The Frankish Reich

Chad Kelly was well on his way to starting a game or two at the end of the Broncos' season. Not because he looked great in preseason/practice. No. Because Case Keenum looked so bad, and because Paxton Lynch found himself completely out of the league. But Chad, you had to do it, didn't you. I really don't think he gets another shot.

I just commented on a "our WRs still suck" thread, noting that I think we've improved from one of the worst WR corps in the NFL to roughly average. I guess I could just cut-and-paste that here, changing WR to OL. That's where I think we are now. Nsekhe for Mills - upgrade from poor to average Morse for Bodine/Groy - upgrade from poor to above average/very good (but not elite) Various new Guards for various old Guards - I'm not seeing the upgrade, but hey, competition often results in somebody stepping up, so it's not a stretch to say we're going (again) from poor overall to average, particularly if Teller improves. The new rallying cry: we're average!

Well ... I'd say we've upgraded from the worst WR (including TE) corps in the NFL to roughly average, with some upside (mostly Foster, maybe McKenzie or a Zay breakout or a draft pick) too. So it's two cheers for the offseason upgrade (so far).

Yes. It is impossible for 2 teams to be "on the rise" at the same time. Thank you for explaining that. And they do.

Yep. At first it struck me as an overpay, but looking at the early FA salary reports coming in, it's market value. I like PFF's take: While Kroft hasn’t wowed with his grades, earning a career-high season grade of 64.9 as a rookie, he has been a consistent and flexible option. He plays most of his snaps at inline tight end but can also line up in the slot to catch passes or in the backfield to provide extra blocking in the run-game. He also can contribute on special teams, where he played 531 snaps in his first two seasons, earning a respectable 71.7 grade in 2015. His best season as a receiver came in 2017 filling in for the oft-injured Tyler Eifert, producing 404 yards and seven touchdowns along with a receiving grade of 62.7. If the Bengals choose to move on, the team that acquires Kroft will be getting a solid, multi-dimensional player who can contribute across all phases of the game.

While we're kidding about Herschel or Okoye, I do like these "I'm making a comeback" old guy stories. Jim Brown brought that up well into his 50s. I remember Jim Palmer's ill-fated comeback after about half a dozen years away. Someday some old guy will actually pull it off. Think, for example, Jake Plummer ... could he have been worse at 42/43 years old than what the Broncos sent out there every Sunday? He's in great shape and a rated handball player. Go for it!

But ... dead cap hit is only 2.625 million ... hmm ...

Stop it with all that logical reasoning crap.

His career did end kind of suddenly, didn't it? I mean, yeah, he's 57, but he's got low mileage ...

Yep. This happened 2 years too late for the Jags. I don't see it ending well even though I really like Foles and wanted to see him get another starting gig.

Because even at 60 years old, he managed to get 4.6 ypc, which is kind of better than our 3.3 set. Yes, he didn't have the Bills line in front of him. But no, he didn't exactly have a powerhouse offense around him either. I like it! Cheap, useful, can't complain.

75 Josh Allen BUF QB 169 320 52.8 26.7 2,074 6.5 172.8 10 12 89 27.8 75T 30 5 28 67.9 76 Josh Rosen ARI QB 217 393 55.2 28.1 2,278 5.8 162.7 11 14 112 28.5 75T 23 4 45 66.7 Look, I like Allen better than Rosen, and I'm glad we got what sorta looks like the better Josh. But maybe we're getting carried away here, suggesting one is Mr. Franchise and the other is Mr. Bust.

Someone needs to get out of Buffalo every now and then

Great comment. I totally get it. One of the fun things about being a sports fan is when I find out that I don't know my own mind. Dial the clock back to the late 70s to early 2000s: my (AL) baseball team was the Red Sox. Nothing was better than finally watching them beat the Yankees! 2007: they swept my Rockies in the World Series, but I still gave them a pass (it was an improbable/fantastic run for the Rockies that had to end some way.) Meanwhile, I hated the Cards. So 2013 rolls around: Cards-Red Sox World Series. I start out telling people I want the Red Sox to win. Then I watch the games and I find myself rooting for the Cards and starting to view the Red Sox like the Yankees of old. Which I still do.

What if the Bills had moved to Toronto? Would you have remained a Bills fan, no 2nd team allowed?