BillsFanForever19

Again, Corley looks great. He's a helluva Slot. But he's Slot. Not even an Inside/Outside WR. A TRUE Slot. We have Slot's. But we need an Outside WR. Drafting Corley only removes Shakir or Kincaid from the field and leaves the hole vacated from Gabe Davis remaining on the Outside. As high as Steve Smith was on him, even he said you can't expect to take him from his practically exclusive Slot usage in a small college and stick him Outside in the NFL. Thomas Jr., Franklin, and Coleman are fits for us. Corley is not.

Before listening to Beane's press conference at the Combine, I'd have agreed that Douglas belonged on the "certain to almost certain" list. However, hearing his reply to the question of him being extended at the end of his presser - I no longer think that's the case.

Like I said, I haven't watched his focused review on him that he posted yesterday. But that's a big differential in opinion to go from what Smith said about him in his first quick review of WR's to his focused breakdown. He just started doing these. I'll be interested to see if he stays in his Top 5 when he's done with all of them. I agree that our focus should clearly be on getting a WR in Round 1. There isn't a mock I've done that has me taking anything but WR if any of the Top 6 guys I've identified as sure fire 1st Rounders are available. However.... With Higgins and Pittman being Franchised and say Mike Evans is Franchised or retained (which is a likely possibility). And then others from the next group of guys are retained - we could be in a situation where teams turn to Round 1 to address WR that weren't expecting to. In that situation, if 3 WR's go between MHJ, Odunze, and Nabers being picked and when we pick (likely 20+ picks) and we aren't able to move up from lack of a partner and/or them going way higher than expected. And they have the next highest graded WR being a 2nd Round Grade and a large cluster of other WR's that grade out similarly. AND there's a Defensive Lineman sticking out on the board like a sore thumb at a position of need that should have gone in the first 15-20 picks or so like a Byron Murphy.... I think we'd be doing ourselves a disservice to take the 7th WR off the board there simply for the sake of taking a WR in Round 1 and not upsetting people in the moment. Though if that were to happen, I would hope he would know he'd be able to move up from 60 and would look to do so to get a guy they like from the next cluster of graded WR's. It's a very specific scenario and one that I'm not rooting for. But it's just to say that even those of us who want a WR in Round 1 shouldn't be closed off to specific situations where going DL in Round 1 is the right option.

Hey, I agreed with you on Morse and one of your last WR core posts 😜 I only disagree with the extreme and the unlikely. And that's 99.9% of your posts. If you look earlier in this thread, you'll see I was having to defend even using so much as a 6th on a RB. I'm not saying don't Draft one at all. But it is an INCREDIBLY devalued position. One where every year, late round picks, Undrafted guys, and league minimum players dominate the league. Those first 3 picks are gold. We're going to have to rely on them to fill holes we are unable to do in FA. Likely we'll be looking for another Starter or someone like a DT3, which gets a huge amount of reps in rotation. RB is a luxury pick in general. Doubly so when you have a Pro Bowl starter already. Cannot and will not be using a pick that high on a secondary RB. Taking a RB that high would justifiably be having this board saying "what the hell are we doing?". And if we were to go a little higher with a RB than I expected, it wouldn't be for another speed, finesse guy. It would be for someone like Braelon Allen at 245 lbs.

That sounds like a quote that would take McDermott from 6 to Midnight. If he comes into their meeting with a Notebook, we might need a medic on standby for clappy.

Spending anything earlier than a mid Day 3 pick at RB is crazy talk.

I don't mind retaining Harty with Beane's proposed restructure. Cutting him would save 3.2m and he proposed a restructure that would save us 2.2m. So you're essentially paying a million to have a guy here who will have a year of development with Josh and you're not really relying on him as anything but depth at a depth price. An extra year in the system could show growth, he has great speed, and is a good Return guy. Worst case scenario, he's your 5th or 6th WR (who hardly sees the field), returns kicks for you, and costs you just a million. Best case being Josh and him develop a chemistry in Year 2 together that wasn't there in Year 1. But if we're doing that and honestly even if we're NOT doing that - I don't see the logic in retaining Sherfield. I would MUCH rather sign a different WR in FA or Draft a guy in the mid rounds for that role. But at least he still has Round 1 WR on his list. I know you want MASSIVE changes everywhere and a WR in Round 1 AND Round 2 - but I don't see that as a realistic possibility. Like I said before, the most you're going to see is a Round 1 WR, a mid tier FA, and a high Day 3 Draft Pick with an outside chance of moving back into the bottom of Round 3 after we've spent 2 other picks in between at other positions. And even that opinion of mine is considered extreme in comparison to what Buscaglia and others see as happening.

Yeah, any time I hear "body catcher" - it turns me off big time. Hands are one of the first things that comes out of Beane's mouth when discussing what he looks for first in a WR. It just added to the list of things that has me out on Xavier Worthy as a potential Bills prospect. And hearing him say of Mitchell "90% Body Catcher" - oof! But I haven't watched his focused breakdown of Mitchell yet, so maybe that percentage changed with more film.

I mean, there's a big difference between getting a 3rd straight up vs. getting a 3rd when you're giving them a player AND a 5th. Ramsey was also costing a LOT more money and cap space in the future and removing a lot of cap from the trading team, which factors into compensation. A 3rd for Douglas and a 5th is the price we paid. There was at least one other team in on him when we did. Offseason or Midseason, I don't think the price would drop too terribly much. But whatever we can get, I'd much rather see us get some kind of return as giving up a 3rd for just a half of a season of play is a little rough.

I laughed every time someone suggested Pittman leaving Indianapolis. He's a 26 year old star #1 WR, with a good bill of health, that was their Rookie QB's go to guy as he's developing, and Indianapolis is 74m under the cap. Much like Tee Higgins before Jim, it was a no brainer to me he'd be Franchised. In a vacuum, it's good for people who are afraid we'll re-sign Gabe Davis. But the reality is that anytime a FA WR is taken off the market, it not only drives up Davis' price, it drives up the price of any WR left. This makes guys like Hollywood Brown or Odell Beckham Jr. go from an outside chance to an impossibility as they'll be the top options available and will become too overpaid for our price range. And it may make that next level of guys like Curtis Samuel too expensive as well. It also makes more teams looking at WR turn to the Draft, which will make it probably impossible for us to get a guy like Brian Thomas Jr. and have to Trade up for the 5th WR off the board instead of them falling to us. So in the long run, it's not a good thing for us.

That was from a quick rundown he did on a number of guys. But yeah, he wasn't kind to Walker and he was brutal to Johnny Wilson:

So I just went back and re-watched it and, yeah, it was kind of an odd standoffish, telling response from Beane. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Unless: a.) They've talked to him and his agent and he's not interested in doing an extension, wants to test his market next season, and it's the full hit or nothing. b.) They know Tre White is going to be back by Training Camp, they feel comfortable it's not going to hamper him, and he's open to a non-guaranteed extension. c.) They truly feel that Elam was really hampered by his injury last season and it appears they do as Beane brings it up constantly. They truly feel John Butler was really doing him a disservice with his coaching and how he treated him. Reportedly, he wasn't a fan of Kaiir and if you're a young player that has a bad relationship with your coach - I imagine that will mess up your development. And ultimately, that they truly feel that what we saw in the Pittsburgh game is something he can do consistently, if healthy. If all of those things are true, then I can understand where Beane is coming from. I would hope they'd bring back Dane Jackson to go with Tre, Benford, and Elam to provide even more insurance. I imagine he will be and fairly close to minimum. It's tough for me to see him go as I think he and Benford are CLEARLY the safest top 2 CB's on the team. But I've always felt that keeping 3 very good starting Outside CB's in Douglas, Benford, and White on the squad at the same time didn't make sense to me - in the situation we're in cap wise and the amount of starting holes we have at other positions. I would hope though that if this is the plan, that they're able to trade him rather than just cut him. I know we got a 5th back - but we did give up a 3rd Round pick for him. If you could trade the 5th you got for him with him and get a 3rd back, then it was essentially a rental. Not getting anything in return and losing a 3rd (even with a 5th return) just for half a season - that's a little steep. Maybe he becomes a player that is moved on Draft Day as part of a trade?

Steve Smith was not kind to Devontez Walker. But he absolutely DESTROYED Johnny Wilson! Smith: 6'7" 237 lbs - he is not a good multitasker. That boy can't chew gum and tie his shoes at the same time. You hear this about a lot of people; "he's a freak".... I mean, maybe at night But it ain't on the Football field! I'm just telling ya.

I'd expect Harty to go, but not Hines. Beane's said he has him in his plans for this season. Hines has said he's going to be here. Seems fairly obvious that Beane told him he'd give him a shot this year if he didn't make an issue with the NFLPA over us being able to clear some cap space by not paying him much of anything. And ultimately, what sense does it make for us to have kept him around and paid him anything last season when we could have just cut him right then and there to turn around and cut him now? He's going to be here in Training Camp. And I'm sure he'll have his figure reduced. But if you're waiting for him to show up on a Released list anytime soon, you're in for a let down.

Hey, now you're cooking with your feet on the ground, WarriorSpikes! Curtis Samuel to me is the top end of something we can feasibly do in FA. Take him, put him with Diggs, a 1st Round Pick, and a double down later - to go with Shakir and Kincaid and we got something. Diggs (Round 1 or Trade up from Round 2) Shakir (Slot) Samuel (or likewise FA) (Round 4 - Possible trade up into 3) Shorter That's how I see it playing out this year.

Yeah, but we won't be replacing Diggs this year. And we have to replace Davis this year. So..... ? And with the way Beane talked about not wanting big dead cap hits, it's not a guarantee he'll want to get rid of Diggs next year either. Especially if, finally given a quality WR opposite him that can roll less coverage his way, he has a really good season. Worthy is going to cost at least a mid 2nd Round Pick, if not our 1st. And we'll be using that to fill the hole at WR2 this season. Not a potential hole at WR1 next season. At most I see us grabbing a guy to replace Davis in Round 1 and then doubling down in mid Rounds to bolster our core to a point where if we do have to move on from Diggs next year, we hopefully have two solid guys for the future. And if he has to next season and both guys don't work out, we'll Draft another guy in 2025 for that role or sign a guy when we're actually in halfway decent shape cap wise. But I don't see a scenario where Beane is focusing on replacing Diggs this season. I don't believe he's sure he's going to right now. I see the best case scenario for WR in the Draft being 1 in Round 1 and another at the bottom of Round 3 or top of Round 4, in a trade up from 4. I don't see him doing 2 in the first 3 picks and I really don't see 2 in the first 2 picks. And maybe they do line up Diggs in the slot a little more. But he's going to be on the perimeter WAY more often than not. We have two very good slots in Shakir and Kincaid. We don't have the Outside guys to take one of them off the field and stick someone else on the Outside.

Yet your guy is Xavier Worthy?

I don't think he will be either. But it does show that they are doing their homework on 1st Round Defensive Lineman prospects with the amount of meetings we're allocated to.

First player to say he's met with the Bills and it's a 1st Round DT

He's a True Slot WR. Even Steve Smith who was raving about him said "you don't take him from what he was doing in College and expect to stick him Outside". So with that said, what sense does it make to take a player that would be removing Khalil Shakir or Dalton Kincaid from the field when we're specifically looking for a guy to replace Gabe Davis on the boundary? Malachi Corley doesn't do that. Draft him and you still have the hole on the Outside we're specifically Drafting a WR to fill.

You can read a million different things into anything someone says. And many posters on the board always read more into what's said than what they're actually simply saying. Personally, I take that as face value. A humble guy being humble. He realizes his age and his cost. And that they approach him on a yearly basis to play with his contract. He's a guy who doesn't take things for granted. So when he was asked if he'll be back, he simply said that he'd love to if they'll have him. Players often say a version of "that's not up to me" when asked that question. It's the truth. Yet people love to take it as "he must know his job isn't safe" or in Diggs' case "oh, he doesn't want to be here". It's a really standard answer that simply means what it means. He said he wants to be here. Beane says the OL is in the best shape it's been since he got here and raves about it. And any OL coach will tell you, continuity is one of the most important things in a successful OL. Change one piece and you change the flow of how the unit plays off itself in terms of compatibility and comfort. We don't know what Beane will do with anything until they do it. But listening to Beane rave about the OL, knowing that continuity is extremely important to that, Morse was not a liability last season, that he wants to be here, and has always been amenable to do things with his contract to help - I see it as incredibly unlikely he's outright cut. It would take him or his agent saying "I will not do anything to my contract, you pay me or cut me" for that to be considered IMO. And given where he is in his career and what he'd be looking at if he were to be cut, I don't see any way that happens.

I'm saying they can't in terms of where we're at and what we need to do. Can they physically do it? Sure. They could spend all their money on One guy and put 4th through 7th Round guys to Undrafted guys on the field to start. But that's not something an NFL GM is going to do. Especially one as judicious as Brandon Beane. Playing the "can't" as a strictly possible v. impossible is a really moot point. It's black and white while ignoring the many, MANY shades of grey that go into decisions. When I say they "can't" - I'm taking everything into account. Where we're at financially and roster wise, what the move would entail in ramifications across the board, what he says, and how he performs as a GM.

No, they can't. Or at the very least, they won't. If you want to look at some mid tier guys or guys who will be a little expensive, sure. But the guys I mentioned - even if we did pay them less in Year 1 and went more in on bonuses - you're still looking at a Year 1 hit that is more than we can afford. Maybe 10 mil instead of the 25m annually that a Mike Evans is expected to yield. If you're getting your hopes up for a Mike Evans, Chris Jones, Brian Burns type - you're in for a let down. He's already said that we "won't be shopping at Tiffany's" and that it's going to be "the same sort of stores we went to last year". As I said, we can get some guys and we will. But the Day 1, Big Splash, Bidding War types? They aren't happening. They're pipe dreams. The cap can be finessed and it will be. But we still have FAR too many bodies to fill to yield a complete roster to go crazy on one player at any one position.

Yeah, I don't see Morse being cut. I'm sure they'll approach him to do something to get his number down and I'm sure he'll be open to it, just like he was last season. But Beane on multiple occasions with different interviews mentioned that he was thrilled with the OL last season and that he felt it was the best he's had there since he's been here. I don't think he wants to mess with that continuity in any way this season. Maybe he Drafts a guy in the mid rounds with an eye towards next year. But with the way he talked, I'd be very surprised if he changed the Starting 5 at all. One thing that people don't take into account when discussing Douglas' age is the fact that he was a very late bloomer. He didn't become the Douglas he is today until the past couple seasons. And he spent a good number of years before then as a Reserve or Practice Squad guy, not getting much or any usage there. Thus negating wear and tear. There's always the concern that as he really gets up there in age that he'll have a more natural loss of step. But he's not the standard 30 year old player.