BillsFanForever19

The funny thing about this is that you read the doom and gloom of that article and the fact is: 2024 New Orleans Saints - 36m Over the Cap 2024 Buffalo Bills - 41m Over the Cap But the big difference is we have the core pieces of a Contender in place. They have a terrible team to begin with and have to tear it down even more. Plus side, it's not like they're going to get much worse.

Was really digging the first 2 Picks. But there's absolutely no way we're spending a Day 2 pick on RB.

I don't think it's completely impossible. But I think Reader is going to be too expensive compared to Jones. I don't see a scenario where we cannot pay Jones what he's asking for or commands and then will pay more for Reader. Spotrac's value (though never entirely accurate) has Daquan Jones as a 6.9m annual average. They list DJ Reader at a 14.9m annual average. I think that's a pretty high prediction for him and I don't think he'll cost that much. But he's still going to cost much more than Jones.

Are you aware what a Year 1 rebuild or soft rebuild is? It doesn't mean you're building your team around your Rookie QB with the best humanly possibly in Year 1. It means you're rebuilding your cap, filling holes with cheaper, younger players, so that in the coming years you can have a new team and go out and get the things you need - working around the young cheap players that worked out in Year 1 to build a contender. You ever looked at Josh Allen's WR's in Year 1? Here's what he was working with: Zay Jones, Robert Foster, Isaiah McKenzie, Da'Mari Scott, Ray Ray McCloud, and Deonte Thompson And did I say we shouldn't start Rookies or that championship teams don't do that? No, I didn't. But there's a difference between starting some Rookies or young players and saying "we've got to fill half of our WR core this season and 1 of the guys we have is a redshirt Rookie already.... let's fill out ALL 3 of the rest of the holes there with exclusively Rookies!". I've maintained from the beginning that we Draft our WR2 in Round 1 and that we take another in the mid Rounds. But that all 4 of our WR's not named Stefon Diggs and Khalil Shakir should have zero Regular Season experience is not a realistic idea for a Championship contending team. We have to have at least 1 of those 3 guys being a known commodity. Bc Rookies are complete unknowns, especially in Year 1 when they're learning. They can hit and be great like Puka Nacua. Or they can bust like Quentin Johnston or Treylon Burks. We could double down and end up with the WR equivalent of what happened to us at DE. Again, it's one thing to say we can't afford a big ticket FA (which is the truth) and that we should Draft a guy or two. It's another to say we can't afford ANYONE. Or that if you aren't getting the big ticket WR, you're wasting your time. Neither are true. We can afford a vet and whether you think we should or not - I assure you Beane is going to. There is close to a zero chance that with the way Beane and McDermott look at Roster Building that they're going to replace Davis, Sherfield, and Harty ALL with Rookies. Be glad we'll do 2 of the 3 that way. It's humanly possible. But that doesn't make it a "real" possibility. It's an EXTREMELY unrealistic possibility. One that only you, other fans who despise him, and clickbait media outlets bang the table for. But it's simply not happening this season. And Pittman? That's an even bigger joke. He's not going anywhere. He'll either be extended or Franchised before he hits the market. In the surprising event that he does? He's getting an INSANE contract to be a team's #1. And you can try and manufacture that contract to work for us any way you want. It's still going to be too much for us this year and ESPECIALLY for years to come. And if we were to magically find a way to figure Pittman in - say goodbye to the WR's you love so much in Round 1. There is zero scenario where we put forth the kind of money it would take for Pittman and be able to turn around and use a 1st Rounder at WR. We'd be essentially ignoring everything else on the team - when we have 5 holes at Starting DE, DT, and S along with the first DT off the bench, who basically gets a starters amount of reps. We're gonna do some exciting stuff here at that position. But the reality is in between what you want and what the guy I quoted above you wants..... (Continued below) This is true to an extent. Yes, the idea that we can't afford ANYONE and have to Draft every hole at WR (or elsewhere) isn't true. We can afford a veteran and we're going to get one. But we cannot afford any of the many big ideas you have. Cover 1 doesn't even talk about the Curtis Samuel level WR's, let alone the Pittman's or Evans'. Like I said, the truth is somewhere between what the guy you're replying to is saying and what you're constantly posting about. We'll be able to dig out of 41m over the cap to sign some guys to fill the MANY holes we have. But because of having that many holes to fill and the fact that in any given Draft, there's less than 32 players you can count on to Start - we are going to have to be judicious in our approach. No massive spending on any one position. Yes, we did keep signing vets last season. But they were all of a certain price point. And as bad of a position as we were in last year, we're in even a worse position this year - cap wise and roster wise. So look at last season as the benchmark on the type of moves we'll make. As Beane said in his Presser, there will be no big splashes this season. And that we'll be "shopping in a lot of the same stores we were last season". It will be guys who won't break the bank, most on 1 year deals, guys we can convince to come cheaper or will have to come cheaper bc of circumstance. You're going to get your 1st Round WR for WR2. And you'll get another later in the Draft. And you'll get a vet. And that's going to be exciting enough. But your head is absolutely in the clouds though when you start talking about Trading Diggs, acquiring a guy like Pittman, and Drafting 2 WR's in the first 45-60 picks.

The Bills only carried 5 WR's last season. And that lack of depth was a mistake that bit us. Especially at Outside WR. 5 WR's was an anomaly. Done to keep extra Defensive Lineman we had under contract (something we will not have this season). Under McDermott here is the number we've gone into Week 1 with for each season: 2023 - 5 2022 - 7 2021 - 7 2020 - 6 2019 - 6 2018 - 7 2017 - 6 I absolutely do not see us carrying anything less than 6 this season. Shorter will be on the 53 and I already have him factored in. Isabella and Hamler are Practice Squad guys. Hamler is on his 3rd team in less than a year. Like Isabella before him, there's a bust stink on him at this point that a good Pre-Season will not change when it comes to teams signing players from other teams to their 53. Futures/Reserve signings are on the level of UDFA's. Guys you bring into Camp and maybe they earn a spot on the Practice Squad. But former 2nd Round Picks or not - they are nothing that Beane is counting on when filling out the Roster. Noah Brown was the 4th WR on the Texans last season, behind Nico Collins, Tank Dell, and Robert Woods. So while I can see some logic in someone signing Reynolds to be an unquestioned WR2 - I don't understand thinking Brown isn't a possibility. And as for Reynolds, everyone sort of agrees his figure on Spotrac is a little high. And it's less than insane to think he may be interested in playing in Buffalo as no less than Outside WR3, maybe even getting a share of WR2 reps, as the Rookie is not guaranteed to immediately hit the ground running. You quote Green Bay to make your argument, but there's one major difference there - Green Bay was in Year 1 of Jordan Love and in the middle of a rebuild. They overachieved and reached the Playoffs yes, but there's a big difference between what a team competing for a Championship will risk and what a rebuilding team will risk. It worked out for Green Bay, but there's no saying 4 Rookies (with Shorter a redshirt Rookie) will work the same for us. As for the money, again, with the jump in Salary Cap - add 11m extra to whatever the moves we would have done to get to under would get us. That's enough for Brown and another player. You can say we should draft 3 Rookies and call it a day. But there's no way Beane doesn't bring in at least 1 veteran though. We'll Draft 2 within the first 5 Rounds for the 53, but there won't be 3.

I wish people would look more into these types of guys. We'll be taking 1 WR in Round 1 and then I expect Beane to address starters elsewhere for our next 2 picks. Outside possibility he trades back into the Bottom of Round 3 from Round 4 if someone is sticking out. But imo that's the soonest Beane would possibly complete a double dip. These are the types of guys we'd be considering there with our 2nd WR pick.

And not only do we have Shakir that works out of the Slot, but Dalton Kincaid as well. Anyone who is a Day 1 or Day 2 pick out of the slot is completely out of the equation.

Agreed. If the Colts don't extend Pittman by the Franchise Tag deadline, he's for sure getting tagged. The Colts are 79.2m under the cap. Pittman is a 26 year old budding Superstar, the #1 WR to a Rookie QB entering Year 2. And they can afford him. Like I said with Higgins, teams don't let go of their most important pieces unless they literally have no other choice. I'd be downright shocked if he went anywhere. In the small chance that he did, it wouldn't be here.

I'm just trying to get him to appreciate what'll be under the Tree on Christmas morning. All he ever talks about day and night is a PS5, the newest iPhone, and that top of the line Gaming Laptop. There will be some pretty nice gifts for the kid to open. But money's been tight for mommy and daddy this year and he's going to be pretty unhappy when he's unwrapping them and the best we can possibly do doesn't come close to his expectations.

I don't think that's an unpopular opinion. But the talk of Henry is a waste of time. He was the #2 Rusher in the NFL last season. He's not going to go somewhere where he isn't the unquestioned Starter. And when you have a Pro Bowl RB in house already, you're not going to pay what it costs for Henry to have a 2nd Pro Bowl RB - even if he wanted to. Doubly so when you don't have any money and have a ton of other holes. There's a reason it's not talked about anywhere but on this board. It doesn't really make sense for either party. And Baltimore's probably already asking for the measurements for his new Purple jersey.

It doesn't matter when Baltimore, who is looked at as a bigger contender than us, is under the cap, wants him desperately, and will offer him the unquestioned Starter role, is in the mix. Even if Beane wanted to pay his price, which I doubt having Cook in house and still being 41m over the cap, he'd still choose Baltimore over us.

I must have misunderstood your post. I took that you were saying what the other poster was, in that if it we can't get one of those top level FA's (and we can't), that we're better off just Drafting. I didn't realize you were simply speaking to WR2 and were open to signing a vet or vets to fill out the core, unlike the other poster I was replying to. My apologies.

I don't understand how you can't grasp this. We WILL be doing that. We have to replace half of our WR core. We'll be Drafting 2 WR's, using our 1st Round Pick to fill our hole at WR2. But to say Draft all 3 of them would be to have 4/6 of our WR Core next year having a combined ZERO reps of Regular Season NFL action. That's entirely too risky. You might be fine with that, but there's no chance Brandon Beane (or any NFL GM) would be cool with having 4/6 of his WR core being complete unknowns at the next level. Having even half of the core with no experience represents the absolute top end of what a GM would do. And Cover 1, @BADOLBILZ, and myself are already calling for that. To your point of Draft and Develop, with the 2 Draft Picks along with Shakir and Shorter - that would represent 4 of our 6 WR's being players that we Drafted and will be developing or have developed already. But we need someone with experience and known production to provide insurance to the unknowns and also provide more productivity in the reserve role than Sherfield or Harty provided. As well as provide someone who can be trusted in the event of injury. Noah Brown or Josh Reynolds aren't "bargain bin". They're a step above that. Neither will come as cheap as Sherfield was and they're better players. Not so much that it's going to hamper us, but not so little that they can be considered "bargain bin". This idea that unless it's a super expensive WR1 or a Draft Pick, it's a waste of resources and is destined to provide nothing is incredibly simple minded. Just bc Sherfield or Harty didn't work out doesn't immediately equate to a Brown or Reynolds being the same. Especially since they're better players. Again, I don't think anyone's suggesting we don't Draft a WR in Round 1. Or that we sign a big ticket FA WR (we really can't). But we can't fill all 3 of our holes at WR with just Draft Picks and have everyone on our WR core not named Diggs or Shakir combining to a total of 0 regular season snaps. It's not a situation of us having to do one thing or the other. Draft 2, sign 1.

I mean, yeah, if we were to see a Safety get picked at 28 - in the moment it would be upsetting. But in this unrealistic scenario where we land the #1 Safety in the Draft and my #5 WR within 2 Rounds - I'd be pretty stoked about that. But I do agree that another WR should be taken with our 4th pick, a DT should be taken earlier than 100 and another at some point as well. I just can't say I totally hate a Draft where we fill holes at Starting WR with Xavier Legette and Starting S with Tyler Nubin.

Legette is becoming perhaps my favorite WR for us not named Brian Thomas Jr. (outside of the 3 that will be long gone). I predict he will be a mid to late 1st Rounder by the end of the Pre-Draft process (if he isn't already amongst league circles). There's zero chance he's there at 60. So landing him and the Best Safety in the Draft in Round 1 and Round 2, in whichever order, would be amazing. Though I'd like to see another WR with our 4th pick (either in Round 4 or as a trade up into Round 3) and a Defensive Lineman higher than Pick 100.

Just taking a look at Spotrac: 2024 - 72.4m under the cap 2025 - 177.7m under the cap 2026 - 376.6m under the cap Granted, there's a large number of bodies that need to be replaced by 2026. But the amount of money they have over the next few seasons is more than enough to keep Chase and Higgins and still build their roster. As I said when we talked about this before, teams don't let important pieces of their roster go unless they don't have a choice. Higgins and Chase together is as important to that team as anything and they don't have to sacrifice either. So why would they?

I gotta agree with @BADOLBILZ on this one. We can do both of what he's suggesting and what you are suggesting. And we should. Even though we kept only 5 WR's last season, the usual number is 6. There was even a year where we kept 7. I suspect we'll be taking the out in Harty's contract. Leaving us with just Diggs, Shakir, and Shorter. Draft the WR2 in Round 1. Most likely Thomas Jr., Franklin, Coleman, or Legette. Draft another in Round 4, maybe even use some of our extra picks to trade back up into Round 3 if there's someone sticking out. But also sign a veteran with experience to go along with the Rookies. As good as the Rookies look in this class, there's no guarantee that they'll hit and hit immediately. You pointed out some great guys in the past number of Drafts. But there's also been the Treylon Burks and Quentin Johnston's of the world in Round 1 in the past 2 Drafts. As good as I feel about some of the guys in the Draft, the entire makeup of our WR core cannot be Diggs, Shakir, and 3 guys who have a combined 0 reps at the Pro Level and a guy like Hamler, who is on his 3rd team in less than a year for a reason. He'll be this year's Andy Isabella. Regardless of what he does in Camp, we can easily get him back on the Practice Squad with the stink he has on him now, just as we did with Isabella. Yes, Harty and Sherfield were underwhelming. But that doesn't mean that any veteran WR that isn't a Superstar is destined to be the same in this Offense. A guy like Brown or Reynolds, who have done good things with lesser QB's, can flourish with Allen and at the very least provide insurance and more reliability at the reserve WR role than we've gotten with Harty and Sherfield. And with the higher than expected bump in Salary Cap, we can do everything you suggested doing with the money when you made this post and still sign a guy like Brown or Reynolds.

I really don't think so. The Bengals whole claim to fame is having a QB like Burrow with not 1, but 2 true #1 WR's. It's what got them to the Super Bowl over Kansas City 3 years ago. If you've got the money to keep that together, and they do, you do that. Take care of the Left Tackle in the Draft, where they'll be picking higher than usual thanks to their lost season without Burrow. At 74 Million under the cap this year, there's absolutely no reason they can't keep them both. Even if it's expensive.

I don't think Cincinnati would have been using a 1st on WR - unless they lost BOTH Higgins and Boyd. They have a suspect OL to begin with and will more likely than not (especially after Franchise Tagging Higgins) be losing their Left Tackle. With Chase in house and retaining either Higgins or Boyd, maybe they'd take one in the Second to replace the other. But I'd suspect the 1st is going to Left Tackle.

Again though, Chase is under a Rookie deal for the next two years. So maybe they front load it for a couple years and then lessen it in Year 3 and put an out in the contract after Year 3.

This is my shocked face. I said it immediately in that ridiculous thread about Buffalo going after him. Don't have to worry about that for two more years. Even if they extend Chase now, surely the next two years will remain the same.

Age, room for growth, and injury history factor into the price of a FA just as much as production - if not more. There's nothing more valuable in FA than a productive player 25 or under coming off their first contract. Burns and Hunter are Edge Rushers. Edge is always going to be more valuable than a DT. And Justin Madabuike is coming off a 13 sack season at the age of 25.

I had a feeling when I saw the news, i'd see you here going wild haha This scenario basically changes us from being 52m over to about 41m over. All the cap prognostications for us were factoring in a bump already. It being a little more than expected didn't take us from where we were to being able to go out and get Tier 1 Day 1 FA's. And the bump happened for everyone. Meaning the teams that are in better shape can now spend more money than they expected on those big FA's. We're still in no position to even attempt to get into bidding wars. Things like Evans, Jones, and Pittman are still a pipe dream. The good news is that it will take less to get us under and we'll be able to afford to fill another hole or two more through FA in the tier of guys we can afford.

I don't think either of them are suggesting we ignore the WR position. On the contrary, I think this list speaks to that. We'll only have a small amount of money to spend. And rather than spend that small amount of money on the type of WR we'd be able to afford in the market to be our #2 - pick up bargain bin guys to fill as many of the 4 starting holes and many depth roles on Defense as they can. Then spend our #1 Draft Pick and maybe other draft picks on guys to help Josh out. There's a way better chance to find impact at that position in Round 1 than it would be to spend what little money we have on what that could get us in the veteran FA market.

The comparison is apples and oranges on SO many different levels. How you can't see it is completely insane to me. On that note, I agree, I don't want to go back and forth on this because it's madness that you think it's remotely comparable on any level. They don't. They, like so many others today, are so in their feels over Kansas City landing him that they're seeing red, ignoring common sense on multiple different levels, and lashing out with hairbrained ideas as to how this injustice could have been avoided (spoiler alert - it couldn't) - in a completely black and white manner, ignoring the MANY shades of grey.