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I don't think any of these free agents that have been rumored to have generated interest from the Bills were ever reported by any of the local reporters or any reputable sources. It's been a few random tweets here and there like, "Bills like James/Bills interested in Paradis/Bills interested in a slot receiver" but nothing more specific than that. We know McBeane has kept a super tight lid on things since day one so I'd be willing to bet that a lot of the names we've heard aren't even who Buffalo is actually after. They play everything close to the vest now and they have a limit on how much they're going to offer in a contract. If they were out here just signing guys and throwing out money all willy-nilly they'd be right back in cap hell and imploding by season's end. I'm sure they're keeping busy behind the scenes and once there's legitimate news to know, we'll know.

Really seems like Paradis is destined for the Jets. Bills are high on Bradbury, the center from NC State. Spent a lot of time with him at the Senior Bowl.

Yeesh. Nothing against Gore, he's had a great career, but that's just the wrong direction for the Bills. They need to get younger at the position. Despite McCoy and Gore being buds and working out, I don't think there's actual, real interest from McBeane here.

Thought it might be a decent idea to start a thread to discuss all the different news, rumors, trades, signings, etc. around the league. The "legal tampering period" (basically, NFL teams will be allowed to speak to soon-to-be free agents a couple of days before their current contract is officially expired) begins at noon today. Here's some of what's happened over the past few days. -DE Dante Fowler, Jr. returns to the Rams on a one-year deal, keeping another pass rusher off the market. -WR Antonio Brown traded to the Raiders and awarded a new contract making him the highest paid receiver in the game. -WR Danny Amendola signed with the Lions. -OG Kelechi Osemle traded to the Jets. -Giants trade DE Olivier Vernon to the Browns for OG Kevin Zeitler. -Ravens release safety Eric Weddle who signs a one-year deal with the Rams soon after. -TE Dwayne Allen signed a two-year deal with the Dolphins. As of today... -Former Jaguars DT Malik Jackson looks set to sign with the Eagles on a three-year deal. -Discussion on Ravens ILB CJ Mosley is heating up. His market value is expected to land him anywhere from $15-$17 million a year. Highly interested teams so far include the Lions, Colts, Eagles, Jets, Redskins, Browns, and Cardinals. Ravens also still in the mix as they have interest in keeping him. -Broncos are rumored to be taking a run at Dolphins RT Ja'Waun James with an offer of as much as $11 million per year. -Patriots DE Trey Flowers becomes one of the most coveted defensive free agents as fellow DEs like Demarcus Lawrence and Jadaveon Clowney have been hit with the franchise tag. -On the other side of the ball, Patriots LT Trent Brown will be pursued after putting in a very good performance over the 2018 season. -Eagles have interest in RB Tevin Coleman. -Former Bucs LB Kwon Alexander is generating interest from the Jets and 49ers so far. -A number of teams are interested in RB Le'Veon Bell but the main teams that have emerged so far as real possibilities are the Jets, Raiders, and Ravens. Bell supposedly has interest in the Dolphins and Chiefs but neither team has the financial situation that can accommodate what Bell is expected to get. -Dolphins are reported to have interest in QB Tyrod Taylor. -Jaguars are said to have interest in QB Ryan Tannehill. -Adam Schefter reports that QB Teddy Bridgewater is likely to stay in New Orleans as the backup to Drew Brees. -There appears to be trade interest in Vikings' CBs Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes. -Bucs WR DeSean Jackson has expressed to the team that he'd like to move on. A trade back to the Eagles has picked up steam as a rumor. -Pass rushers will be in high demand. Along with Trey Flowers, Za'Darius Smith of the Ravens and Preston Smith of Washington appear to have a solid list of possible suitors that may or may not include the Lions, Dolphins, Colts, 49ers, Jets, and Raiders. -WR Cordarrelle Patterson generating interest from Packers, Bears, and Ravens. As for the Bills... -Reports state that the Bills were ready to trade the #9 overall pick plus two mid-round picks for WR Antonio Brown and pick #20. Bills weren't close on AB's contract demands. They do feel though, that if they had agreed to pay AB what he was looking for then he would've "happily joined the team." -Team McBeane has really shut down a lot of the leaks/info that used to get out there. Recently it was reported that the Bills had interest in acquiring Seattle DE Frank Clark. Vic Carruci of the Buffalo News shot this down by stating the Bills have zero interest in pursuing Clark, who was dealt the franchise tag. -Many expect the Bills to make a concerted effort to bring in one of the top two free agent centers, either Matt Paradis from the Broncos or Mitch Morse from the Chiefs. Jets are among other teams also expected to make a serious run at a center. -Contract talks with the Panthers and RT Daryl Williams stalled out last week and Williams will more than likely hit the market. Beane was part of Carolina's front office when they drafted Williams in 2015. The Giants, managed by former Carolina GM Dave Gettleman, are also rumored to be interested in acquiring Williams. -Rumors have kicked around that the Bills have interest in adding a slot receiver, which makes sense as it is an important part of Daboll's offense and they ran through quite the number of slot receivers last season (Jeremy Kerley, Ray-Ray McCloud, Isaiah McKenzie, etc.) that haven't quite worked out. Adam Humphries of the Bucs may be a target and reports state he is looking for around $8 million a season. Jamison Crowder is another name to watch here. I'm sure I've missed some news/rumors somewhere. This is just what I've gathered up from sources like Twitter, reddit, local news outlets, etc. Things will be picking up later today and into the week. I dunno, is this a decent idea? We can update this as free agency rolls on or we could just make a buncha different threads (which is what tends to happen lol). Feel free to weigh in and add your news/rumors.

Every once in a great while he might get close to something that comes true. He typically calls for players to be cut/signed/traded anytime they have a bad play/game. He's also a "kick the tires" guy on any sort of name he recognizes.

Ah, right. I saw earlier that he's expected to move on from GB.

Sorry, I might be experiencing a brainfart but which Matthews?

I keep reading that the list of possible trade partners gets smaller and smaller the longer this drags on. AB is making it really difficult. He has a short list of teams he wants to go to and then beyond that he wants to be the highest paid receiver in football at 31 years old. Excellent player but at his age I think most any team is gonna take issue in making him the highest paid player at his position. And then of course there's all the baggage and BS he brings. But... you gotta assume that if the Bills were serious about acquiring him then, at this point, they must feel as though their locker room is strong enough to handle a guy like AB. That's a good thing. That was one of my mild concerns early on as they explained their plans on how they wanna build this team. High character, team-first guys, etc. etc. all that is well and good but I had always wondered if they'd talk themselves out of acquiring a player who had some issues. But this situation shows us that talent wins out at the end of the day. If you're that good, they'll deal with you. And ya never know, maybe he would've taken a liking to the guys on this team. McDermott doesn't run things like "my way or the highway, fall in line or GTFO" he really seems to preach family/brotherhood, accountability and playing for each other. AB doesn't really embody those qualities but again, the talent is elite and so teams will deal with the baggage. I've also heard that both teams had come to an agreement in principle over compensation and that Buffalo was ready to start talking money and contract terms with AB's agent (Drew Rosenhaus) but the news of the trade leaked out before they could engage in discussions with Rosenhaus and then AB just stamped his feet and said, "Baby Brown don't wanna play in no Buffalo!" and things fell right in the terlet.

I'm really liking this kid more and more as the draft gets closer. He showed improvement from year to year, showed that he can work on and fix an issue (struggled with drops early in career, got better later in career) and has an excellent size/speed combo. I think his best ball is ahead of him and whoever gets him is getting a good one.

Beat me to it, haha. And to think yesterday there were crazy rumors that "something huge was happening in Cleveland" and a trade for OBJ was speculated on. Turns out it's an average DE for a slightly above average OG.

Yuss. I can't wait to see what they do next week. At this point I'm sure they have their main targets outlined and have offers ready to go.

They're not gonna bother with this. I'm convinced that they're putting on a full court press for Daryl Williams, which would be a fantastic pickup.

I was pretty surprised to see those reports last night. AB really doesn't fit the character prototype that McBeane favors. He's a "me me me" guy while they're building a team full of team-first/play for each other kinda guys. AB's attitude would probably be a distraction and on top of that, he's 31 and wants a new monster deal. From what I gather, he's basically stamping his feet like a toddler anytime a team that he doesn't wanna go to is mentioned. I've heard the reason the Buffalo deal fell through is because they couldn't get a guarantee from AB that he'd actually show up.

Campbell is definitely one of the guys on my "I hope the Bills pick this guy" list. After his Combine performance, I've been seeing his name here and there coming off the board in round one in a few mock drafts.

Posted a wide receiver prospect primer yesterday that seemed to go over well, so here's a look at the top 20 running backs in the draft. Rankings are as per Lance Zierlein of NFL.com. The evaluations are summed up by me after reading scouting reports. 1. Josh Jacobs, Alabama (Junior) 5'10" | 220 The Good: Solid build for the position, solid balance and instincts, patient but decisive, effective as a single back or behind lead blocker, allows OL to do their job, has the speed to bounce outside, effective catching the ball out of the backfield. Needs Work: May lack homerun speed, doesn't adjust speed as needed, rarely asked to handle blitz pickups on third downs. Projection: Round 1 2. Devin Singletary, Florida Atlantic (Junior) 5'7" | 203 | 4.66 The Good: Very productive with a nose for the end zone, quick to process and respond to oncoming traffic, usually breaks initial tackle attempts, short-area quickness is top notch, excellent field vision, quick feet give ability to be sudden in stop-starts and cuts, able to maintain balance through traffic, threat out of the backfield. Needs Work: Above average mileage than the usual prospect, lacks top-end speed to outrun defenders, can be excessive with cuts leading to lost yardage, will need to hone in his style to be more disciplined at the NFL level. Projection: Round 2 3. David Montgomery, Iowa State (Junior) 5'10" | 222 | 4.63 The Good: Prototypical RB size, instinctive runner with an array of moves, patient and sets up his blocks, superb contact balance, agile enough to elude one tackler and punish the next, offers a lot as a receiver, blocks and recognizes the blitz well. Needs Work: High volume of carries in college, takes a fairly large number of hard hits, below-average burst in space, low number of explosive carries in college, lacks pure speed to outrun defenders. Projection: Round 2/3 4. Elijah Holyfield, Georgia (Junior) 5'10" | 217 | 4.78 The Good: Furious and powerful runner, quick process and response skills, explosive downhill bursts, feet are constantly moving, shifts running style from smooth to angry in an instant, tough to bring down, will drag tacklers for extra yards. Needs Work: Show impatience in allowing OL to set up blocks and will bail too soon and look for an alternate route, lacks finesse and will try to bull his way through tight running lanes, may lack homerun speed, has had very little exposure as a third-down option. Projection: Round 3 5. Damien Harris, Alabama (Senior) 5'10" | 216 | 4.57 The Good: Solid build with a no-nonsense running style, difficult to tackle, patient zone runner with good instincts, allows his OL to do their job, excellent feel/vision in space, effective in blitz pickup, has skills to be effective catching short throws out of the backfield, shared carries at 'Bama limiting wear and tear. Needs Work: Lacks a top-end burst to outrun defenders, not much wiggle/shake in the open field which allows tacklers to square up on him without much trouble. Projection: Round 3 6. Darrell Henderson, Memphis (Junior) 5'8" | 208 | 4.49 The Good: Very explosive, insane 8.9 yard average over last 344 carries, accelerates in an instant, big play production, excellent balance, feet don't stop, array of open field moves makes him difficult to tackle, effective as a receiver coming out of the backfield. Needs Work: A bit undersized, upright running style with a narrow base, may lack the ability to create if play doesn't go as designed, could be limited on third downs. Projection: Round 3/4 7. Dexter Williams, Notre Dame (Senior) 5'11" | 212 | 4.57 The Good: Adequete NFL size, able to handle the "bell cow" role, maintained solid production, allows his blockers to set up the lanes, processes traffic quickly, solid vision, sneaky speed to get to the corners, able to drop shoulders and plow over would-be tacklers. Needs Work: Limited tape against high-end competition, 2016 arrest and a four-game suspension to begin 2018 on his record, doesn't regularly square up against blitzers, average elusiveness in open field. Projection: Round 4 8. Miles Sanders, Penn State (Junior) 5'11" | 211 | 4.49 The Good: Minimal wear and tear (only 276 career carries), prototypical RB size, patient with good vision, quick feet to manuever around traffic, strong lateral agility, solid contact balance and typically falls forward for an extra yard, has potential as a three down back. Needs Work: Not very productive against elite competition, could be more decisive, lacks the burst to beat defenders to the corner, lacks homerun speed, needs improvement as a route runner, ball security an issue at times. Projection: Round 4/5 9. LJ Scott, Michigan State (Senior) 6'0" | 227 The Good: Great size for the position, decisive north-south runner, has the burst to clear through a lane, allows OL to do their thing, efficient runner with light feet, viable pass catcher out of the backfield. Needs Work: Could run with more power and less finesse in short yardage situations, only 14 career rushing TDs over 340 carries, lacks speed to outrun defenders to the edge, pass protection needs work, some ball security issues. Projection: Round 4/5 10. Ryquell Armstead, Temple (Senior) 5'11" | 220 | 4.45 The Good: Great combination of size and speed, tough downhill runner with ability to switch gears without losing a step, solid contact balance, breaks tackles and falls forward for the extra yard, highly competitive, holds his own in pass protection. Needs Work: Could be a bit more patient, aggressive running style can lead him into traffic at times, will need to allow OL to develop their blocks, narrow field vision, average lateral agility, not much production as a receiver. Projection: Round 4/5 11-20 11. Rodney Anderson, Oklahoma (r-Junior) 12. Bryce Love, Stanford (Senior) 13. Alexander Mattison, Boise State (Junior) 14. Trayveon Williams, Texas A&M (Junior) 15. Justice Hill, Oklahoma State (Junior) 16. Karan Higdon, Michigan (Senior) 17. Travis Homer, Miami (Junior) 18. Myles Gaskin, Washington (Senior) 19. Devine Ozigbo, Nebraska (Senior) 20. Tony Pollard, Memphis (r-Junior) Who do you like for the Bills? Who do you think is on their radar? We know they've met with Bryce Love so he could be a possibility. Personally, I really like what Justice Hill did at the Combine. He's a mid-round guy they could look at.

It's not a copy and paste list. I looked at their rankings and evaluations and then summarized in my own words for this post.

Right on. The more I think about it, the more it really makes sense for them to go DL/DE with their first pick. It's just so loaded in that position group this year and with Hughes and Lawson both in contract years, it just makes sense. Beyond that, when McBeane were in Carolina, they had a loaded DL following the 2014 season but they still took Vernon Butler with their first round pick that year. Adding strength to a strength is never a bad idea. And this year, I think that's just gonna be their best value. Maybe they'll luck out and some teams will scramble up into the top 10 for a QB and that'll push down some blue chip guys to Buffalo. Here's hoping.

Burns is intriguing. I don't know how well he'd fare if they shifted him inside here and there. A guy like Rashan Gary makes a lot of sense as he can play both inside and outside very well. I just don't think he'll be around when they pick at 9.

He's really athletic for a guy his size. Hopefully with some more time on the field we'll see more production. I think McDermott can get him going. And if they do go DL with their first pick, I think it's gonna be one of those guys that can play both inside and on the edge. Versatility is a major key trait they love for this defense.

Here's a rundown of the top wide receivers set to be available in the 2019 NFL Draft. The Top Ten 1. DK Metcalf, Ole Miss (r-Sophomore) 6'3" | 228 | 4.33 The Good: Elite athlete/physical freak, prototypical size, strong off the line, light feet, explosive, uses size effectively. Needs Work: Injury history, route running needs refining, could be sharper in and out of breaks, dropped passes. Projection: Round 1 (Top 15) 2. Marquise Brown, Oklahoma (Junior) 5'9" | 166 The Good: Elite speed, quick feet with ability to shed press coverage, plays inside or outside, explosive with a second gear to outrun DBs, electric after the catch. Needs Work: Small frame raises durability concerns, relies heavily on his speed and needs to become a more well-rounded receiver, inconsistent adjustments to the deep ball, lacks size and ball skills to consistently battle for 50/50 balls. Projection: Round 1 (mid-late) 3. Parris Campbell, Ohio State (Senior) 6'0" | 205 | 4.31 The Good: Gifted athlete with track-like speed, explosive yet fluid, gains separation on all three levels of the field, solid adjustments to poorly placed throws, consistent hands, playmaker after the catch, offers above-average kick/punt return skills. Needs Work: Played a limited role at Ohio State, needs to develop more as an all around receiver, route running can improve, limited experience with the route tree. Projection: Round 2 4. AJ Brown, Ole Miss, Junior 6'0" | 226 | 4.49 The Good: Strong and compact frame, highly competitive and determined, shows experienced route runnng skills, sharp in and out of breaks/cuts, strong hands, elite hand-eye coordination, tough runner after the catch, solid blocker. Needs Work: Didn't face a lot of press coverage, needs to show he can work downfield against NFL DBs, struggled with focus drops, could improve his adjustments to poorly thrown passes. Projection: Round 2 5. Tyshun "Deebo" Samuel, South Carolina (r-Senior) 5'11" | 214 | 4.48 The Good: Employs an array of route running techniques to get open, fearless over the middle, highly competitive, strong hands, works aggressively back to the ball, rips through arm tackles, excellent vision with the ball in his hands, offers kick return potential (four career kick return touchdowns). Needs Work: Size may limit him to the slot, footwork could improve, average burst in and out of breaks/cuts, smaller catch radius, history of hamstring injuries raises concern. Projection: Round 2 6. Riley Ridley, Georgia (Junior) 6'1" | 199 | 4.58 The Good: Tough, competitive, strong route runner using physicality to leverage in and out of breaks, consistent hands with a large catch radius, outstanding body control and focus, shows determination when blocking. Needs Work: Average quickness off the snap, lacks bust against press coverage allowing DBs to quickly close in on him, average long speed, not much of a threat after the catch. Projection: Round 2/3 7. Emanuel Hall, Missouri (Senior) 6'2" | 201 | 4.39 The Good: Fantastic combination of size and speed, has a smooth release with the speed to outrun DBs, showed improvement each year, gifted athlete with rare stop-start quickness, averaged 20.5 yards per catch for his career. Needs Work: Needs polish as a route runner as he lacks finesse, below average ball skills with a history of drops, needs to attack the ball and show he can compete for the catch in traffic, level of compete dropped against elite competition. Projection: Round 2/3 8. Diontae Johnson, Toledo (r-Junior) 5'10" | 183 | 4.53 The Good: Versatile with big play potential, home run threat with the ball in his hands, agile and sudden, accelerates through coverage, elite feet, offers the talent to run screens/sweeps, positive effort as blocker. Needs Work: Below average play strength, tendency to go off the page with his routes, will need to refine his route running to become smoother and less erratic, doesn't win a lot of contested catches. Projection: Round 3 9. N'keal Harry, Arizona State (Junior) 6'2" | 228 | 4.53 The Good: Highly competitive and productive, plays fearless with an alpha-dog swagger, uses hands well to beat press coverage, strong hands with excellent ball skills, solid body control, times his jumps well to win jump balls, scrappy runner after the catch, not afraid to get his hands dirty when blocking. Needs Work: Doesn't consistently gain separation due to below-average feet quickness, top end speed won't intimidate NFL corners, needs more urgency turning upfield after the catch, wasn't a major red zone threat. Projection: Round 1/2 10. JJ Arcega-Whiteside, Stanford (r-Junior) 6'2" | 225 The Good: Excellent combination of size and play stength, steady increase in production with each season, major red zone threat, above-average ball skills with strong hands, confident player. Needs Work: Gets jammed up by more physical corners, average burst, unlikely to be a deep threat at the NFL level, room for improvement as a blocker. Projection: Round 3 11-20 11. Mecole Hardman, Georgia (Junior) 12. Jalen Hurd, Baylor (Senior) 13. Anthony Johnson, Buffalo (r-Senior) 14. Kelvin Harmon, NC State (Junior) 15. Darius Slayton, Auburn (r-Junior) 16. Lil'Jordan Humphrey, Texas (Junior) 17. Hakeem Butler, Iowa State (r-Junior) 18. Antoine Wesley, Texas Tech (Junior) 19. Keesean Johnson, Fresno State (r-Senior) 20. Andy Isabella, Massachusetts (Senior) Obviously, I didn't include every receiver out there, just the top 20 according to Lance Zierlein of NFL.com. Instead of who I'd like to see them draft, I tend to try to project who I think they have on their radar based on the characteristics they've been known to look for in the past. Using that method, I think guys like AJ Brown, Parris Campbell, Deebo Samuel and Emanuel Hall all make sense if they intend on selecting a receiver within the first few rounds. I also think Arcega-Whiteside is on their board as a possibility. Beyond that, I'd like to see Anthony Johnson, the hometown guy, get a shot. If people find this useful, I can do the same with other position groups. I know some of us dive pretty deep into the draft stuff while others gain a general gist of knowledge regarding the prospects. That's what this list is intended to do, just give everyone a quick overview on the top ten players without having to read a complete evaluation. So, let me know if anyone would care to see this type of post for OL, RBs, DL, etc. etc.

The OP references Kony Ealy as a possibility but I doubt that because the Bills had a chance to claim him off waivers in 2017 (I think) and they passed. I dunno how "creative' they plan on getting but I wouldn't be surprised to see some kind of trade go down given Beane's willingness to wheel and deal.

Sounds like an interesting premise but this Kelly dude has unloaded some whoppers before so we'll see what happens. Speaking of whoppers, did anyone catch that speculated trade scenario involving Buffalo, Jacksonville and Philly? I'm pretty sure it was just conjecture but it proposed a three-way trade which would involve Shady, Foles and Leonard Fournette. I'm not sure which way they had the trades lined up but it would be something like Shady to Philly for Foles and then Foles to Jacksonville for Fournette.

Uh, this is fake news... because I was told that Josh Allen doesn't even know what a football looks like.

If they're all in on Kingsbury like they say then it really only makes sense to allow him to go out and get his guy. And it wouldn't be the worst thing for them, they'd be able to build around Murray quicker using any draft capital/players they get for Rosen. "Nine mistakes ahead of meeee!" Haha.

I'd be for it. They need to add to the DL anyway... but with the way this draft is shaping up I'd probably bet on them going that route rather than FA. I think FA is where they're gonna try to shore up the OL, get some guys that don't need to be coached up coming out of college where they barely have experience with their hands in the dirt.