of that than the Dallas D. Don't get me wrong, I think Elam might be beyond rescuing at this stage - but it was my position on the day we drafted him that the Bills defense would expose his worst weaknesses and mitigate his biggest strengths. I never thought it was ever a fit. The Dallas scheme is much closer to the type of D I think Elam can succeed in.

Awesome guy who understands the responsibility that comes with being the face of a franchise.

I am not going to pretend to be an expert in Nielson's career, but failing as a coordinator does not a bad position coach make. For proof of that look at our other line coach - Aaron Kromer on the offensive side. Widely respected as one of the best OL coaches in football and has done a brilliant job since returning to Buffalo, but his one stint as an OC in Chicago was a failure. Position coaching and coordinating are different skillsets.

I think he played at a borderline elite level in 2024. But it will take a repeat of that for me to put that him fully in that top tier. That said he is better than Jaycee Horn today, tomorrow and yesterday. He needs to show he can play his responsibility more consistently for me before I am committing to him as a starter. He still makes way too many mental mistakes.

There was significantly less competition in 2017. There was Ronald Darby (later traded) then a bunch of absolute scrubs.... Shareece Wright was probably the closest to a proven vet.

Yes we can. He can't play outside. He is a slot only.

Meh. I think every situation is sufficiently different as to not create an unharmful precedent.

I have been saying for weeks there is incentive on both sides to do a short term bridge deal that allows Cook some security to get on the field but still allows for him to cash in fully in the next two years as a FA (with the Bills or elsewhere).

We will see on Williams. He was still struggling with the mental part of the game last year, even at the end of the season. I'm starting to worry he just won't ever get it. If he does he could be a beast. But I do wonder whether his processing skills will ever allow him to get there. On Kincaid I think he will be better than last year. Just see him as a complimentary piece not a feature peice and as a 1st rounder that is a tad disappointing.

I'm less confident than you on Kincaid and Williams at this stage. And I liked both picks at the time. I'd price "none benched" as a strong odds on favourite, but agree Cyrus would be second favourite in that market.

I think in pen. I'd be stunned if they started anyone other than the same five from last year, health allowing.

Yea it tracks. I mean they took Polk a full round ahead of where his talent shoud have had him because they wanted a "bigger body."

I'm going just under..... I think slight uptick in passing TDs, slight drop off in rushing TDs

He is the best run game coordinator of his generation and tbh it isn't close. He has even had productive run games with patchwork offensive lines. His passing game design isn't as innovative and when people think "creative" offensive coordinators they immediately think pass game. That said, Ben Johnson is MUCH more creative a run game coordinator than he is a pass game coordinator (his pass game is pretty vanilla tbh), but he has the look of young up and coming offensive mind so maybe there is something in Greg Roman's presentation that influences perceptions too.

Honestly coming out he was a 4/10. Solid 8 now. The facial hair has helped.

Not sure Kincaid was a steal, but he certainly wasn't a reach either in that class. He went right in his window which kind of opened with the Chargers at #21. Edmunds and Oliver were both available at least 3 or 4 spots later than anyone expected. I know not technically a first rounder but I still think Keon Coleman was a bit of a reach at #33. Maybe the Pats would have taken him instead of Polk at #37 if we hadn't... but I think for skillset and talent he was picked at least half a round too early.

I think he will be, but for sure a disappointing one. And while O'Cyrus is a starting calibre guard he was still the weakest guy on our line in 2024. I am not sure long term 2023 or 2024 are gonna hold up well as classes. Hence why that 2022 group was kinda critical.

The 2022 draft was, despite a huge whiff on Elam, Beane's best class since 2018. It was critical too. 2023 only has two starters at this point though.

I wouldn't have tanked any previous year as the Steelers. I would have considered it this time though. They tried loading up on skill guys around a diminished starter (Big Ben), they tried staying patient in the draft and take the guy that gets to you (Pickett) and they tried a storied vet on a roster with talent (Wilson). None of them was the answer. Especially if the plan was to give away Pickens and Minkah anyway. Replacing them with older vets and then signing Rodgers and then paying Watt a huge deal aged 30 (about to turn 31) just feels uber short termist as a strategy. Makes me wonder if Tomlin is already thinking he is done after 2025.

I have a slightly different take. The first two years was on the team IMO not on AJE. They drafted a player, then completely stripped his game and his body down to try and rebuild him. If Epenesa had performed years 1 and 2 like he did years 3 through 5 I think he'd be considered a pretty solid 2nd round pick as a rotational pass rusher. Not a difference maker, sure, but you don't find a ton of 2nd round pass rushing edge guys that are. I agree, doubtful he is on the roster next year, but I think people perceptions of him as a second round pick are still largely driven by a very disappointing first two years.

Wade was 28 when he quit Union to try American Football, but agree this situation is very different.