BillsFanForever19

I mean, that's your opinion and you're entitled to it. But considering they just gave him an extension, he's not going anywhere.

Anyone who thinks Taiwan Jones could be replaced after McDermott specifically protected him by sitting him all Pre-Season is kidding themselves. That never happens for a healthy player who is remotely on the bubble.

Benford is a lock. He started the game last week and played very early in the 2nd game. Hodgins probably makes the team since they seem to be comfortable with McKenzie and Shakir on returns and Austin never got any return opportunities. That frees up a spot at WR. But either he or Kumerow would be released if Odell Beckham Jr. were to choose Buffalo. But I definitely disagree with the idea that Blackshear would "never" make it to the Practice Squad. UDFA RB's who perform well late in Pre-Season games are a dime a dozen. I don't see him being scooped up by another team for their 53 man roster. McDermott and Beane have always carried 3 RB's (Singletary, Cook, and Moss), a Special Teams "RB" (Jones), and a FB (Gilliam). And of that lineup, McDermott has always only dressed 2 true RB's on Game Day. The 3rd (whether it was Matt Breida or TJ Yeldon before him) wouldn't dress unless there was an injury or replacing a RB for poor play. That roster spot will go to CB Cam Lewis (especially if White is going to miss time), TE Tommy Sweeney (if we're going to run 2 TE sets, we need to carry at least 3 TE's), or DT Brandin Bryant (we carried 11 DL to the 53 last season. Maybe we carry 1 less, but 2 is pushing it IMO). I see no way all 3 of those players aren't here in favor of a 4th RB when McDermott doesn't use a 3rd unless of emergency. He'll take the place of Antonio Williams on the Practice Squad.

They've protected Taiwan Jones both games and Tyler Matakevitch and Siran Neal also sat yesterday. So there's 3 ST Core locks. Found it interesting that they didn't do the same for Kumerow and had Hodgins doing some Special Teams work. I've thought of Kumerow as a lock there after they gave him a new contract. But maybe not depending on how Hodgins has looked to them in Practice, yesterday, and on Friday at Special Teams.

Led a team to an NFC Championship game, has been the starting QB for two different teams, and has 62 starts under his belt. Guy had one bad outing with backup players and everyone wrote him off. He's a more than solid NFL backup.

Not gonna happen. Taiwan Jones was a protected from injury key veteran player last week and again today. Regardless of how anyone feels about him on this board, he's highly valued by McDermott. Even if someone were to do that, we wouldn't carry another RB. His roster spot would just be added on to whatever position the replacing Special Teams player is listed as. You're not replacing a core Special Teamer with anything else but another core Special Teams player. People need to stop thinking of him as taking a RB spot.

Yeah, you can. He's an Undrafted Free Agent playing well against other Undrafted and Practice Squad players. You see guys like that across the league in Pre-Season. Highly doubt he's going to get signed to someone's 53 man roster. If he does, good for him. But we only keep 3 RB's on the 53 (plus a Fullback and Taiwan Jones who is core Special Teams and a RB in name only). Regardless of how he's looked - you're not keeping him over Devin Singletary, James Cook, or Zack Moss. He'll replace Antonio Williams on the Practice Squad.

They were in instant replay going over the previous play when the Punter hit the field and I thought "if Araiza comes out, the crowd is going to cheer. If Haack comes out, I'll hear boos". Soon as I heard the boos, I knew what was up. I don't get it. He's a veteran. You don't need to show him off for the rest of the league. They know what they're getting with him if he's out there.

All the Case Keenum over reactors ready to get off the ledge now?

Araiza continuing to exclusively hold throughout the Preseason wraps up the Punter competition in my eyes, if it was even a question at this point.

Okay, that's all we need to see from Josh and the 1's on offense. Sit em down now.

Considering the contract for Howard was for 3.5 million with 3.2 million guaranteed and regardless of how Sweeney has looked in Training Camp, we know what he's shown in regular season games for years - I'd be hard pressed to give up on Howard before we see how he performs in the regular season.

Lol how? They deemed him no greater than the 8th best WR and straight out cut him. How is that even a debate?

You're missing the point. The point isn't that Practice Squad players are worthless and not worth trying to develop. The point is - that if he was as valuable to them as many make him out to be - he wouldn't have been cut from a roster that included 7 WR's making the 53. They wouldn't have risked losing him. They were okay with that happening. That doesn't scream patience and investment. You say JAG. McDermott and Beane say Special Teams core player who not only made the squad last season for his play there, but was deemed worthy enough to be given a new contract before the start of Free Agency. And I'll give you one guess who's opinion actually matters. If they shared your opinion that he was so replaceable and anyone could do it, they'd have just let him walk and spent the money on someone else for the role.

No NFL player is going to say no to an active roster spot to stay on a Practice Squad. No NFL Team is going to subject a player to waivers that they heavily value. You keep the guys you want on your roster. You cut the ones you can afford to go without. Isaiah Hodgins was the latter last season.

Considering that you a.) Have to release the player and subject them to waivers and then b.) Are placing them in a position to be signed to anyone's active roster at any given time - I wouldn't exactly call that being heavily invested in someone or being patient with a player. Patient to me would be protecting them by giving them a spot on the 53. They flat out cut him.

Let's think here - last season we carried 7 WR's on the roster. We usually keep 6 and the extra spot was for Kumerow's ST's. Even if we were to try to squeeze in OBJ as part of 6 man squad and you want to keep Crowder - Diggs, Davis, McKenzie, Shakir, and Crowder make up only 5. Surely, you wouldn't pass on OBJ for Tavon Austin, Isiah Hodgins, or Marquez Stevenson, right? And you could even keep one of them on the roster until OBJ is ready in November. I don't see it remotely blowing up anything.

We've been patient with him? You are aware we released him last season after Training Camp and he was only here on the Practice Squad, meaning anyone could have claimed him at any time - right?

As a Special Teams player? Because he made the squad for that last season. He was the 7th WR on a roster that always kept 6 max for that reason. If they felt he was so replaceable there, the Bills would have just let him walk after last season. Instead, they gave him a new contract. I get the feeling you're once again referring to his play as a WR and completely disregarding Special Teams. To your end of arguing for bottom of the roster WR's who won't be active on Game Day over core Special Teams players.

Yes, but you are making the assumption that Hodgins is as good at Special Teams or there's another player on the team at another position that is. This mentality is demeaning to our core Special Teams players. Comes across as "anyone can do it". And not just anyone can do it and do it well.

To the fans/majority of the posters on this board? They're worthless. If you don't provide anything beyond Special Teams prowess - you're just wasting roster spots that could be used on another WR or RB that won't even be active on Game Day. To Sean McDermott? An integral part of his teams. So much so that Taiwan Jones and Tyler Matakevitch were amongst the protected vets that were inactive yesterday. He's often gone on record to say that if you value what else ST'ers provide over what they provide on ST's, that you're going to short change your ST's and that's how you get burned. I'll give you one guess who's opinion matters. Side Note: I find it a weird dichotomy that posters are of the mind that anyone can play Special Teams and advocate for their being cut for bottom of the roster skill position players on a yearly basis while also worshipping Steve Tasker.

Need to see him with the 2's to start the game before we say he "MUST" be kept. He looked good against the UDFA's of the Colts. But these are people who may or may not even make a Practice Squad somewhere.

Not gonna happen. He's like Taiwan Jones. He's technically listed as a WR, but he's really a core Special Teams player. He was our 7th "WR" on the roster last season when we normally keep 6 simply for ST. I'd expect the same this season. If he wasn't here, we'd probably just keep 6 WR's and carry an extra player at another spot for their ST's. Really has no factor on the WR decisions.

I think Keenum is a better QB than how he looked today. But that's not the point. The point is Fitz is turning 40 years old and retired coming off surgery for dislocating his hip. That's an insanely brutal injury for a 40 year old to come back from and surely led to his retirement.

He's retired and for good reason.