jahnyc

It is silly to rate this draft now, but other than liking the picks for Elam, Shakir and Araiza, not sure that any of the other picks will become significant contributors. Do not like the pick of Cook for the reasons others have noted, including that he may be at best no more than a part time player, which does not seem like good value for a second round pick. Gave the overall draft by the Bills a "C".

Would think that if this is true, that the veteran player or players traded to move up would be players that have not restructured their deals this offseason to provide more cap space because of the cap hit that would result (i.e., Milano). This should mean that we can narrow the possible veteran player(s) that would be traded.

Bad day to day between McKissic returning to the Redskins and Chandler Jones signing with the Raiders. Still have some pretty significant needs at CB and DE.

I am surprised that there has not been more information coming out about restructurings of current contracts with certain players (i.e., Morse, Dawkins, etc.), cuts or salary reductions (Beasley, Williams, others as possibilities), extensions (i.e. Diggs) or even tenders to restricted free agents (i.e,. Bates). Maybe there haven't been any restructures other than the ones reported so far, but that would be odd to me given the rumors of the Bills' interest in a number of free agents and associated need for cap room. Same with possible cuts. I thought the Bills would extend Diggs to get more cap space, but Beane said there have not been conversations about this. I would understand the hesitancy to restructure White's contract given his injury, but there are a number of other contracts that could be restructured freeing up cap space. Will be interesting to see if there have been restructures or reductions in salary that have not been reported yet. There also were a lot of rumors that Morse was going to retire. I assume that he would have decided by now if he was going to do so. As for additional cuts, I would have thought the Bills would make them before the start of free agency to give the players the best opportunity to find employment with another team.

I do worry about big market teams like LA being able to sign players at a discount or players forcing a trade/release because players want to be there. This can result in a competitive advantage. Josh Allen should attract talent, but I don't know if it will be enough, particularly since we will be competing with some other good QBs that also can attract talent (i.e., Mahomes, Herbert, Burrows and Rogers).

How many coaches/assistant coaches will we let Daboll take from our current staff (assuming all are lateral moves and not promotions)?

Maybe they are promoting Hall and are also looking at these candidates potentially to be the new WR coach.

I guess it depends on what Dorsey wants. If he wants to be a HC at some point, staying with the Bills and working with Josh Allen seems the way to go, similar to Daboll's path, because Josh is about the best contributor to potential success an OC can have. If he has a strong relationship with Daboll and/or wants out of Buffalo as a place to live, then he will leave. Job security should be somewhat similar if tied to the job security of his head coach since McDermott is safe for the foreseeable future and Daboll should get at least two, if not three years with the Giants to prove he is the right coach for the team. One wild card here is what is Dorsey's relationship like with McDermott? Do we know anything about how McDermott gets along with the coaches on his coaching staff? Also have seen reports that our assistant QB coach and assistant o-line coach may be going with Daboll. That would be a bit of a problem if our OC, QB coach and assistant QB coach all leave at the same time.

Really depends on who replaces him. I assume that McBeane have been preparing for a scenario where they lose both Daboll and Frazier. I don't know if the replacements will come from the current coaching staff or if the targets will be outside the organization, but I hope they will be competent replacements because it would be hard to argue that Frazier and Daboll have not been, at a minimum, competent in their respective roles.

CB will need to be addressed either in free agency or early in the draft because who knows if Tre will be ready to play by the beginning of next regular season. If Wallace is not re-signed, then maybe CB is addressed in both free agency and the draft. Clearly, will be a position of need. I don't think we have much cap space for 2022, but we have definite needs that can't all be filled in the draft. OG, RB, CB and a stout DT are the areas where we need significant improvement in play or better depth. I doubt they all can be addressed next offseason, but I would prioritize trying to keep our franchise QB healthy by finding upgrades at OG.

I remember there was a lot of chatter about Maybin looking awful overall in his first training camp. I do think busts can be identified early on, with others just needing time to develop, so not true in all cases for first year players that start off poorly.

This is a great post. Thank you.

Would rather spend whatever room we have under the cap for a starting caliber CB if one is available (i.e., Steve Nelson).

I would not be shocked if they brought in another veteran RB. Could be someone like Bell, although I am not sure he has anything left or would be interested in playing for the Bills.

Wanted Newsome. That is a total bummer.

Strange year because of Covid and opt-outs, but a big part of the uncertainty is that we have not drafted around this spot in a long time, so we have no idea what players will be available to us by the time we draft (unless we want to trade up).

Interesting theory about Edmunds, but I don't think we would get much more than a third round pick (if that) for him. He had a down year last season and he will be expensive after this year, either because of the 5th year option or a new contract.

This is an interesting topic with a lot to speculate about. I could see the Bills drafting a CB, center, WR or LB with the first or second round pick for the reasons noted in this thread. A first round CB could be a day 1 starter. The Bills also could be thinking about a replacement for Star, so I would add DT to the list, including in the first round. The Edmunds situation will be interesting. I have a feeling that they will not pick up the option but say all the right things when announced that they want to negotiate a long-term extension with him, whether or not there is real interest in doing so.

Starting to believe that there is a lot of risk associated with almost all of the edge prospects (more than usual given the opt outs and the overall odd past college season). Even with the clear need for a better pass rush, I am starting to think that the Bills should draft a CB, RB or offensive lineman in the first round this year based on the limited information that I have seen.

At least a couple of players that can meaningfully contribute immediately. The Bills are a good team, but need to be better than last year. Since we were limited in free agency because of the lower salary cap, one of the only sources of improvement will need to come from rookies who are better than incumbent players currently on the team.

I would take a shot with Marlon Mack if he is healthy. He is versatile, and if we sign him to a one-year prove it deal, he will be motivated.

Watching Terry Miller return a kick-off for a touchdown in his rookie year in 1978 when attending my first home game for the Bills after my family moved to Buffalo.

You have to think with so much turnover in personnel for most teams, combined with the more limited opportunities for offseason team work, that this continuity on offense and defense will only help us this upcoming season.

I don't think we have a replacement for Milano on the roster and I would not expect a rookie to be able to fill that role, even if he is a pick in the first or second round. With our salary cap constraints, I also doubt that we will be able to sign an equivalent replacement. I understand the concern with Milano's history of injuries, but he is one of the few players on defense that seems to make plays, including providing pressure on the QB when blitzing or causing a turnover. I think his mix of abilities will be hard to replace, and I don't really see Edmunds with the same abilities or instincts.

I think it would be a mistake to not make re-signing Milano a priority. The defense improved significantly when he returned from injury and I think his skill set will be very hard to replace.