transplantbillsfan

Holy crap... so much of what you say you're in disbelief of here I can't believe you're in disbelief of. Clearly we'll just have to agree to disagree.

@Shaw66 Rapp is a UFA and not on our team

100% with you. I'll probably end up watching some of it, but I dislike the Ravens and hate the Chiefs and don't want either to win the Super Bowl. I want the Ravens to win this week and then lose the Super Bowl. And the only reason I'm rooting for the 49ers to win on Sunday is because I don't think the Lions are as likely to beat the Ravens

Safety is a critically important void this team has to fill. It's super important to McDermott's D. The team has a lot of difficult choices to make this offseason and will need to get creative in order to stay in place or keep moving forward. That's reality. CB is our most stacked position on paper under contract right now, other than OL. Converting a CB to Safety is not some outlandish suggestion. It's been done successfully on many occasions in the NFL. I'd also point out that Beane and McDermott haven't given up on Elam and both are on record over the years that it often takes draft picks until year 3 to figure things out. They've said that 3rd year is kinda the make or break year for draft picks and that the first 2 years aren't fair to use as strict judgments on that player as a bust.

Wait a minute... it's ridiculous to suggest our 1st round draft pick at CB from 2 years ago should be a starter at CB?????

Rasul Douglas will be 29 when we kick off next season. What if Elam could finally grasp the CB position enough this offseason to start opposite Benford while simultaneously locking in a starting Free Safety for the next half decade? We could also give Douglas an Extension more appropriate for a Safety than a CB, which would save us some money.

You talking about Douglas or Benford? I don't think Benford is an elite outside CB. And it's not like it would be the first time in the NFL a good to elite CB converted to Safety. See Ronnie Lott, Devin McCourty, and Charles & Rod Woodson (no relation 😛 )

Sorry man... emotion is almost undoubtedly part of the equation with Tre. 1st draft pick by McDermott. Team leader. Loved by teammates. Emotion is part of the equation because of what he's meant to this franchise. As for your whole dialogue about players not restructuring deals to take pay cuts. Mitch Morse did.

Thanks Gunner! I saw that Kiper mocked Coleman to us in the 1st. I was listening to Joe Marino's podcast yesterday and he was actually the one WR Joe said he really did NOT want. He said he's the style of a big, possession WR who can't actually really make contested catches. Thoughts on that? What are your thoughts on best fits of those guys in Buffalo as WR2 opposite Diggs? And value of that WR in terms of drafting in the 1st or 2nd?

Yes, restructure is almost certain. No, I don't think he goes with an injury settlement.

Look, what I like about the proposal is that Taron is one of the 2 or 3 best players on the D right now and it ensures that he's always on the field. The problem is as I see it is that from what I understand from others who know a heckuva lot more than I do about football, Taron Johnson play specifically at slot corner has been absolutely critical to McDermott's D. And maybe moreso than the Safeties. So if McDermott's D requires a high level nickel CB, that creates the problem I was talking about in the OP in terms of creating one hole while filling another. That said, if McDermott were to come into next season with some flexibility to change his Defense and Dorian Williams can make a year 1 to year 2 leap the same way Terrell Bernard did and the idea was just to "put your best 11 on the field," then maybe Taron shifts to Safety and McDermott shifts to more of a base Defense with 3 LBs since all 3 of those LBs would be athletic freaks with coverage ability. I just don't think they're going to move Taron, though. Where is your list?

Completely disagree on White. I'm not guaranteeing he's with the team, but you underestimate White's meaning to the team and McDermott in particular. In McDermott's PC he specifically noted how White was HIS first draft pick. And that's true, because Beane wasn't even with the team, yet. I could see them asking White to restructure his deal so it looks like a pay cut with incentives, but I don't think it's highly likely we'll just outright cut him. I don't even know if we're able to do that when he's still injured. Probably need an injury settlement.

That's part of the reason for the proposal. We have 4 potential (3 for sure when healthy) high calibre starting CBs on the roster already. Do you really want to see 1 or 2 high quality CBs on the bench while our Safety position languishes? Forgot Dugger was a UFA. Let's see if he hits the market

Shaw, just think of Taron's versatility. He's the reason the team plays such a high percentage of nickel. He's amazing in coverage. He's an amazing Blitzer. He's an amazing tackler. There's a reason he's 2nd team All Pro. You don't move Taron to Safety for the same reason we really never considered or even tried to move Milano to MLB. Bolded is the reason our starting Safety in 2024 won't be a 5th-7th round draft pick.

What about a WR who can catch a perfectly thrown bomb by Josh Allen that travels 75 yards in the air???? I mean... maybe even 1 out of 3 perfectly thrown deep balls????

Why not Douglas? I don't think Po would be a good Free Safety. In fact, that 4th roster Safety spot I wouldn't be shocked if we bring Rapp back after he tests FA and finds out he won't get much because he didn't see the field much at all this season (McBeane's plan all along????) and continues to be groomed as Po's replacement. I don't see this even being considered. Taron Johnson in that slot CB/hybrid role is probably the most important player on the Bills defense outside of Milano when he's healthy.

He's not wrong in the sense that we have 2 positions that we need lots of bodies for, and they're both on Defense: Safety & DT. I just don't think you draft either in the first round. And yeah, our offense should run through Kincaid and honestly I think we have lots of rosterable WRs still under contract, but the Bills need to draft the Diggs replacement this year... especially with this being a strong WR class. We need a WR in round 1 or 2 and it needs to likely be an "X Receiver."

I'm surprised most people seem to think we're going to find our 2024 starting safety in the mid rounds of the upcoming draft. Safeties are pretty huge in McDermott's D.

DT, DE and Safety are the 3 positions we need to fill with the most people. Only 1 DT under contract, 4 DEs (and 2 of those are Kingsley Jonathan and Cameron Kline), and 2 Safeties in Poyer and Hamlin. #2 WR is a huge need and must be addressed, but we've got lots of holes to fill. Morse will be back.

Things absolutely suck right now, but I really do still believe Allen gets multiple Super Bowls.

I get it... there are a couple Safety threads right now. If mods want to merge with this that one, that's fine. I just think that thread is bringing up the only player who really won't be an option to convert to Free Safety, though I'll include him in the options in the poll. The way I see it, the Bills might want to get a little creative this offseason with personnell and not simply replace all players that leave the roster with a new player they have to sign or draft. Yes, the Bills have 10 draft picks. But let's be realistic, if even half of our upcoming draft become significant contributors next season, that draft is a Homerun. And I'd say there's almost no shot of finding half (5) of that draft becoming immediate or even in season starters. So.... Buffalo needs to look long at hard at replacing UFAs we're going to lose to FA or retirement with roster replacements. The obvious ones are the guys who play the same position. Let's hope Shorter or Shavers can replace Sherfield's role as a depth WR/Special Teams player. And if the Bills choose to cut Harty (possible to likely) for the CAP savings, let's hope Hamler or Isabella can replace him. I know both of those guys are signed to Futures contracts... I believe that means that next year they're basically on a one year vet minimum salary... but that was with just a relatively quick google search if anyone wants to correct me. As far as WRs go, I think if those things can happen, our offense will be pretty well set for next year when we draft 1 or 2 WRs with 1 of them likely being a 1st or 2nd round guy and an expected starter opposite Diggs. Sorry for the tangent... all that is to say that the secondary is the most complicated Unit on the team going into next season. Safeties under contract next year right now are Poyer and Hamlin. That's it. I do think that Cam Lewis will be resigned at the vet minimum because the team loves him as depth across all positions in the secondary and he has great special teams ability. Hyde's retiring. I think we can all agree. The team arguably has 4 starting CBs in White, Douglass, Benford and Elam. Yes, I realize big question marks hover over Elam and White, but they have starting CB talent. I think everyone would agree. And I know Dane Jackson is a UFA who likely won't be back, but I'm going to factor him into this overall equation because, like Lewis, I think he's another player the team (justifiably) loves as a depth piece. So... as it currently is, here's our secondary with the bolded guys as rostered guys (when healthy)... otherwise, practice squad guys: CB- Tre White CB- Rasul Douglas CB- Kaiir Elam CB- Christian Benford CB- Taron Johnson CB- Siran Neal CB- Kyron Brown CB- Ja'Marcus Ingram S- Jordan Poyer S- Damar Hamlin S- ?????????? S- ?????????? S- ?????????? I think if we did absolutely nothing at the CB position in the offseason, we'll be good at that position in terms of both starters and depth. Agree? I understand the White injury is concerning, but on the plus side, he got hurt in early October. So, we'll see. Even if White is out, I've heard so much praise for Ingram from the film buffs like Joe Marino and Bruce Nolan that I wonder if he might be the catalyst for trying the move I'm about to propose. We might end up drafting a Safety early, but with the void we have going into this offseason at DT (only Oliver under contract) and the need for a true #2 or even #1b WR, I think Safety comes in the middle rounds. So... I think our starting Free Safety for next year is already on our roster or was already on our roster. Here are the players and the arguments for and against. I'll go in descending order from what I think would be most likely & effective to least. And I think the first 2 are pretty close. Rasul Douglas Argument for: Physical, zone corner with LOTS of zone experience, incredible instincts, a nose for the ball, and a very vocal leader. Argument against: Age. How many effective years will we get with him as our starting Safety? I think a good number considering Safeties generally age well, but we'll see. Christian Benford Argument for: Physical, zone corner, very good instincts, a nose for the ball, if he plays well at Safety this year and we extend him after his rookie contract, a starting Safety is a lot cheaper than a starting CB. Argument against: Young player we've already been grooming as our starting CB who is already really good at the position. Why ruin a good thing? Tre White Argument for: Zone corner with maybe the most familiarity with McDermott's D, incredible instincts, a nose for the ball, team leader loved and respected by everyone Argument against: Injury would not only hinder his start to 2024, but also his transition to Safety. Not a very good tackler. Dane Jackson Argument for: Physical, zone corner with LOTS of familiarity with McDermott's D, good instincts, loved and respected by everyone on the team. Argument against: Not under contract, so bringing him back would be a serious projection for a guy who's only a borderline starting CB. Kaiir Elam Argument for: Speed to the ball, a nose for the ball, well-documented as a hard worker, NFL bloodlines, former 1st round draft pick under contract for fairly cheap for 2 more years so converting him successfully (if we could) could get rid of the whole "wasted draft pick" narrative. Argument against: Poor tackler, Has struggled for 2 years to learn McDermott's Zone D. Personally, I want to see Douglas extended for 2 years so he's under contract for 3 years total (would lower his CAP hit next year) at a mid level starting Safety range. I think he'd be a stud at Safety and the 2nd Green Bay CB McDermott would have brought to Buffalo and converted. How about you?

@khlax3 & @BillsFanForever19 the team currently has 9 draft picks, but will have 10 when the draft comes around because we will be awarded with a 3rd round draft pick after losing Edmunds. NFL teams can't extend players on rookie contracts until the last day of their 3rd season. We can't extend Shakir, Benford or Bernard until after NEXT season. Also, cutting Bass would bring a very large dead CAP hit after this year. I believe we will likely extend Brown this offseason, but that's just going to add to our CAP.

The problem with everyone's suggestion to cut players to save CAP space, what are your suggestions for replacements. If we cut Poyer we will have lost both of our starting Safeties. How do you suggest we replace BOTH of those starting positions next year? If we do cut Poyer, I believe we would wind up bringing Rapp back to replace him. He'd be relatively cheap. That said, I'd rather have Poyer back. Even though he's obviously aging, he actually played well in the 2nd half of the season and played a huge role moving down to that coverage LB position. I wonder if Tre would be open to moving over to Free Safety and restructuring a deal that pays him more like a FS than a top NFL corner.

How did McDermott lie?

Oliver is our only DT currently under contract. I don't think it's wise for us to have 4 brand new DTs on the roster. We're definitely drafting 1 or 2. The same principle generally applies to DE. Only Groot and Von. Epenesa is homegrown talent. It'd be nice to have him back. Gabe's gone. I'd put money on that. Hyde will very likely retire. That's a big void we need to figure out. I'm genuinely curious if Tre can come back healthy and we can slide him, Benford or Douglas to free safety. I think that would be the smartest use of resources. Morse is back. He said he wants to be. Josh loves him. The team loves him. If anything I could see him getting a 1 year extension to lower his Cap hit. I think Rapp is back. He didn't play himself into a lucrative contract anywhere else.