VW82

Main thing is we just have to get one who can play on the outside right away. Maybe that's #28 or maybe we move up to the top of the 2nd for a guy using the Vikings pick. I continue to think that trading up in rd1 is reckless. We just went through a team overhaul where we lost a number of starters and severely thinned our depth. There are still too many holes to fill on this roster to be going all in like that.

Yeah I wouldn't trust any of that from Beane. None of those guys are good enough to get it done on the outside against top coverage. We need someone that isn't on the roster. Also, to whatever degree he was trying to tell us something, I do think they believe Kinkaid and Shakir will make leaps. I also think they will. Cook will hopefully improve in the passing game too. But we still need another wide out.

With so much lost depth and holes to fill on both sides of the ball, it’d be reckless to trade up. That’s what makes this trade so perplexing. We NEEDED Diiggs this year. Instead we’re basically paying top dollar (via cap) to play against us. Next year we’ll have more options. In no particular order, we need to address: 1. both outside WR spots 2. Interior OL starters (C maybe LG) and depth 3. Starting Safety 4. Edge depth 5. DT depth 6. LB depth We don’t know what Milano will look like when he returns. He’s pushing 30. Daquan is re-signed but is entering his mid-30s. We could use a third RB. Trading multiple picks to move up into the teens to take a wideout who will likely take a year or two to figure things out is bad planning. I’d rather see us trade a lower pick for a proven stopgap and pick away at the problem over time. BPA in the meantime. We have too many needs to get hyper focused. This is now a re-tool year.

Diggs had the same amount of drops as last year and 2020 when he made all pro. The real issue was no one else could get open vs. single coverage and so defenses just kept on bracketing Stef which kept him close to the LOS. We haven't done anything to set up life without him. Who are the starting outside WRs?

Diggs was getting bracket coverage in the second half of the season, and we still couldn't get open on the other side of the field. I just don't see how this isn't a major setback. 30M in dead cap this year is just devastating. Plus, while Shakir can play outside but Samuel is more of a slot. This trade leaves a gaping hole in the WR room. We can draft someone who will eventually become that guy but as for 2024 things just got a whole lot more difficult.

I briefly lost faith part way through last season but McD has been a steadying presence his entire Bills tenure. We have a culture of accountability and winning that starts with him. McD definitely has his faults. He's too conservative. He meddles with the offense, putting guys in bad positions (e.g. forcing a pass blocking line to run more than they're suited) because he wants complimentary football. Reid owns him. With all that said, until we have a roster so unequivocally talented as to only be held back by their coach, McD still has value here. Besides, I get the impression that McBeane are an item, and that combo has proven capable across multilple seasons now. The grass isn't always greener, and we had a lot of years of some *****-brown grass in Buffalo.

Wow. Great job by Beane!

With more releases (so far) than restructures, I wonder if that means Beane will be aggressive trading futures for more picks this year. We need players.

This is super interesting on a number of fronts, but the main thing is Morse was perhaps the last thing holding McD back from turning this offense into run first so he can play more complimentary football. We need a big RB and to replace Gabe with another blocking WR, but now we can run 11 personnel with more of a bruising interior. BTW I hate this development. Morse was still good and I liked the Daboll version of our offense better.

I would encourage everyone to read Joe B's breakdown of Bills road to get under the cap which includes options for Hines. It's excellent. I actually felt more optimistic after reading it. We might not have to do a complete teardown this year despite being objectively screwed. https://theathletic.com/5238669/2024/02/02/buffalo-bills-offseason-salary-cap/

I don’t know what Beane is supposed to do given our cap situation. It’s entirely his fault and he should sound sheepish but he’s going to need to pull several rabbits out of his hat just to field a full roster next year. It’s made especially worse with the fact that the guys we’d ideally like cut to create space like Von, we can’t. We are no longer a few plays away. This team needs a reset year in the worst way.

Josh takes so many hits and he isn’t effective as a pure pocket passer, hence the sped up timeline. So it’s not that he can’t win in his 30s but he’ll likely need much more help to win at that point.

I definitely was one of the haters. You just don’t see guys with poor decision making who also aren’t accurate at the college level succeed in the NFL. It almost never happens. Josh is a unicorn.

I would imagine that Brady didn't get the permanent role without some level of buy-in to McD's complimentary football approach. This is for those thinking we might put all our resources into the receiver room and open up the offense again. I don't think that's going to happen. Bet we run it back on offense with some minor changes due to cap and double down on the second half of 2023.

First of all, there isn't actually a problem. We were 4th in points allowed and 5th in points scored. We're basically top 5ish in those categories most years. The vast majority of NFL teams would take McD and/or Beane in a heartbeat. But as to why we can't get over the hump, it's both. Beane has made some nice picks but he's also whiffed badly on some, and the only sure fire star he's drafted is Josh. Beane also F'd our cap. He continues to blame it on covid but not every team in the NFL is screwed like we are. Meanwhile, McD gave us a culture of winning and accountability for the first time in two decades. He has a system that works against most of the NFL even if fans refuse to give him credit. But he's also too conservative and certain teams just have his number (e.g. Chiefs and Bengals). We're a small team that can win on speed until we play big teams in Jan, and then we lose. We get outcoached againt the Andy Reids of the L every year when it counts. We've also had both our FO and coaching staff pilfered by other teams looking to leach off our success. It's complicated. The good news is we're too F'd with the cap to worry about this stuff next year. McBeane are good at rebuilding and that's what we need to focus on.