msw2112

Perhaps getting those guys to take pay cuts was a credit to Beane's talent and not luck. He rewarded and took care of those guys when the arrow was pointing up for them and they returned the favor by taking one for Beane and the team when the arrow wasn't. In doing so, both guys showed that they were team-first guys and that's the kind of guy Beane wants on the roster. Perhaps Diggs was no longer a team-first guy and now he's no longer on the roster. It's widely known that most employees will take less money if they are treated well and like the culture where they work. Beane (along with McDermott and the rest of the Bills staff) have worked hard to create just such a culture. That's likely why guys are willing to take pay cuts to stick around, or, in some cases, sign for the Bills for less than they can get elsewhere. In some cases, the money gap is just too large and guys move on. Beane is often very open to letting guys test the market to see what they're worth before pressuring them to re-sign with the Bills. In the cases of Edmunds and Davis, the money was too good elsewhere and they parted ways with the Bills on good terms. For Epenesa and guys like Milano a couple of years ago, they tested the market and liked what was available in Buffalo, and they stayed. I suspect that both could have made more money elsewhere. Beane is not perfect and has taken appropriate criticism (see Basham, Boogie and Ford, Cody), but overall, he's done an excellent job building and maintaining a winning team, among the best in the NFL, in a market that isn't considered the most attractive one to live in/play in.

I could live with Hopkins if the Bills could get him for a late round pick and he's only on a 1 year deal. Otherwise, it's not worth it. He's older than Diggs, he's had his share of injuries, and he's more of a possession receiver than a downfield threat. That said, he's got a lot of NFL experience, he's a great route runner that gets open, he has great hands, and his contract is reasonable given his talent level and experience. The Bills should not get stuck in any kind of longer-term deal on an aging WR, particularly after taking the pain this season to move on from one. Regardless of whether they sign a veteran like Hopkins, they still need to draft 1 to 2 WRs this season, ideally one taller guy and one speed guy. Unless they make a major trade up, I don't think they're going to get a guy that's both and even if they get a guy that can do both, it still makes sense to draft 2.

This assessment is dead on. I've watched Milton play many times. He's one of the best practice players in the history of college football. His former Michigan teammates were quoted as saying that Milton would have been the #1 overall pick in the NFL draft based on his play in camp and practice. Then the season started....The guy is an athletic freak, but he can't read a defense and can't hit the broadside of a barn. He was given the starting job in college multiple times at 2 different programs, only to lose it to another QB. Think EJ Manuel, as that's what you're getting with Milton.

It's a risky proposition. Any draft pick could be a bust, so despite the glaring need at WR, I think they're better off keeping what they have and picking 2 WRs in the draft. It's a deep draft for WRs.

Hamlin has a great off-the-field reputation. His story is one of the great all-time stories in the history of sports. On the field, he's a backup player. He should not engage with Brown and should stay as far away as possible from the guy, in person or virtually. NOTHING good can come if it.

Fields has a lot of untapped talent, but it also may be untappable. He has all the athletic ability in the world and seems to be a decent kid, but he just doesn't have it between the ears at game speed. That can work in college on a team that is much more talented than all of its opponents, but not in the NFL. Lots of guys have had careers like that. EJ Manuel, JP Losman, Mitch Trubisky, and Zach Wilson come to mind, but the list of these types of guys is long. Bryce Young may be working his way onto that list and I would not be shocked to see Caleb Williams on that list in the future. Note that Mac Jones is NOT on this list. He does not have all the athletic ability in the world and he's not a decent kid. Back to the original post, the Steelers' QB room is now full of has-beens and never-weres. Not a great prescription for success.

I disagree with this. Brady was a superstar. Harbaugh and Grbac were very good starting QBs, but Grbac retired at a young age for some reason. Griese was a middlin' starter and devolved into a backup. Collins and Chad Henne were good backups for a long time. Henson was not even a good backup and flamed out of the NFL pretty quickly. He had a cup of coffee in MLB with the Yankees and is now (I believe) a scout for them. Ironically, Henson was the one with by far the most hype coming into college and was the "can't miss" prospect, stealing quite a bit of playing time from Brady. I'm not sure about McCarthy. He has all of the physical skills. He's got a great arm, he's mobile and a fast runner, he's not afraid to play a physical game (former hockey player), and he's won a whole lot of games. He came through in the clutch in the playoff this season. He's a team player and very coachable. So he has a ton of upside. The thing that concerns me is that because Michigan ran the ball so much during his tenure, he never established any kind of rhythm as a passer. The Michigan passing offense never had a great flow to it. Obviously, it was plenty good enough, resulting a national championship....So I just don't think there's enough tape out there to determine whether McCarthy will be successful in the NFL. I love the kid and think he has the potential to be great, but I just haven't seen enough to be sold on whether it will happen. I'm curious if other Michigan fans see it the same way I do.

I think Junior Colson will be a solid NFL LB. I love Sanristil and his intangibles, but think he'll get banged up in the NFL, as he's just such a slender guy, so I project him to be a solid backup in the NFL. I'm not sure about Cornelius Johnson, he has all the measurables and was fantastic against Ohio State in 2022, but he has not typically been the go-to guy in key situations, even though he was technically the #1 WR at times. He is a guy, however, who may be better in the NFL than he was in college, just based on how much Michigan ran the ball and how little the WRs were utilized, similar to Nico Collins, who has great measurables, but low college production, and has emerged with the Texans. I agree about the offensive linemen in general and think Keegan and Zinter will be good NFL starting guards. Given that Nugent only played one season at Michigan and missed some time with injuries, I'm not as sure about how he will do in the NFL. I see him on an NFL roster for sure, but don't know if he'll be a starter.

To add, Wilson has been clutch in crunch time. When the game was on the line, he stepped up and made big plays, particularly against Ohio State and Alabama. The same can be said for Corum and McCarthy too. That's how championships are won. Sainristil has also made a ton of big plays in big games/crunch time, but I'm not sure he's big enough and athletic enough to be a successful NFL starter. I see him making a team as a solid backup nickel corner. As to the prediction that the Michigan offensive linemen will not be successful in the NFL, I disagree. Michigan linemen from recent seasons are starting all over the NFL, even those drafted in later rounds. Off the top of my head, I can think of Cesar Ruiz, Ben Bredeson, Mike Onwenu, Graham Glasgow, Jon Runyan, and Mason Cole. Ruiz was a higher draft pick, but these other guys were later round picks and have all been NFL starters. I'm admittedly a Michigan alum and fan. While that gives me a bias towards their players, it also means that I follow the team closely and have an educated opinion on the players.

For me, it depends. If we're having Thanksgiving or Christmas with my family, everyone will want to watch the Bills and it will be worked into the day. If it's with my wife's family, I might look like a heel for ignoring everyone to watch the game, and it creates friction. Truth be told, I'd MUCH rather ignore everyone and watch football anyway, but I'd likely hear about it for years to come....

I believe that's correct. But once established in Buffalo, he kept the team here and remained loyal to it throughout his life and even after his death. Buffalo was not Jim Kelly's first choice either, but look how that turned out.

Without getting into specifics, I think that the team has taken a bit of a step back, losing some talented players and key positions, but they're far from done. They'll add a full draft class, plus a few more free agents. When it's all said and done, they'll be similar to last season, but perhaps a bit younger and faster. They'll be more economically viable salary-cap wise, which will help better position them for the future - keeping the "window open." As others have said, if the defense can remain relatively healthy next season, that alone will make the team better than it was for the majority of this past season. And last year's team is not a bad baseline. They won the division, had a #2 seed, won a playoff game, and had a very close loss to the Super Bowl champs that may not have happened if they had a healthy defense. Am I disappointed that the Bills didn't beat the Chiefs? Of course. Does that mean the team is terrible and has no hope for next season and the future? Absolutely not.

I agree. I see Curtis as a less physical version of Deebo. He'll line up all over the place (slot and outside), take occasional handoffs out of the backfield, run jet sweeps, maybe wheel routes, etc. He may do some of the things that Hines would have done had he remained with the team. Brady seems to be a whole lot more creative than Dorsey and he'll leverage Samuel's talent in a positive way.

I don't think that Armstead visited. I think that he's a free agent and his wife has ties to the Buffalo area, so someone wrote an article suggesting that he was interested in signing with the Bills. I don't know that there was anything else to the story.

I was hoping they'd sign Blackmon. Based on what (little) I know, Blackmon is the better player. Signing Edwards does not preclude them from also signing Blackmon (or Simmons), but I assume it makes it less likely.

Before seeing this thread today, I was not familiar with this player. I like what I see. He's young and talented and he's played (at least) a full season post-achilles with no ill effects from it. The shoulder injury seems to be unrelated and minor. It also appears that the Colts have a younger, cheaper option, so it makes sense for them to move on from him, even if he's a good player. Seems like he'd be a good add for the Bills open safety spot, while still drafting one.

Not sure if they'll go vet minimum on the experienced player, but definitely on the lower end of the salary scale. Then, I agree, a Day 3 and a UDFA and see what they have in camp.

A guy like Foreman would be a good fit. He's a) a bigger, more rugged type of runner; b) experienced, and has had some success in the league; c) only 27, so still in his prime for another season or 2; d) available; and e) likely not too expensive. He played for the Bears on a 1-year $2M contract and I could see the Bills signing him to a similar deal.

I expect the Bills to be about the same next season as they were this past season - one of the top 5 teams in the league that with a bounce or break could beat any team in a playoff game. They're losing a lot of veteran players, but also will be gaining some younger and perhaps faster/more athletic players, plus some of their younger stars should improve and take on larger roles (Bernard, Kincaid, Cook, Shakir, Benford, Brown, Torrence, etc.) The newer, younger coordinators may also have a positive impact, also offsetting the loss of some key veteran players. I think that Epenesa, Miller and Rousseau will have more sacks than they did last season, plus a high draft pick and/or to-be-added Free Agent will pick up the slack. On offense, I expect more TDs from Shakir, Kincaid, and Knox, plus a high draft pick WR (I'm not expecting a high-priced veteran FA WR this season).

This is most definitely the signing of a guy to be WR4-WR7 and play special teams. This is not the Bills WR2/Gabe Davis replacement. Nothing to get worked up about. I still anticipate a WR to be drafted in the first 2 rounds and would not be at all surprised to see a second one drafted in the later rounds. In the meantime, this guy has some size, some experience in the league, and is a good special teamer, so if the makes the team, he can add to the mix.

I assume Miami was the best offer that he had, or it was among the best and his connections to the area influenced his decision to sign there. Obviously, the Bills decided to move on. While it's disappointing as a Bills fan that he's going to the team's biggest rival, the guy is entitled to continue his career for as long as he can and I can't blame him for that. Fortunately for the Bills, he's lost a few steps and he is not likely to be a major threat as an opponent.

This guy might not even make the team. And if he does, he's a backup/depth player with starting experience on a playoff team that I'm sure didn't cost much, and he can probably play special teams. Nothing to get worked up about.

I don't think the Bills are satisfied, resting on their laurels, or trying to sell a bill of goods based on how bad they were during the drought. While not everyone on this board will agree with every decision they make, or how they go about it, I don't doubt that the Bills organization is trying to do what they think is necessary to get the team to a championship. Some decisions work out and some don't. They paid Von Miller a boatload of cash as they thought he was the missing piece to getting sufficient pressure on QBs (Mahomes in particular) in big games. Then he tore up his knee and he has not been the same player (yet). Overall, it has not worked out, but it's a move that's reflective of the team's desire to get a championship. Cleaning up a bad cap situation is also something they have to do in order to get better, even if it means taking a step back to go two steps forward.

If it's $14.5M over three years and not for a single season, plus it's "up to" that number, I can live with it. That's low-end starter money, but a bit high for a backup.

Thank you.