BillsFanForever19

That's a fair opinion to have. But why does that make him "not a team player" and drawing comparisons to Diggs? He's not said anything negative about the team or taken shots at Allen on Twitter (like Diggs did). He just wants to get paid. Like many players on expiring contracts do.

He's also holding Youth Football Camps in Rochester and Buffalo on 7/8 and 7/9. Absolutely insane to compare him to Diggs.

Wow. It's almost as if people who were freaking out and convinced he was going to hold out regular season games were overreacting... He also posted today that he's going to be holding Youth Football Camps in Buffalo and Rochester on 7/8 and 7/9. Which would be an odd thing to do in the backyard of the team you'd be holding out on.

If they believed he was a liability and wasn't ready, they wouldn't have spent a 1st on him. Like any young player, he's going to take his lumps and have to get up to speed with the NFL game. But he has to play to do that. Which won't happen if we sign Alexander to put alongside Benford. Boundary CB isn't a rotational spot like DL. Like we did when we Drafted Elam in Round 1, we took Strong in the 6th as insurance. And signed Tre White as vet insurance for both of them. They've got fallback plans in the event Hairston doesn't look ready. But they aren't just going to relegate him to the bench before they so much as evaluate him in the Pre-Season and Training Camp after spending a 1st on him. It's really simple, if they wanted Alexander to start (which again, he'll have to be given or he won't sign here) they'd have made the move for him and not Drafted Hairston in Round 1, on top of the other things they did. They decided not to deal for him and used the 1st on Hairston instead, when the Draft compensation for Alexander would have been much less than what we spent on Hairston. Now he's a Free Agent. Great. It doesn't change the fact that they already moved on from that idea and filled his potential spot. And on top of all of the other things, we have 2m to our name right now. We don't even have the money to sign our Draft Picks right now and need to come up with even more later to pay the Practice Squad, go from the Top 51 cap figure to 53, and have spending money for the season. Idk how you're also adding a Jaiire Alexander contract on top of that.

There's a reason for that. There's two Starters on the Boundary and one starter in the Nickel. Teams don't have legitimate star quality caliber 4th CB's bc no one like Alexander is signing to be a Backup and you don't spend a 1st Round Pick on a guy to be a Backup before you even get to Training Camp.

You have to cut them first. A 5th Round Pick (Hancock) and the #1 Pick in Round 6 (Strong) are no guarantees to be able to be brought back on the PS. I could easily see one or both scooped up if cut. Even if we were able to get them back, they could be poached at any time on the PS. You're playing with fire releasing Rookies before Late Round 6 or 7. We've never cut a player we've Drafted before Round 6 as a Rookie. I don't see any way that they Drafted both of those guys with no plan in mind and would move on from both. And again, even if I subscribed to that, that would mean we spent a 1st Round Pick on Maxwell Hairston to not really see the field unless there's an injury. Jaiire Alexander isn't signing with a team that he has to "compete" for a Starting job. We'd have to give him the starting gig or he'd sign somewhere else that would guarantee him that.

We may have tried to get him. But we obviously pivoted to spending a 1st Round Pick on Maxwell Hairston and signing Tre White as veteran insurance (not to mention also Drafting Dorian Strong and Jordan Hancock, who may or may not fall under the Safety Depth chart). I think the ship has sailed on whatever our interest in Alexander was. The CB room is crowded now as is. To bring him in would mean Maxwell Hairston would be playing the Kaiir Elam role of 3rd Outside CB that doesn't really see the field outside of injury (and may be a healthy scratch like Elam was for his lack of Special Teams). On top of that, with Benford, Alexander, Hairston, and Taron as locks - that would leave 1 spot (maybe 2) for all of Tre White, Dorian Strong, Ja'Marcus Ingram, and Dane Jackson. Possibly even Jordan Hancock if they decide he's only a Nickel CB.

Yes.

It's funny to me how you're always talking about not wanting to hear about it anymore - yet you're in every James Cook post losing your mind on a daily basis over him and it. Like if it bothers you so much and you hate hearing about it, why do you go out of your way to completely immerse yourself in it? Why do you keep the discourse going? It's really not that big of a deal. It's not effecting the team like you think it is. It's certainly not effecting Beane. Your idea of kicking him to the curb now is a no benefit, all detriment situation. Your discrediting the value of him in our Offense last season and his potential value on the field this season is insane. And your overvaluation of an exclusively Ray Davis & Ty Johnson backfield is even more insane. That would be a huge downgrade and it boggles my mind that you'd rather field a worse Offense this year out of principal or spite.

I'm not convinced that even if we had one of those guys that Beane and McDermott would play them that way. They both came from "RB Committee" central in Carolina. And they've brought that with them. I don't think they subscribe to the "3 Down RB" theory. They've been bringing in different styles of Backs, utilized in different ways, with a specific 3rd Down RB from Day 1. If we uncovered a Derrick Henry style RB, I'd bet they still wouldn't utilize him as an every down RB. They'd probably still take him off the field for someone else depending on situations and to keep him from taking too much damage.

You should look at the little notification above your post. The title of the post was simply "Terron Armstead retires" before OP changed it. And no, I didn't. I just saw the post and thought, "didn't this happen a while ago"? I don't know how clicking on the post or not matters - in the context of the original title I was replying to.

... neither?

This isn't current news. He retired months ago. https://www.nfl.com/news/dolphins-five-time-pro-bowl-lt-terron-armstead-retiring-after-12-nfl-seasons

It will be more than 11m. Josh Jacobs makes 12. Alvin Kamara turns 30 in a month and he makes 12.5. Derrick Henry is only making 15m bc he'll be 32 years old in the Playoffs this season and has had recurring foot problems. Otherwise he'd be making closer to the 21m Saquon Barkley makes. And that's not taking into account the yearly rise in salary cap that results in the yearly rise in salary's. I assure you, James Cook whether it's here or elsewhere, will be signing for more than 11m per.

I don't think anybody expected him to show up for Mandatory Mini-Camp. I don't even really care if he misses the opening of Training Camp either. So long as he gets in enough time to be ready to roll Week 1.

He's listed as a "DB" on the roster, just like Lewis. So technically, we ended last season with 3 Safeties and a "DB", with 5 CB's and an extra "CB" that was just a KR. Lewis fell under the Safety depth chart more than anything. And I think given the even more crowded field at CB than Safety and Hancock's official designation, it's much more likely to me he'll be counted on the Safety depth chart over the CB depth chart, like Lewis was. But I suppose you're right, it's not a guarantee. I just think it's easier to make room for him in the Safety numbers game than it is with the CB numbers game. Benford, Hairston, and Taron are locks. Leaving likely 2, maybe 3 spots for Tre, Strong, Ingram, Jackson, and the rest of the PS/UDFA field.

World Class and the Von Erich boys forever.

It is a little surprising to me that they keep bringing in DT's. We Drafted 2 in the First 4 Rounds, signed Ogunjobi (even tho he's suspended), claimed Casey Rogers on Waivers, and now this. The position i've been waiting to see them bring someone in at and surprised they haven't done anything at is Linebacker. They didn't even bring in any competition for Buffalo Joe or Edefuan Olofoshio. MLB seems particularly thin, as outside of Bernard - there's just Joe and Spector.

A 7th Round Pick by the Houston Texans out of Kansas in 2024. Was cut after Training Camp and Signed to Houston's Practice Squad. Released by Houston and then Signed to the New England Patriots Practice Squad. Released by New England after the Draft. More than likely a Camp Body. We released our only UDFA DT to make room.

One from the field of Hancock and Lewis *is* a lock. The question is which one? Or do both make it? We have to have at least one Backup Nickel, which was Cam last season, doubling as a Safety and being counted on the Safety Depth Chart. Jordan Hancock is being brought in for the same role as a Backup Nickel and Safety. Will he outright replace him in Year 1? Time will tell. While @Bleeding Bills Blue is technically correct that none of them can be called locks (although I agree it's unlikely Hancock is going anywhere) - that doesn't mean it's wide open for a UDFA. Rapp and Bishop will be here. One of Hancock and Lewis will be here. And then there's one more spot for Hamlin (who I don't believe will go from Starter last year to cut until I see it), the loser of the Hancock/Lewis competition, Forrest, and then Owens as a longshot. In my opinion, it will either be Rapp, Bishop, Hamlin, and Hancock or Rapp, Bishop, Hancock, and Lewis. I envision that Forrest and Owens on the outside looking in, in the eyes of Beane and McDermott.

I think you're confusing what you'd like to see with what's likely. If McBeane felt that he provided no value as at least a depth player and he was a "cut after 2 Pre-Season games" candidate, they wouldn't have re-signed him. I think you (and many of the board's) opinion of Hamlin and the teams opinion of Hamlin differ exponentially. You may *want* to see Hamlin off the team, just like everyone wanted him to be replaced in the Starting Lineup last season. But I'll believe that will happen when I see it. Most of the board sees him as a terrible player. McDermott sees him as a player he started all of 2024 and that they brought back when they easily could have let him go. And then they did very little in way of competition for his roster spot. I find it hard to believe they're going to go from him Starting all last season and not being replaced to not even being the 4th Safety and cut. Hancock is Lewis' competition. Forrest is Hamlin's. And again, I'll believe it when I see it that they'd move on from a guy they started all last season for a 1.3m journeyman that they only guaranteed $100k to or an Undrafted Free Agent in Owens.

I don't think that Tiger is changing his stripes.

I don't see Rodgers and Tomlin working out. They're in a tough spot this season and so they've turned to him. But Rodgers is a control freak with a Coach that has total control and won't take sh-t from anyone. This looks like something that has a 1 year life expectancy rate and i'd be really surprised if the two don't butt heads by the end of the season.

That's why I said I don't think he has much of a shot, not that he has no chance. Between possible injuries and surprise off the field issues, it's not impossible for anyone who's at Training Camp to make the Roster. But it's pretty unlikely to me. The number at Safety is almost always 4. As you said, Rapp and Bishop are locks. I also think at least one of Jordan Hancock and Cam Lewis are locks. Both are Backup Safety and Backup Nickel that are listed as Safeties or "DB" falling under the Safety Depth Chart (given the crowded field at CB). Of the 11 5th Round Picks that were selected in the McBeane regime, not a single one were outright cut as a Rookie. The exceptions from those 11 5th Round Picks that didn't make the roster in Year 1 are Vosean Joseph and Justin Shorter, who were "redshirted". I see Hancock brought in as a replacement for Cam Lewis, as both the words of the team and the player say he's playing the exact same role. With Hancock, I see 3 possible scenarios: 1.) He outright replaces Lewis and Lewis is released, saving 1.75m in Cap 2.) Hancock doesn't look ready to take on the role from Lewis, he's "redshirted", and Lewis keeps his spot alongside Rapp, Bishop, and most likely one of Hamlin or Forrest 3.) They like the idea of having 2 guys who can play Safety, Nickel, and Special Teams and keep both Hancock and Lewis as the depth underneath Rapp and Bishop. Ultimately, I see it playing out like this: Rapp and Bishop are locks. For one of the spots, it comes down to Jordan Hancock or Cam Lewis, who double as the Backup Nickel CB. And the other spot comes down to Hamlin or Forrest. I think if the board got their way, Hamlin would be cut. But I think the brass views him MUCH differently. I'll believe it when I see it that they go from Starting him to not even having a place for him as depth. Save for unexpected injuries or off the field things that could bring suspensions or cuts, Owens would have to beat out Hamlin and Forrest and also have the Bills thinking Hancock over Lewis instead of Hancock and Lewis. It's a big ask. UDFA's generally only tend to make it when the depth is poor and they don't have many options, like Buffalo Joe at LB. Safety isn't one of those situations.

I don't see Owens having much of a shot. The problem with Safety isn't Depth. Which is usually what a UDFA makes it on. It's lack of studs at the top. There's hope Bishop can be one of those guys for us and we'll see. But between all of the depth chart from last year returning in Taylor Rapp, Cole Bishop, Damar Hamlin, and Cam Lewis (Backup Nickel and Safety) plus the additions of Derrick Forrest and Jordan Hancock (Backup Nickel and Safety) - we're already going to be cutting a couple from that list alone. Owens would essentially have to beat out 3 of those players above to make it as the last Safety.