BillsFanForever19

We have 10.6m total in cap space right now for 2025. On top of Amari Cooper and Rasul Douglas (and all the core members I listed that we have to get a jump on before they're all FA's the following year), we have 13 other Free Agents from our 53 that will need to be brought back or replaced. Giving 10m to Garrett is going to keep us from bringing back core members of our team next year and/or the following year. It would make it very hard to bring Amari Cooper back. I'm not interested in that and I don't think Beane would be either. Make moves like the Cooper deal that improve us now and don't make it harder on us to retain guys like Cooper, Douglas, Benford, Shakir, Rousseau, Cook, and Bernard.

For the guys who are UFA's after this year, it's clearly Cooper over Douglas. Benford is CB1, Taron is a top Nickel, and Ingram has played well. I think we could go with a cheaper vet that McDermott thinks would fit his system well and/or a Draft Pick there and make it work. However, without Cooper (or a similar level #1), we're back to where we were without him. He needs to come back or we need to find a Cooper level replacement. And as we saw this year, we don't want to go to the Draft for that. You can't rely on a Rookie (especially where we're picking) to be a stud from day 1 at WR. I somewhat agree on Cook. I think when it comes down to the list of core guys we need to retain off their Rookie deal, he's probably the biggest candidate when it comes to letting someone walk. And you don't want to be tying up large amounts of cap on a Running Back. However, over the past two seasons, he has really been an invaluable weapon for us. It's also hard to find that level of shiftiness just anywhere. We spent years with Singletary, Moss, and other RB's trying to find someone like him. If Davis continues to grow and ball, perhaps he can be the main guy. But we'd still need to hit on another Draft Pick that compliments him well in Cook's style. Rousseau, Shakir, and Benford MUST be extended, IMO. Not even a question to me and the sooner the better. And with so many coming up in 2025, we're going to want to do at least a couple this coming offseason to spread them out and so we don't have to worry about all of them at once. Shakir is great, but I don't think it's a matter of Shakir or Cooper. You need them both (or, again, a #1 similar to Cooper). Bernard.... I don't know. I really like him when he's playing. But he's been going down a LOT. If it's just bad luck and he stays relatively healthy for the rest of this season and the next, then yes, i'd want him back. But i'd definitely wait until next year before I worried about him. But the point remains the same. We've got to do too much this coming offseason and the next to be tying up any money in 2025 or 2026 on a trade.

Ankou is more of a 1-Tech at 325 lbs. I'd doubt he'd be called upon for that role. I'd assume it's Branson Deen.

It's 806k guaranteed this season and the following years are not guaranteed. But to keep him beyond that, the guarantees in 2025 and 2026 are not "quite low" Which is the problem for us with a Garrett trade. The cost for the Browns to give him up and eat all that Dead Cap is going to be very high, as you suggested. Way beyond what we would pay for someone to have for half a year and then cut them to get out from the guarantees in 2025 and 2026. And when it comes to this coming offseason, we need to either re-sign Amari Cooper and Rasul Douglas or be able to come up with a similar caliber starting WR and starting CB. Not only that, but we're going to need to replace many key depth players (as we sign a lot of 1 year deals) and get a head start on extending the insane amount of core players coming off their Rookie deals the following year. Greg Rousseau, Christian Benford, James Cook, Khalil Shakir, and Christian Benford are all unrestricted after next season. Long story short, yes, he's basically free to have and get out from under after this year. But we're not going to pay what it would take in compensation to acquire him for just this year. And to take him on beyond this year would cost us multiple players next offseason. That's why I don't think Beane will even consider someone who's under contract beyond this season and/or requires a lot in compensation. We'll be looking at guys on the last year of their deal, one year rentals for cheap compensation - much like the Cooper trade.

I don't know how my saying someone hasn't been a liability and has been fine is construed as me singing their praises. There's a large area between saying someone is trash and needs to be replaced and saying someone is great. I'm saying thus far neither is true. Among the fanbase, sure. But among the decision makers? I don't know. Hamlin ended up starting almost by default after the injuries to Bishop and Edwards causing them to miss the entire offseason and his own strong offseason. And further additions in Kareem Jackson and Lewis Cine having between no time at all or very little time to learn the playbook and practice time to gel with the Defense. Entering Week 8, they're all presumably up to speed now. Prevailing thought was Hamlin would be a liability and it was just a matter of time before one of them (most likely Edwards) would take over. That hasn't happened. Which to me speaks more to them being pleased with Hamlin's performance rather than everyone underneath him being atrocious. While I wouldn't be against someone like Budda coming in - I don't think they're "searching" for more. It seems to me they like Hamlin and if he turns into a pumpkin like many expect, that they'd sooner turn to an Edwards, Bishop, or Jackson.

Hamlin is not playing at a liability level. He's not viewed by the powers that be as remotely the problem fans view him. He's been fine at FS. His 2 INT's through 7 games match the total combined INT's from Hyde and Poyer combined through the entire 2023 campaign. Is Budda Baker a better player? Unquestionably. But he'd have to learn a complicated system on the fly, which narrows the margin. And when we make a Trade, it's because the position group is underperforming and/or the cupboard is bare at the position and the upgrade is a need. I don't see them viewing Safety as that situation. And if they did, we have a lot in house. Cole Bishop and Mike Edwards have to be up to speed by now after missing the entire Training Camp and Pre-Season. The Practice Squad includes Kareem Jackson (a long term starting veteran) and Lewis Cine (a former 1st Round Pick and Starter). Like Bishop and Edwards, they missed most, or all in Cine's case, of Training Camp and the Pre-Season by signing with us late. But by now, they're probably up to speed. If Hamlin starts to show as a liability, we have no shortage of guys who have been here and know the system that could be plugged in and potentially provide more.

If it comes down to only being able to retain one of Cooper or Douglas - it's Cooper and it's not even a question. But I would hope we can get them both done. If not, Ingram has shown some promise. And Elam will have one more chance with the team, if we don't trade him. I think we'd roll with them, sign a Cheaper vet that McDermott thinks he can make work, and then Draft someone. Depending on how negotiations with Benford are going in the early stages will determine how high that selection would be.

When it comes to the trade deadline, if we're to acquire someone for a push, it should be someone who is on a one year deal or nothing guaranteed beyond this season. After this year, we're either going to need to re-sign Amari Cooper and Rasul Douglas or find a new WR1 and CB1. We're also probably going to want to extend at least one, if not more, of the many successful Draft Picks from the 2022 Draft. As James Cook, Khalil Shakir, Terrel Bernard and Christian Benford will all be unrestricted after next season. As will Greg Rousseau at the same time after using our 5th year option on him. I'm not against trading for someone who can help us now and won't cost us anything after this year (which is a big part of why Cooper got done instead of others IMO). But we've got way too many pieces of our core coming up to commit any money for next season. As it is, we're probably not going to be able to retain all 7 of those players over the next two offseasons. Having to say goodbye to even more of that core than we're already going to have to do doesn't seem to be in Beane's MO - and rightfully so.

If you're referring to the last game, you have to keep in mind that the Titans, although a losing team - have one of THE best Defenses in Football. So I equate our slow start there with having to adjust the game plan to what we saw they were doing. One way to look at it is that they sometimes start slow. The other way to look at it is that the coaching staff does a very good job of switching up plans mid game to counteract what isn't working.

On top of the cost in compensation is the cost of keeping him beyond this year. There's no way we'd pay even close to that for a 1 year rental and no way Cleveland would trade him and eat that much Dead Cap for what we'd like to pay in compensation for a 1 year rental. And that money that we'd have to pay him would cost us any opportunity to re-sign Amari Cooper.

This is a joke, right?

I wouldn't read anything into that at all. McAfee and crew have that "I'm just f-cking with you" sense of humor and Beane enjoys their brand and plays into it. It's way more likely than not them just going "oh, the audience knows we're talking to you and we're muted - lets act like you just said something crazy. People will go nuts". Hell, it wouldn't even shock me if Beane himself thought of the idea. This is the exact kind of reaction they wanted and almost assuredly manufactured it for the lolz.

... how do you figure? We would have had to trade above 23 to get BTJ. Which would have been damn near impossible to pull off with no Round 3 Pick and not using a 2nd Round Pick which we'd need to get Keon as well. Even if we could get a package together that way that would fit the trade value for Pick 22 - we'd then need to put together ANOTHER package to get from 60 to the top of Round 2 to get Coleman. Considering Ja'Lynn Polk went at 37 and Keon Coleman was their first choice and we don't know that LA would have still taken McConkey at 34 if Coleman were still there, we'd probably have to get to the very top where we took him to insure it. And the cost to move from 60 to 33 is even more than moving from 28 to 22. To pull that off would be a total fantasy style trade that would require giving up pretty much all of this Draft (as Round 4 and later picks don't move the needle much in terms of value for people moving in Rounds 1 and 2) and multiple picks in the 2025 Draft - including top picks. Even if we were inclined to do that, which he most assuredly wouldn't, the most important part of these scenarios is finding someone who is willing to move down. Trade up's are always talked about as if once you meet the Trade Value, it's a done deal. The biggest hurdle is getting someone to not just stand pat and take their guy. Which is what teams WAY more often than not just do. And then even if through some crazy stroke of uncharacteristic actions of Beane and other GM's, we were able to pull this off - we wouldn't have Cole Bishop, DeWayne Carter, Ray Davis, and Sedrick Van Pran-Granger for sure (probably others as well). Plus, whomever we'll end up taking with the myriad of 2025 picks we'd need to use wouldn't be here next year either. And on top of that, with us moving so many picks to get BTJ and Coleman, ain't no way we'd be giving up a 3rd (if we even had one) to acquire Amari Cooper. All of this to say "we could have" isn't even close to realistic and with the players we'd be giving up to do it, debatably not wise.

Don't look now, but Damar Hamlin has matched Hyde and Poyer's combined INT total from all of last season through 7 games.

So the call was changed from a completed catch to a completed catch with a fumble that went out of bounds. So we retained possession but since the review resulted in the call on the field being changed - it was deemed a successful challenge and thus they weren't charged a Time Out.

He's getting used to how Josh throws, head is probably spinning with what he's supposed to be doing play to play - even motioned that he didn't know the call on the TD. Give him a little time to get comfortable with everything and I think he'll be better with the hands.

Considering they brought in a number of Kickers to try out, signed one to the Practice Squad, and we're looking at another next week - I wouldn't say he's in his circle of trust right now. The problem is, and the reason why he's still here (besides the contract), is there isn't a better option available in the market. Even the guy we're bringing in next week for a look just got cut from the Packers recently after going 12 for 17. And the guy we just signed to the Practice Squad went 15 for 20 and missed 3 XP's last season. If there were good Kickers available on the market right now, you wouldn't see so many bad Kickers (like Bass) employed league wide.

He was just released by the Packers in favor of Brandon McManus. He went 12 for 17 for them before bringing in McManus to replace him.

The thing i'm seeing with Keon as a Rookie is that it seems he has one bad play and then he makes up for it with a number of good plays. It reminds me of James Cook as a Rookie. Hopefully he kicks that like James did.

What I said about starting someone with just mental reps was that he's never going to start someone Year 1 with the team, defensive scheme, and playbook. Bernard, even though missing time with injuries that year, didn't miss the *entire* offseason and more importantly, had a full year with the coaches and the defensive scheme before it.

I keep seeing this referenced and it's not entirely accurate. Hamlin didn't "beat out Edwards". Hamlin got the job basically by default. Cole Bishop and Mike Edwards were injured for all of Training Camp and the Pre-Season. McDermott is not going to start someone who is in their first year with the team on mental reps alone. In the meantime, Hamlin looked very good during Training Camp. So he ended up starting. This is also true. Is Hamlin a stud? No. But has he cost us games and had a number of horrifically bad plays? No. He's been a perfectly average Safety for us. After last season, fans had it in their heads that he should be cut and that he's terrible. So now that he's starting, even though he hasn't done anything to lose the job he got - fans believe that he's performing terribly bc he's not popping off the screen with multiple INT's. It's not the case. And that really compounds the issue. Bc McDermott isn't going to supplant a Starter unless a.) It's a clear massive upgrade - and I get the feeling that with him only seeing 1 snap when Rapp was down, McDermott doesn't see him as one or b.) He's performed inadequately to deserve to lose the job - which to date, he really hasn't.

That's exactly who I was about to bring up. Mike Edwards is this years Poona Ford. Someone who was expected to be more but just didn't live up to expectations with McDermott. Not so bad that we'd cut him. But not cracking the starting lineup unless there's multiple injuries. If that's the case, they aren't following it bc when Rapp was out, we rolled with Bishop and Hamlin. Bishop, like Rapp, may be interchangeable as well. I'd expect if Hamlin went down - they'd roll with Bishop and Rapp. It seems Edwards is firmly planted as the 4th Safety, at best.

I didn't watch the game yesterday, but the way some of you are talking, I had to look up what he did. 5 receptions on 6 targets for 50 yards against a putrid Saints team in a 33-10 route. Yeah... I mean he could continue to improve and turn into a very good WR. But I don't know how we're taking that statline as any kind of "I told you so".

Oh thank god. I thought this was another "we should trade (this player) - what do you think their worth?" thread.

Seriously. "I'm going to go tell something to my child that's going to upset him.... ooh, let me grab my phone and make sure I record his reaction so I can exploit his sadness for clicks" Real solid stuff, "Dad"