BillsFanForever19

So there's a 27 page Brandin Cooks thread near the top of the first page. This would go in there, as it did 8 hours ago when another poster posted this in there.

He cleared Waivers.

I can't get over the amount of posters in this thread that are questioning this move and are acting as if this was a mistake. Now I'm coming across a post where we are implying he's going to sign with the Patriots and burn us? What is happening? When we signed him, I thought it was a good move. A former 2nd Round Pick that had some decent stats with the Jets and Browns and had some speed. But I remember @HappyDays saying that beyond the stats, the Draft prestige, and the speed that he simply was a bad player. That he wouldn't remotely move the needle for us. But I thought "eh, Mack Hollins wasn't a good WR either when we got him. Maybe his traits plus Josh would revitalize his career". Then he got to Training Camp and the reports were he wasn't showing anything. He wasn't separating from the pack at all and could just be outright cut. But hey - it takes new WR's and QB's to develop chemistry. Maybe he'd show us something when it counted? What he showed was that for all of his speed, he somehow couldn't separate any more than Keon Coleman did. His "gadget" plays were way more often than not blown up. The one TD he got on a run could have been run by anyone. When everyone was healthy (even when Coleman was sat) - he was the first WR to be without a jersey on Sundays. In 9 games with the team, he contributed a grand total of 9 catches for just over 100 yards. He provided nothing. Before the activations of Gabe Davis and the signings of Brandin Cooks and Mecole Hardman - the WR core as a whole was bemoaned by fans. I didn't hear one person say "Elijah Moore is a bright spot though, he deserves more reps". He was clearly the odd man out to be cut. Not only bc we need Samuel's cap relief in the off-season, Keon Coleman could get us some kind of return in a trade after this year (and/or be tried as a Big Slot), and Moore had only 6 games left with us under contract - but because of his overall standing with the team. If Moore was what some on this thread make him out to be, guys like Cooks and Hardman wouldn't have been signed. Davis wouldn't have been highlighted as he was. And Shavers wouldn't have been given the opportunities he was against Tampa Bay. Elijah Moore was a failed flyer. Bc he simply isn't a good NFL WR. I'd move him off the roster to fit on Brandin Cooks or Gabe Davis 6 days a week and twice on Sundays and not lose a blink of sleep over who signed him. He was always far and away the first WR out the door in my eyes.

I grow weary of seeing posts like this. The Playoffs are far from a sure thing. The Division is pretty much out of reach. We're barely holding on to the 7th seed right now. We've gone 3-4 over the past 7 weeks - dropping to teams like the Falcons, Dolphins, and a backup QB led Texans. Meanwhile, over the next 6 games we have the Steelers with a winning record, the Bengals with Joe Burrow back, the Super Bowl Champion Eagles, and the Patriots in New England coming up. A much harder stretch of games than the 7 we just went 3-4 in. The way that our Defense has been playing between a broken scheme and terrible roster makeup, a broken offense, how the team has been performing, and injuries worse than we've had all season - even squeezing out 3 wins in the 6 games is a huge ask. And even then, with the way other teams in the AFC have been performing - 10-7 is no guaranteed Wild Card spot. I know fans are used to always getting in. But this isn't the same Bills we've had over the past 6 years. We can't be trusted to beat *anyone* right now.

Update to the story - Moore wanted more reps. They obviously felt he either didn't deserve it and/or Cooks had the potential to provide more. Either way, it's now being framed as a mutual parting of the ways.

There isn't enough separation (no pun intended) between Moore, Coleman, and Samuel to disregard the trade potential in the off-season (a minimal return is better than nothing) or room for growth as a Slot (haven't tried that yet) in Coleman and the cap they'd save by releasing Samuel after this season. Again, I don't understand what you're seeing in Moore. He's been equally as bad as Coleman and Samuel this season, if not moreso. As bad as things have gotten with Coleman - his Week 1 was equivalent to Moore's entire season.

I'm sorry - in what world was Moore a "bright spot" at WR? He had a grand total of 9 catches all season. Was the first guy on the bench when everyone was healthy. For all his speed, watch the tape, he was practically never able to get separation. He wasn't particularly shifty, as his jet sweeps more often than not went nowhere. On top of that, he provided nothing in the Blocking game and nothing in the Special Teams game. Moore was a failed experiment and far from a bright spot. He was the obvious odd man out in the WR room. If he were anything close to a bright spot, we wouldn't be taking flyers on Brandin Cooks or Mecole Hardman before that.

He was the obvious choice. I was saying so after Gabe's first activation. You aren't letting go of Shakir or Palmer. Shavers has another year on his contract and provides Special Teams and Blocking. Samuel they'll want to release this coming off-season to better save cap. And Coleman you could get something for in a trade this coming off-season. Moore was always the first player who wasn't active if everyone was healthy. He isn't under contract after this season. So after the next 6 games and the Playoffs (if we make them), he's out the door anyways for nothing in return. And he was the WR providing us with the least. He was the obvious odd man out. With the addition of Cooks, we were at 7 on the active roster and that doesn't take into account Gabe Davis on the PS or Mecole Hardman on IR. Pretty clear to me that this was done to put Gabe on the roster. And it wouldn't shock me to see Samuel moved to IR when Hardman is healthy - if everyone were to stay healthy.

I agree with both of your sentiments that it's likely both stay and to quiet the anger from fans over both how I see the season ending and they're staying - that we're likely to see some splash moves. Where I disagree though is the idea that they're a package deal. I could easily see a scenario where Beane lets McDermott go. There was even a conversation on the Jeremy White, Joe Marino, Jerry Ostrowski show that discussed what they perceived as a possible rift between the two. I think if Beane felt that either a.) McDermott wasn't getting the most out of what he was giving him or b.) That he could keep his job at the cost of McDermott - he'd pull the trigger. If Beane goes, McDermott will surely go as a new GM would want to bring in their own guy. But I don't think Beane would willingly go down with the ship if he could avoid it. I don't think the bond is so tight that he'd willingly go to the unemployment line if he didn't have to.

It's amazing how many board members are "told" things from a regime that even Adam Schefter can't get info on. Yet every third poster on this board has a trusted source.

He's most likely not being released this season. They voided his guarantees for 2026 and onward and he will be moved in the off-season. There's a chance they may even trade him rather than releasing him.

Or you've got a player that wanted to be traded but stayed bc they offered him a deal too good to say no. But they soon ended up regretted it and still want out. So they miss meetings and team events and make it known that they want out. On the flip side, you've got a 9ers team that probably also has buyers remorse after overpaying for him and then him tearing his ACL. Doesn't seem very complicated or mysterious to me. He wants out of the 9ers - the 9ers want out of the contract.

Bernard is playing at a replaceable level. Especially being dinged up before this. Him being out isn't a huge loss. However, the drop off between Spencer Brown and RVD is MASSIVE. Brown is one of the best Right Tackle's in the entire NFL, if not THE best.

And? People act like his guaranteed salary being voided makes him poor and it's irresponsible to do some shopping. He was a 1st Round Pick. From 2020-2024, he made 12.5 million dollars. And that doesn't take into account any side money through advertising, personal appearances, signings, jersey sales, his own merchandise, etc. When he's released or traded, he'll make even more millions. That's a guarantee. Spending big money on jewelry is something most players do. Hell, Keon Coleman had some crazy bling he was showing off Post Game in Week 1 and he's nowhere near the position to do that as Aiyuk is. This is nothing and would in no way make me think "character concerns - we shouldn't sign him". If we didn't Draft or sign players bc they splurge on jewelry - we wouldn't be able to field a team.

He was looking like a "playmaking stud"... in 2023. 2024 he took a step back from what we saw the year before. He wasn't flashing nearly as much as the year before, started showing a penchant for getting dinged up, and was way more often than not out of position. Bc of that, us having to make tough choices or eat into our salary cap heavily with so many players up for extensions (which we chose to do) and with MLB not being a hard to replace, premium position - I would not have extended him. At the absolute most, i'd have waited to see how his 2025 went and think about extending him if it went well. It was baffling to me when they extended him early and enraging to me after seeing how bad he looks this year.