Ed_Formerly_of_Roch

He's shown too much to slip through and come back to the Bills on the cheap like last season.

I voted 0 to 25%, but after I voted, thought about it some more. With Roberts gone, maybe he makes it as the return man? They haven't yet signed anyone for that role, McKenzie not signed, so maybe that's the Bills plan. Then also let him play some as a RB too if one of the other two gets hurt during the game or even as a change of pace to the other two. My fear would be giving the job to a guy who's never returned kicks in an NFL. Don't know much of anything about Rugby, maybe that's something as a former rugby player, he's done that for years in some equivalent part of the game. Punts would be the dangerous part where you have guys bearing down on you from all directions and not lose concentration on making the catch first. But maybe that's a normal part of rugby? If that is the Bills plan at all, likely too they have had him return a boatload of kicks in practice too.

Would it really matter. Sure the Bills would have another $20 mil left to spent, but so would every other team too. Plus likely all the deals already made were based on a compressed cap so deals were a little bit less. Likely of the deals the Bills already made, under a normal cap may have cost them an extra 10 to 20% so maybe at this point they would have still had $15 mil left, but again so would every other team. A team $100 mil under the cap could have just as easily out bid them. The only group really hurt by not adjusting the cap to take into account the new deal coming would be the players. Other than ESPN, the deal doesn't take affect until the 2023 season, so not sure if the league will get the money up front and will raise next years cap or will only come into play for the 2023 season. Likely a small impact next season because of the ESPN part. If it is 2023 that's a two full seasons away so adjusting now would have been a stretch. Add on top they still have no idea how many fan will be allowed into games this coming season, so there very likely could still be loses this coming season. I'll be surprised if there will be 100% fans in Sept yet, maybe by November or so could see it. One thing I did see that likely is good news, it stated more Flexing of games including Monday night. That's not happened before as there have been many clunkers on Mondays as has Thursday night games.

Yeah except one of the problems is while the rule changes intended to eliminate returns, teams quickly figured out we can instead kick them short and deep and pin the team in on kickoffs. Well unless you have poor ST play then maybe you don't pin them in that well. Yup the 2 1/2 we signed are breaking the bank. Well I guess 3 1/2 if you count the punter. I suppose we could ask Bass to punt left footed to save his kicking leg. That would save some $$. From the responses so far sounds like it's only upsetting to you BTW!

Well yeah I'm making assumption, there will be an experienced TE brought in the next couple of days/weeks. Also feel TE and Edge aren't worth drafting at, at least not high as we could draft the next Bruce Smith, even more unlikely at #30, but even if we did, I think a guy like Johnson with two years NFL experience and two years in the Bills system, plus throw in his ST play would likely outplay a rookie edge drafted at #30 in 2021, and maybe even 2022. From what I recall even Bruce Smith took 3 to 4 years before he really became good, can remember him struggling against though much of that may have been due to him not caring alot about playing the run. He just wanted sacks early on it seemed.

Agree we have enough vets on De line that don't need anyone to be taught. Even the overall roster is old enough and experienced enough that don't see any positions that need the grisly ole vet any longer. Hyde, Proyer, Hughes, Star, Morse, Mongo, have been around long enough at this point. Plus at this point, the offense belongs to Allen and Diggs.

Could be Detroit or likely still Cincy. While they appear to have their QB, until they prove it on the field as was the case here in Buffalo, FA's will still be hesitant to go there. Bears may also be close, while a large city with lots to do, other than that not much to show. Bad weather, high taxes, and team for the most parts has been rowing in circles for years. A couple times they get back close to shore only to drift back to the middle of the lake by the following year or two. Could argue the Mario Williams signing is like their K Mack. (admittedly that one was a trade so a bit different)

That would be great, then we'd have three RB's all with about equal overall skills and talents. Then each week there can be multiple 10 page threads arguing and debating over whichever one of the three was inactive that week was a huge mistake and that was why our running game struggled in the game. Plus at least a third thread stating we should have activated Williams every week and all problems solved! IMO if they are going to sign/draft another RB, lets make it someone who is head and shoulders better than the ones currently on the roster, else stick with what you got.

So then these moves aren't freeing up cap space as it sounded like many posts were implying, instead they are just spending money and they need to first free up the money to be able to spend it. If they freed up $15 mil, they could either use that to sign some FA or to exercise these options?

But if this is reducing the Bills 2021 cap hit, wouldn't they then be going from a little cap space to more cap space? If so then whats the issue with the NFL not approving it?

True and many teams will move their #1 guy to follow the offenses #1 WR, the Bills don't seem to do that very much so Wallace is often going up again the #1 guy.

With all this talk about the jets location, just wondering if even if we were about to sign K Mack, with whatever the current rules might be, would the team even be able to bring him back to Buffalo right now or does everything, signings etc still need to be done virtual only? In normal years bringing a player back would happen, not sure what is and isn't allowed right now? Last year at this time, don't think it was allowed, certainly not by the draft.

Because they could! So 7 returning players from last years line that played significant minutes. Probably still could use a backup tackle, would prefer a vet, but can't see them going another whole year without drafting one. Though I think they'd learn more towards drafting a center.

What position will she be playing?

Will see not totally sure he won't still sign if he finds out what he thinks he;s worth is much less than the rest of the NFL thinks. Having said that, you wonder too if the other concern was his poor techniques on holding for placekicks. Recall more than once both on kicks made and some of the misses, the laces were facing the wrong way. Might have been even with all the work during the season, he just never seemed to get it or care about it enough for their liking. They felt $2 mil was too much to pay for him?? Missing a field goal or two due to a bad hold is probably worse overall than losing a couple yards on net punt average. If the defense can't hold them the 2 yards rarely will make a difference, but 3 points can make the difference in a game.

Too late, we already traded Lee Smith, so nothing left to trade!

Agree, everyone here seems to think it's easy to find the next Gronk or Kelsey. I also feel the Bills are in a win now mode so overall in 2021 the team may be better with a vet like Ertz rather than rookie. Same goes for edge. To me TE and Edge are two positions that can often take the longest to develop. Take a CB in Rd 1, that's a safe position to start as a rookie. That an O-line as long as it's only one rookie on the line are safe spots.

Think we need a page here on the site for abbreviation look ups. Of the 3 options suggested, I'd look at turkey as being the healthiest trade option.

Could be that Brown just didn't fit the need for the role the Bills want the #2 WR to perform. If Brown is being honest that he was completely taken by surprise in being cut (Obviously he must read many posts on TBD) that says the Bills really had zero interest in bringing him back. I wasn't a case of Brown not agreeing to a big paycut. May have been once he was cut, he quickly found out his worth wasn't what he thought it was either. Likely when Brown signed with the Bills 2 years ago, the thought was he's our #1 WR in 20219 and in 2020 we'll likely draft a WR in round 1, but Brown will still be the #1 in 2020 and the 2021 role, TBD until the rookie is fully up to speed. Once they traded for Diggs, everything changed, both Browns role and the money being paid to him, though the Sanders signing if correct, does somewhat tell us money maybe wasn't the thing.

For years everyone blamed Overdolf, likely he was just following RW orders.

Have to believe he did decide not to retire. Advantage of a team trading for him, gives them exclusive rights, not bidding against 30 other teams. And I'm certain if Smith had been released, the bidding would have been insane for him. Would have made Hunters deal look like peanuts!

OK missed that part too. Kind of surprised as many of the articles felt they'd let him go as had a better TE and they were hurting for $$

Well to me it says the Bills weren't interested in paying $2 mil for him and didn't. And likely are assuming no other team is willing to pay that much either, so maybe they will still sign him. Ashamed tender offer salaries for RFA aren't tied to positions the way franchise tag salaries are. Hard to believe that RFA QB is worth the same as a punter!

Shouldn't it be the other way "If he signs for over $2 mil you don't get it"?? The Bills could have had him for $2 mil tender. But if he signs with another team for $1.5 mil, could just as easily mean the Bills were only will to pay $1.25 mil or something?? Since no team has announced they've come to terms, could easily be camp punter and he still signs with Buffalo

Something changed! From NFL.com The fifth-year option equation will change with this class under the new collective bargaining agreement, with the options now being fully guaranteed when they are exercised, and with compensation now being determined in part by player performance. But the essential question -- Has this player shown enough in three seasons to be worth investing in? -- remains the same. https://www.nfl.com/news/weighing-fifth-year-options-for-2018-nfl-draft-s-first-rounders From FrontOfficeNFL The fifth-year option got a makeover under the new CBA. Each player selected in the first round of the NFL draft has a team option for a fifth season automatically included in his contract, which extends the four-year rookie contract to a fifth season for a non-negotiable fixed amount. Teams must exercise this option in the time after the conclusion of the player’s third regular season but prior to May 3 of the following league year. Players selected in the 2016 and 2017 NFL Drafts will have different fifth-year options thresholds than those selected in 2018 and beyond. https://frontofficenfl.com/2020/06/04/2020-nfl-cba-explained-5th-year-option-in-rookie-contracts/