GASabresIUFan

I think people are not appreciating that TE is a need in this draft. Right now the Bills TE depth is Kincaid, Knox (who is likely in his final season as a Bill), pass catching PS player Davidson and former UDFA Armani Rogers who hasn't played a snap in the NFL since 2022. With Morris gone as the depth blocking TE and special teams ace, Beane needs to replace those attributes as neither Davidson or Rogers has that skill set.

Hopefully this tech will be utilized to prevent the constant miss spotting the ball that occurred against the Bills in the AFC Championship game.

So are we calling this the second Bills got screwed rules change? 1st the OT rules and now the chain gang. Is this the un-official acknowledgement that the officials blew the 1st down call?

I want Cook re-signed. However, the Bills signed Johnson for two years and have 3 more years on Davis. My guess is Beane thinks they are in a reasonable position going forward. Also Cook would be foolish to “hold in” on a team fighting for the Super Bowl. He’d lose the PR battle and it would hurt his reputation with other teams that might be interested in him as a FA. Cook’s best revenge for not locking him up would be to have a great season and walk for a big $ contract. My guess is he does have another big year the Bills tag him for year 5 and he walks in year 6.

The problem is the Bills typically only carry 5 WRs. 4 slots are spoken for and Shenault, like it or not, has the inside track at the KR duties under the newly approved kick off rules. They also have Shavers, who they like, as depth already in the system. Add that this is a weak WR class and the needs on defense are a greater priority. As I wrote in the OP, I think they should take a flyer on one of late speed receivers, but I think the more likely scenario is that they table WR until next season when they can move on from Samuel. By the way, I think all the LBs after Williams, Bernard and Milano are expendable. Spector is easily cut and honestly isn’t very good. Buffalo Joe is a special teams player and Ulofoshio didn’t show really anything as a rookie. There is little to no cap impact to cutting any of the 3. We are going to need a 4th LB who can make plays and I don’t see that guy on the roster right now.

The Bills have 3 picks in the top 62 (Picks 30, 56 and 62). Then no picks until 109. The Bills currently have 10 draft picks, including 4 from 169 to 177. I don't see the Bills making all 10 picks. I just don't see how you fit 10 guys on the active roster when arguably 49 roster spots are spoken for, although I can see Davidson (TE), Spector (LB), and White (QB) being replaced or simply waived. The teams needs are plenty and varied and mostly on defense. However, there are needs on offense as well. Needs 1. CB - We need a starting CB and depth. Our top pick is likely to be used here. 2. S - We have 4 safeties on the roster, but only one under contract beyond this season. We need a potential starter for depth in 2025 and to replace Rapp in 2026. 3. DL - DaQuan Jones is in his last season as a Bill. Carter, a 3rd rd pick last season, had an up and down rookie year, but this is a deep DL draft and currently suspended Ogunjobi is also only on a one year deal. I suspect one of our top 3 picks will be utilized here. 4. DE - Bosa was signed for one season and Rousseau was extended. I don't think Solomon is Bosa's replacement. We need depth here as well, especially given Bosa's injury history. This draft looks good for edge rushers even into the 3rd rd. 5. LB - Doesn't seem like a screaming need, but Milano is on his last year and the depth behind Williams isn't great. The team has also talk to Chris Paul a few times, so the position is clearly on their radar. Need may depend on how Beane & Co feel about Andreessen and/or Ulofoshio. 6. WR - The Palmer signing erased the need for a boundary starter (& replaced Cooper) and Shenault probably inherits Hollins' role. We still a deep threat and there are some intriguing guys like Felton and Williams in the middle rounds. 7. TE - The team let Morris walk and Knox maybe on his final season. I can easily see a blocking TE drafted late. 8. RB - Today's news of tabled contract talks with Cook might make this a higher priority depending on how they feel about Johnson and Davis. Deep RB draft as well. 9. QB - Isn't it about time to draft and develop a backup for Josh? If I had to predict this draft, Beane uses the 4 picks 169 to 177 to upgrade picks 109 and 132. He ends up drafting 2 CBs, 1 S, a DL, a DE, a WR and a TE.

Updated for Benford's extension.

Or he'll tag him and keep him for a 5th year.

Your implication was that LAC's front office doesn't know how to evaluate WR talent and therefore were incorrect for moving on from Palmer. I'm responding by saying that did a better job in the last draft choosing a WR than we were and Beane's history in evaluating WR talent is also spotty. You mean after McConkey who had 1149 yards and who was taken immediately after Coleman.

They were smart enough to draft McConkey and we took Coleman instead of Worthy, McConkey, Pearsall and Legette. We also signed the redundant Samuel as a FA. Maybe our judgement on WR is just as suspect if not more.

As much as I love Cook (go Dawgs!) and think he is worth $15 mil for 3 years, Benford is the priority. Great CBs don’t come around very often and you have to keep them when you have one. As to FA CBs, Gilmore would be great insurance if the rookie draftee doesn’t immediately pan out. As to Cook, I think the Bills have way overpaid for Samuel, Palmer and Shakir. The Samuel signing never made sense. Paying Shakir potentially 15 mill a season for 800 yards of offense and Palmer potentially $12 per season for 600 yards doesn’t make much sense while not paying Cook for his 1400 yards of offense. The NFL’s $ for WRs is out of whack giving how easily middle tier WRs are replaceable. Better cap $ management here may have made it easier to retain Cook. The NFL (except Cin) is beginning to realize the over payment to WRs as money is beginning to flow back to quality RBs. My guess is the Bills might franchise Cook next season and possibly the year after depending on $.

I’m finally adding Shenault to the roster and off-season moves list. I resisted adding him as I thought he was just camp fodder like Claypool last year. However, with the change in the kickoff rules and our need for special teams’ help (replacing Hollins), I think his chances of making the team have increased significantly.

Maybe this has been mentioned already, but Palmer was signed to replace Cooper not Hollins. My guess is the Bills will play more 12 personnel with Knox or Kincaid running Hollins’ pattern in the offense. The question is who picks up Hollins’ gunner responsibility on special teams? Shenault? He played 181 special teams snaps last year, although I suspect most were as a returner. Still with his size and speed he might be a good gunner. Maybe Buffalo Joe takes the job?

30 Maxwell Hairston CB | Kentucky A 56 Tyleik Williams DL | Ohio State A+ 62 Jack Sawyer EDGE | Ohio State A+ 109 Jalen Royals WR | Utah State A+ 115 Chris Paul Jr. LB | Mississippi A+ 126 Denzel Burke CB | Ohio State B+ 142 Billy Bowman S | Oklahoma A+ Admittedly a little heavy on Buckeyes but I do believe in the Rosman approach of drafting the best players from the best teams. I wanted Hairston for his excellent speed. Paul is a LB the Bills have been talking with and Royals has very good outside speed.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/matt-stevens-former-super-bowl-winner-with-patriots-dies-at-age-51/ 3rd pick of the Bills in 1996. Played 13 games at SS for the Bills in 1996; starting 11 games. Played 8 years in the NFL and won a SB with the Pats. Best season was 2002 with Houston when he started 16 games and had 84 tackles. Had 6 interceptions in 1999. Paralyzed in a motorcycle accident in 2007.

If you have a homework assignment and it says complete the following tasks: Add boundary WR, add DE, upgrade depth at DL and DE, add depth at S and and a starting CB and you turn in your assignment with a WR, a S, a DE, DL depth that will miss 1/3 of the season and no CB, the teacher would give you either an incomplete or give you at best a 70 out of 100. 20 for the WR, 20 for the S, 20 for Bosa, only 10 for the DL depth, and a zero for the CB. The odds of a rookie CB drafted late in the 1st rd or late in the 2nd rd coming in and starting immediately are about 5-10%. Last season we tried that with Cole Bishop and it failed miserably. We also tried that with Elam a few years earlier and that failed spectacularly. We needed to upgrade Douglas and that window has closed unless Beane can finagle a trade. Possible, but unlikely until later in the season. Remember Douglas was acquired after week 7 and Cooper after week 6. Do you really want to go into the season with a camp battle between Jackson (PFF grade 33 last season), Ingram (PFF grade 58.6) and a rookie for the starting job? I’m sorry, and I like Beane, but he needs to get lucky at CB for this off-season to get a good grade. It’s really to bad. I like the extensions, I like Palmer and Bosa. I was excited about both Ogunjobi and Hoecht until I found out about the suspensions. I believe both guys should have had their contracts voided or greatly reduced. The Jackson signing is waste. He was horrible last year in Carolina and hopefully was only signed to be the 4th outside CB. Outside of Benford, outside CB is the Bills weakest position group and Jackson doesn’t move the needle.

Where is the consideration of signing two suspended players and not filling their most critical need at CB?

He had 100+ carries last year. That isn't a small sample size and considering he did it with the same O Line, running the same playbook, it's a pretty fair comparison.

I like Ty Johnson, but he isn't as good as Cook or Davis. If he was he'd be the starter. He also returned to Buffalo as the 3rd back, instead of getting a better opportunity elsewhere in free agency. Love having Ty on the team, but he isn't Fred Jackson.

He isn’t. His average yards per carry was a yard less than Cook. He also isn’t as fast. He might be a starter on a below average team. He also is the same age as Cook and has less tread on the tire after significantly more carries in college.

I fully agree. Read my earlier post. Jackson’s PFF grade was 33 last season which was 214th of 222 graded CBs. Ingram was better at 58, but that isn’t a starting CB ever. Douglas was 59 I think. Not good either. There has to be someone available in trade or FA that is a better option even if it’s 34 year old Gilmore.

He is the current roster player with the best metrics.

I don’t understand Beane offseason game plan in light of the suspensions. His biggest priority of the offseason should have been finding a starting CB. With Douglas gone and little depth at the position besides a failed 1st rd pick (since traded) and an UDFA (Ingram), the position clearly needed an overhaul after getting demolished in the playoffs. Instead Beane prioritized an injury prone DE, two suspended DL and another middling WR. The only help at CB so far was the return of a former Bill (Jackson) who was awful in Carolina last season. So we are back to hoping a rookie draftee can somehow start with zero depth behind him if it doesn’t work. If (when?) it fails, Beane will find himself again trying to acquire an in season band-aid to fix a hole in his lineup that should have been addressed properly in the offseason for the 3rd season (Douglas and Cooper) in a row. As things currently stand the Bills defense will enter the season arguably in worse shape than it finished last season. I’m not a Beane hater, but his plan and execution this offseason so far have been off the mark. There is still a chance to find a reasonable fix to this mess. It obviously now a priority to draft 2 CBs in April. Regardless of who he drafts, he is going to have to take a chance on a veteran former starter like Gilmore as insurance and mentor.

maybe this means we'll finally get a starting CB

....and his 33 PFF grade (214th out of 222 CBs) last year? By comparison - Gilmore 63.9, Douglas 5.91 (82.2 in 2023), Slay 67.6 (signed a 1 year 10 mill contract with the Steelers), Hilton 75.9. Ingram's grade was 58.6.