BigAl2526

Yeah, it's hard to believe that the Bills would have him around on the sideline if there was any suspicion it could be a torn ACL. That would seem to leave a pulled ligament or muscle.

I thought that if Cook came to mini-camp it meant he would play out his contract and then depart in free agency. Now that he has reported, I still think it is a long shot that any other outcome happens. There is a slim chance, I would guess that the Bills can work out some kind of deal. The Buffalo News is suggesting a two-year bridge deal. I'm happy with whatever might keep him a Bill. We'll see.

Was a pretty good athlete coming out of college. Smallish and athletic like McDermott seems to like them. Biggest issue is he carries the same injury concern as Milano. Can he stay healthy? He's played six games total in the last two seasons and he's coming off an Achilles issue suffered last October. It's hard to imagine he's completely recovered this soon. My guess is the Bills will be hoping he could be available by mid-season if necessary and not suffering from the long-term effects of a bad Achilles too much by then.

It certainly seems like Specter would be expendable in the minds of Beane and McDermott. Andreeson was a pleasant surprise, but whether or not he's good enough to depend on in the case of an extended injury to Bernard, I don't know, and I'm not sure anyone here does know. Ulofoshio is even more of a mystery. Apart from being on the short side, he has good measurables, but his scouting report stated he lacks speed and instincts. He barely got on the field on defense as a rookie with 4 total tackles. My guess is the Bills won't expect much from him in 2025. He needs to show a lot of growth in the mental aspect of playing professional defense before he's a factor in anything but special teams.

Obviously, the Bills are counting on Rousseau to have a major role on the defense as he did a year ago. They are hoping that Joey Bosa will be able to return to his play of a few years ago. In four of his first six seasons, he had ten or more sacks. Rousseau and Bosa have both played mostly left end. In the last few years, Bosa has played more linebacker, but that's probably not happening with the Bills. I think they are hoping that Landon Jackson will be effective playing RDE, so Bosa and Rousseau can rotate on the left. Epenesa is the incumbent starter at RDE, and at this point, I don't think the Bills are ready to get rid of him. Hoecht is obviously not available for six games. Even when he returns, he's something of a unicorn as a 310 lb defensive end. He times fast, but I can't believe he's going to be more than a power rusher. Besides Solomon the rest of the defensive ends on the Bills roster, are scrubs; Paris Shand and Hayden Harris. Those two are extreme long shots to make the roster, so discounting them, and not counting Hoecht at the start of the season, Solomon is the fifth DE. There is a decent chance, the Bills will carry 5 DEs. If they do, Solomon will be the guy. How much playing time he gets is very much up in the air. Epenesa has been solid, but not a difference maker. Epenesa has never had more than 6.5 sacks in a season. Granted, he's always been in a rotation, but I think the Bills would like to see more from him. If he gives the Bills the same level of play that he always has, I could see the Bills experimenting with giving Solomon more snaps when the game is important and hasn't already been decided. Solomon is the only defensive end buffalo has who relies on quickness and bend to get to the QB. I just don't think they want to get rid of that in their toolbox.

To refine my thinking: If Cook shows up for mini-camp, I think the future is pretty much set in stone. Cook will play out his contract and sigh elsewhere after the season with the highest bidder. If Cook does not show up at mini-camp, (which I expect to be the case) I think it means the drama will continue. We'll wonder for a few weeks if he'll come to training camp, and if he doesn't show up at the start of training camp, we'll wonder if he'll come later in training camp, and so on. I don't think there is any chance he is a Buffalo Bill in the 2026 season.

Is he worth his $15 million per year asking price? Tough question. He is an outstanding back, but I think with the way Buffalo uses him, he comes a bit short of what you might call a workhorse or bell cow back. I think the Bills worry that if they gave him more touches the risk of injury might go up given Cooks relatively diminutive size. Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry and Bijan Robinson, along with a few other backs had over 300 carries in 2024, while Cook had 207 carries. Cook also caught some passes, but Barkley actually caught a few more, and Derrick Henry even caught a few. I don't think Buffalo wants increase the number of touches they give Cook. They are happy to have Ty Johnson as a 3rd down back, and I think they would like Ray Davis to be even more involved in the offense than he was in 2024. It becomes a question of what he's worth to Buffalo versus what he might be worth to a team that would want him to be a bigger percentage of their offense.

It is said that Paull Brown, one time owner of the Bengals, bought the draft issue of the Sporting News and made his picks from that.

Weighs 286lbs and runs like he weighs only 310 lbs What's not to like?

I don't disagree, but Owen still has players ahead of him that he has to beat out. Like a number of posters, I've been critical of both Rapp and Hamlin, but the fact is they started most or all of the games at safety in 2024. Likewise, Derrick Forrest has started games in the NFL and has at least decent athleticism. Cole Bishop struggled with injury early in his rookie campaign, but came on late. Reports this spring are that he's in great shape and is now very comfortable in the defense and making very quick reads. Then, of course, Jordan Hancock is a draft pick that has position flexibility, mostly slot and safety. That's five players who are presumably ahead of Owen in the minds of the coaching staff apart from of field observations. That means Owen probably has to jump two players to be assured of roster spot in September. He can do that either through his own stellar play, or players in front of him either disappointing coaches with their play or getting injured. Yeah, most other positions on the team are more settled, but the path to a roster spot is still no piece of cake for a UDFA at safety.

I was already a Bills fan, but I do remember that I was very intrigued by Josh Allen during the pre-draft process. He lacked the background in a big-time college football program, and didn't get the kind of high-level coaching that would help him deal with mechanical issues. He had everything else, the athleticism, arm strength, intelligence, attitude, everything. Everyone else was fixated on "the other Josh" but I sort of thought Josh Allen might turn out all right.

I agree he is a long shot to make the active roster. His route of least resistance is probably to end up on the PS and hope for an injury to a guy ahead of him on the roster.

If I can't watch for free, I listen on radio instead. We already have Netflix, and we can hitch a free ride on my daughter's Amazon Prime. Some ESPN games are simulcast on ABC, so there are usually only a couple Bills' games I can't see free.

Buffalo lacks a proven elite edge rusher, who can pile up double digit sack totals, unless Joey Bosa can stay healthy and recover the dominance of his early career. To compensate, they have tweaked their coaching staff and attempted to upgrade their DBs to enable them to mix in more single high coverage and rush an extra player more frequently. There are three to five new players on the Bills are hoping will have significant impacts on the defense: Hairston, TJ Sanders, Deone Walker, Landon Jackson are probably the most important. Dorian Strong could be a fifth contributor. If Buffalo hits on all of them, and Joey Bosa can stay healthy, this could be a pretty stout defense. If not, well, then the offense should still be able to score points in bunches.

If a new deal were to be agreed upon, there would likely be a significant signing bonus, which would presumably be paid immediately, though the cap hi would be prorated over the life of the deal. I think in many cases, new deals that are signed before the old contracts expire supercede the old contract.

Mandatory mini-camp starts a week from today. Among other things, it will give us a little more of an indication of how serious the rift is between Cook and the Bills. Presumable, if Cook shows up, it is an early indication Cook is willing to play out his rookie deal before offering his services up for open bid in 2026 and beyond. If he doesn't show up, it raises the odds of a holdout that could last into training camp.

I would have offered a deal on officiating, but I didn't have contact information.

It gets worse after mandatory mini-camp.

Yeah, the only thing that they can negotiate is guaranteed money, not the total amount or length of the deal. Late round draft picks don't have much leverage. Top draft picks have a bit more, but still not a lot.

If he were coming out of college, I would describe him as a high floor, low ceiling player. His football intelligence and instincts allow him to be effective a good share of the time, and he is a good tackler. His athletic limitations saddle him with a fairly narrow margin for error. If an elite offensive player gets a bit of separation on Rapp, there is a high risk of a big play against the defense. If the Bills have to start him, they can get by as long as they have enough talent around him, but if they had made it a priority, it shouldn't have been too hard to find an upgrade this off season.

I check it pretty frequently. Specifically, I look for any news articles and will also use the team roster page for reference purposes.

I immediately thought of Dion Dawkins, who has become a pro bowl regular and probably had his best season in 2024. I did notice that offensive tackles are very well represented on the list. I think that their particular skill set is somewhat less subject to the wear and tear of play in the NFL compared with linebackers or running backs.

Me too. I was a Cleveland Browns fan before OJ. I wasn't real serious though. I remember LeRoy Kelly was their running back, and not a lot else.

I'm fine with it, but I'm sure not deluding myself that it will be a cakewalk. McDermott and Babich had better have that run defense figured out, or it could be a long game.

I am a rebel. I'm fine with bleu cheese. but don't care at all for Buffalo sauce. Give me barbeque wings any day.