Rochesterfan

Nice. The issue isn’t that he can’t create the space - the biggest issue that there is still uncertainty in the Cap levels for the next 2 years before the new media package takes place. He is being smart and saving it unless the perfect player or trade lines up that could really help ensure the future of the team. The NFL has nearly 30 million in lost cap space per team to recoup after this year. The Cap would have dropped into the 150 million range and instead they agreed to 183. No one know exactly how much of the CAP will be pulled from next year after the pandemic to start to balance out the lost revenue. If you make a general assumption that the Cap would have risen to the expected levels for this year - that would put the Cap at 212 million and if they recollect all 30 million lost - the Cap could stay flat at 182/183 million and the teams that kicked a bunch into next year suddenly have a lot more kicking to do. If they split it over 2 years - the Cap could be 195 and basically back to what it was before the pandemic. This is all assuming that everything in stadium returns to normal. If there are issues and stadiums are reduced - that Cap could shrink. With the additional regular season game the Cap could rise - although they are losing a preseason game - which was free revenue. The other issue is with our current roster - unless The Cap goes up toward 215 million - we are already getting up against it for next year and he has Josh and Edmunds contracts to deal with - both 5th year options that will get exercised. He will be using the restructures next year to gain the space and if he uses them this year - he already kicked some into next year and has to kick even more into the following year. He is not afraid to do it, but eventually kicking the bonuses and salary forward gets you hamstrung until 2024 and the new media that will blow up the current Cap level and start things resetting. Don’t blow it all this year and make it hard to do things next year and cost yourself a shot in FA next year. Beane is not just looking at 2021 - he is planning 2022 and 2023 to ensure he can keep the team together, improve it, and most important bring home a championship without losing your core.

Because he was injured also. None of the top 5 receivers were healthy. He had leg issues and it was said he was having issues cutting.

WTF are you going on about - I have seen nearly nothing to warrant the topic title. I know Bills fans can be loud - I think you confused 5 total people with thousands of Bills fans. Good Gravy - especially with McKittrick re-signing.

This would be terrible in my opinion. 1) TEs seem to take multiple years to develop - so you would waste a pick for a guy that might finally develop in 3 years. 2) Generational TEs (the top guys right now) are rarely drafted high - most are later picks and even undrafted. The top TEs have mostly been busts/average once they hit the NFL. 3) The Bills and Josh seem to be a very WR centric team - so even drafting a TE does not mean he excels on this team and they won’t until Josh’s game adjusts to more dump offs and short throws to RBs and TEs on leak routes. Right now he is in the read the defense and choose the open WR mode and the Bills have at least 4 good WRs for him to work with. 4) The Bills under this staff bring most rookies along slowly - giving them little responsibility and little playing time early in the season and gradually increasing that time as deserved. Therefore; I can’t imagine at TE - Pitts even sees the field in a real capacity due to this and the time it takes for TEs to learn scheme and blocking in the NFL. 5) The Bills are mostly employing the TE right now in an H-Back role for additional blitz pick-up and then late routes out of the back field. The same goes with RB. I would not trust a rookie in either role to protect your most valuable asset - especially early in the season. It also limits the routes the TE will be running and I do not see the team taking multiple of Beasley, Diggs, Sanders, and Davis off the field to put a rookie TE on the field. Overall for me - Pitts at 30 would be fine, but giving up additional high picks (OP wanted to give up 2nd and you are adding a 3rd) is just a loss of young talent that we can’t have for a position that does not translate from college well and does not show any positive effects for multiple years. I would rather use those picks on 3 guys that can help strengthen the team and look for a freak athlete later or UDFA that can develop.

I just do not see Becker as TE3. The Bills still have Gilliam and Sweeney along with Knox and Hollister. My guess is Hollister and Gilliam battle it out for special teams/H back role and Knox/Sweeney are your in line guys. Becker is your Smith replacement and I think sits on the PS until they want the extra OLine blocking help - similar to Smith last year. With 5 TEs on the roster and 4 of them being very young - I just don’t see a late flyer at TE. If you are drafting one - it has to replace a top 2 position and I do not see that in this draft in a viable spot. If they trade for one they are again looking at higher end. I know it will tick people off, but I think they are set with the TE room. They have a better blocker/H back now in Hollister and athletic TE in Knox as their 1-2 punch and Sweeney can fill either role and Gilliam showed special team prowess and an ability to both block and catch as needed.

Nice Job responding even not as the OP, but then who are the Giants overpaying for to move up to 30. I am sure there might be someone that falls, but to risk a drop of 12 with so few talented TEs in the draft - I am not sure he makes it.

Rather keep #30 and our second. Do not want anyone on the list at 18. We will let the draft fall to us at 30 and see what we can do. I wouldn’t be shocked if at least 2-3 of those guys aren’t still available at 30 and if we move up to draft a RB - I think our collective heads should explode. Man- I just can not wait for training camp.

You need to fix the poll - we need nothing. Everything is covered. If a DE becomes available or a young TE could we sign - yep, but we could also go into the season as positioned with our draft picks and UDFAs and be fine.

The difference is that all 3: Diggs, Sanders, and Davis have plenty of speed to threaten teams deep. All three have shown an ability to run every route in the tree and they all have more than enough speed to get behind a secondary. Last year with Brown - the Bills had 1 speed guy in Brown, 1 route runner in Diggs, and a rookie in Davis that was forced more into the John Brown role due to injuries. What the threesome of Diggs, Davis, and Sanders gives you - is the ability to totally mix and match routes throughout the entire defense - across layers. Diggs and Sanders can both play outside or in the slot. Davis can flip to either outside receiver. That means the Bills can force teams to dictate double coverage and give Josh easy reads. We also know Diggs and Sanders can both run precision routes out of both the slot or the outside and either can get deep to draw coverage - opening areas underneath. So yes they lose some speed, but I think they have 3 guys that can now threaten the defense and mix and match routes to coverages. Plus Beasley is slippery underneath and to come back to the thread - Hollister gives them the H back presence to block and slip out. They used that with Knox, but he was not that comfortable and his blocking was suspect at times because he was thinking about the route. I think the offense as set now can be significantly better than last years in terms of control and getting open. I don’t know if they will score more, but I think they can be the type of offense to dominate teams because they can roll more weapons than you can cover.

So Milano does not move your needle, but when finally healthy the defense was top 5 DVOA after struggling early. I think you are wrong - especially in the McDermott defense that features LBs like him. Lawson has consistently underproduced since his rookie splash and even last year had fewer sacks than Addison. Yes he got a ton of pressure for a very bad defense in which he ignored his responsibilities and just went after the QB. It is like looking at Phillips numbers in his walk year in Buffalo and assuming you are getting that every year. Lawson will settle into the Jets defense and be a 13 million dollar 6 sack guy that drive fans insane. Autry again in a walk year put up career numbers and got to 7.5 sacks in an upfield attacking defense with less responsibility that in our defense. My understanding was the Bills liked him because he was good at the point of attack and not really his pass rushing. I think he puts up numbers very similar to Addison at a higher cost. The advantage is he is a bit younger, but he has never matched Addison at his peak. Hendrickson would have been the prize to me - young got better and actually produced on a good defense. Still some worries as most of his production came in his walk year, but the potential to be better is there. Cincinnati feels like he is a significant upgrade - which agains worries me about Lawson - and his cost 4 years 60 million would most likely cost you all 3 players you resigned - Milano, Williams, and Mongo. I take the 3 guys that we know and gave us the discount to go out and sign others over the unknown guy that seemed to feel money was more important that signing with a winner. The goal is to win the Super Bowl every year and bringing back a 13-3 team with a lot of young guys at several key spots and a HC that has adjusted every year to get better and find ways to get more out of his players - tells me we are in the mix. The fact that KC lost their entire OL and have only replaced 2 guards (one with a guy that has been out of the league for years) and way overpayed- tells me they did not improve or even stay the same. So right know - yes I think the Bills have gained significantly on KC and the Chargers have also - so I am going to enjoy the ride and let the team continue to grow - rather than complain in every thread about the same BS. The Bills are good and plan to be good for the foreseeable future. Enjoy!

The Spotrac figure is just a guess for next year - so again if they project 209 million and the league lops 20 million of the COVID adjust - that would drop it to 189 million - an increase of 6 million from this year and a number many team will struggle with next year. I think Bean is being smart because the fact is the GMs do not know what the cost is going to be. If a new COVID variant comes out - fans could be limited again. The already have 1 COVID adjustment to make - what if it becomes 2. Beane will have options again next year to adjust CAP space, but the smart teams will watch how much you kick forward until we have a better idea. Again - my belief is Beane will save the option and if he can find a trade or a guy is released that will be a difference maker he will make a move.

I think this is just foolish. Beane has already said he is looking for long term sustainable with a SuperBowl quality team and that is what he is building. I will say it again - what are the expectations for next years salary cap? Assuming that things return to normal - we can expect that it will go pretty close to where it was projected for this year before COVID ~ 210-215 million. So that is a huge jump right from 183 million? Wait remember that the Salary Cap floor this year of 183 was an artificial increase from the 155 million range that the revenue dictated. That difference will be removed from the next 1-2 years of cap space. Let’s assume the difference is 30 million - if they split it between the next 2 years - next years cap could be under 195 million (just a small increase from this year and right back to 2020 levels). That is assuming an even split. The owners lose money on the deal the longer the split takes (which is why they nixed the 10 year spread and wanted it recouped within a couple of years) - so maybe they pull 20+ million or more back and next years Cap is only 190 million. Now you have 2 contracts in Josh and Edmunds that will be getting 5th year option money - not all the way to the huge contracts, but healthy increases and you have kicked 5-10 million in Cap space and you have no room for next year. Yes eventually in 2024 after the new TV contracts kick in for 2023 the CAP will shoot up and all the kicking will be fine, but Beane is looking at the next 2 years with uncertain CAP levels because of the COVID pay back and no guarantee that all of the expected revenue will return and he does not want to just automatically kick the can into next year because that could hamstring things next year. My guess is he will hold the restructures in his back pocket and keep trying to sign people at his market value and if he gets a deal - then restructure, but if the deal is not there - keep the money to figure out how to attack in the future - leave things flexible. He is being smart and thinking about this year, next year, and the following year to ensure they can stay at the top. KC already had to restructure several contracts just to sign guards and they still do not have a complete OL - so currently the Bills have gained just with the status quo.

I think this is the key! The Bills used a ton of H Back block action with Knox and he struggled and could not use his athleticism. I think now you have a better H back (smith was not athletic enough to do this) and then when you want Knox - you can line him up more traditional TE role to allow the athletic nature come out. Knox becomes your new version of Ertz to threaten the defense. Hollister plays H back and slides out for catches.

Love his attitude and heart - just do not see any way on a team with SB aspirations that Wade makes the final roster. I could see them look at a counting PS spot, but I think his football journey ends this year. He made nice money and lived a dream many of us would love. I could see them using him as a liaison in the UK, but I just don’t think he has enough of the basic blocking/receiving skills to be a full time player.

At least add the stadium is not about to be renamed. Kill both birds with 1 bored LAMP. 😂

Maybe in a real situation like Buffalo - he can learn how to become a better QB and that makes him better long term. I am sure he could have gone out to a crap team like the Jets and competed to be a starter, but if he fails there or struggles - he is done. Many players (and coaches for that matter) would be significantly better taking a year to get your head right and learn from someone that works and then going out and trying it again. He might not play at all or maybe just some preseason or mop up duty, but if he learns the hows and whys of route combos and what to expect in certain situations- maybe he becomes a better QB and a better person in the long run. Many times a step back ends up helping out long term to refocus and reset your priorities.

I love this and the next best part is the Bills brass has already acknowledged this is basically a 1 year deal - let Mitch become the best version of himself. Lets just think for 30 seconds about this - assume he barely plays - shows out a bit in pre-season and mop up duty. Most likely a QB needy team goes after him as a FA next off season and he becomes a nice high end Comp Pick. Comp picks are based on number and Salary and QBs command huge salary - Bingo nice way for the Bills to move into that phase and have some protection this year as Fromm continues to develop. Not sure he got a lot of training last year.

Isn’t Ertz on the Eagles still. Pretty sure there is not a lot the Bills could say about the situation. Not sure they could even acknowledge that they had discussions even if approved by the Eagles.

Totally agree with this - I am saying if the CAP was meaningless and KC was not afraid of it - there would be no reason to make those moves. KC also would have gone out and signed several other players to improve the team across the board. Adjusting Mahomes contract does not show a lack of fear of the CAP - it shows that they are evaluating needs and what they are willing to spend - same as every team. The idea that everyone is afraid of the CAP because we have not gone out and restructured everyone is wrong. It will be interesting - What do people expect the CAP to be next year - assuming things are 100% back to normal. Let’s say the CAP rises to what it was expected to be this year (pre COVID) about 210 million. The NFL CAP would have been under 160 Million this year without the adjustments. If the NFL moves 15 million of the lost cap space off from next year - the CAP next year is back to 2019 levels at 195 million. If they decide to recoup it all in 1 year the Cap next year could be nearly flat to this year. Everyone is making assumptions about how much the CAP will rise and until we get the actual numbers teams should be smart about pushing excessive amounts of money into next year. 2023 with the new deals should provide the huge growth, but next years CAP is still in flux.

Because the CAP is meaningless - they should not be afraid of the money and Fisher could come back and be their savior. They cut them because the 2 players are not worth the contract at this point and it frees up money - so KC must have recognized that the CAP is there and they needed the money to do other things. They manipulated the CAP with Mahomes, but still did not sign the Tackles they wanted and overpayed for a guard. KC recognized that the CAP was limiting them and at some point they got scared about what Trent Williams contract would do - or else they would have gone higher and higher. I understand it - I just think the entire premise is ridiculous - Beane is playing the long game and that means borrowing from the future only when you have to - not all the time.

Another Tipster Thread - yeah. Lets see - in 2019 when healthy - the Bills were the best team in covering TEs. In 2020 with injuries plaguing the LBs they were not good. Hmm healthy LBs might help. Lets see NE had Tom Brady that has incredible short range accuracy and an ability to read defenses and get the ball to TEs and RBs. Last year they had Cam - that is not accurate and is not good at reading defenses - He struggled getting the ball out to RBs and TEs all year. Not really that worried. The Pats had a great OL and multiple TEs that could both block and catch making it difficult. Pair that with Randy Moss and it made for an all time offense. Now the Pats have 2 TEs that are ok (way overpaid) and neither are great blockers and you speed guy is Agholar - a guy with questionable hands and does not adjust to the ball well. Not really the same with Cam throwing to these guys. I expect it will end up like last year a very run centric team that tries to hold teams down and they will have some success, but without significant improvement at QB they will be a middling team that scares everyone for a couple of weeks and then gets laughed at for others. Just like every other team that way overspends on FAs.

This is just plain stupid - If KC was not afraid of the cap why did they get rid of their 2 tackles without replacements. Because they freed up Cap space to sign others - while both being injured for next season. Why did they not sign Trent Williams like you said - oh because at some point it costs more than the players worth. They must be a little scared of the CAP or you go higher to get the guy you want. Why didn’t they sign Hunter Henry or Smith to supplement the TE position, Why didn’t they sign a quality WR as they really could use talent at WR as was shown in the SB. At some point every team has to make Cap related decisions - the question is how much do you want to push to the future and how much do you want to get out of the way. KC has been ok for several years (prior to Mahomes), but never way over spent. It became a thing in KC once they paid the QB and got a structure from the deal that they could manipulate. The best team in this salary cap era is NE and they rarely got into salary cap jail - which kept them good for a long, long time. The Saints should have been that successful, but their CAP management was terrible and they kept pushing bonuses to the future until bam they have to do stupid deals that will hurt the team going forward. Beane is not adverse to borrowing from the future, but he is trying to balance that out so you become a contender for a long time. The Mahomes restructure is nice one year - just pushes the money forward a bit, but then if they do it again and again eventually that dead CAP will cost you 3-4 players. His deal already cost you OL depth and a 2nd SB. Now it looks like it is costing you OL and WR talent.

Just a few things from me. QB - Allen - enough said - not worried about him any more than any other QB in the league. RB - Singletary and Moss are all right - looking for some real speed here from the draft - not Harris as I don’t think he is significantly better than Moss or Singletary - need more speed than he will provide. WR - we are set - would not mind McKittrick back or something similar with speed and return ability - could come from the draft if needed. TE - If we can get something relative cheap - great - if not the 4 guys are probably enough to get them through, but would not mind a nice veteran presence. LT - all set LG - disagree with you here - This is about Ford versus Boettger - just as it was after Spain was released last year. Mongo is on the right and Winters is a FA and will not be back. C - Morse with Mongo as a back-up set RG - Mongo with the loser of the LG as a swing back-up RT - all set OL depth - with Bates and Adams the loser of LG - they are set, but could use a draft pick for depth. I look forward to seeing what they can do as the OLine did not play 1 snap together as a 5 person unit. I think them all getting together will boost you back to 2019 Averages and a bit more RB speed helps out. The most important thing is that they are a good pass blocking line.

As there is no way - I will not vote, but if we are in dream land - I think I go Hunter because he is more a true 4-3 DE and I prefer Mack as a stand-up OLB.

Even if he is - look 4 of the top 5 TEs were drafted 3rd round or later with one guy even being undrafted. Not one of the top TEs in the NFL produced even Knox level numbers in their rookie years and most took 2+ years to produce. The most comparable is TJ Hockenson as a #8 pick that took until year 2 to produce. So if we make this trade and Pitts is like most other rookie TE - especially the top end guys - he does little to nothing this year. The question is he a year 2 breakout like Kittle or a year 5 breakout like Waller or someplace in between like Tonyan. That is assuming he actually makes the transition and is not a below average 1st round pick like Ebron or Howard that never became anything special. I just think like TE most years - Pitts will be over drafted and will take years to determine if he is any good. Almost nothing in NFL history suggests this trade would help the Bills this year or next - if ever.