Ed_Formerly_of_Roch

Has anyone heard an explanation as to why in the new CBA you're required to dress 8 O lineman each week? Why not require 6 WR or 7 DB's, how come they singled out the line like that?

Think I'll start a thread, trade Murphy for 1st rounder!

As they say you can never idiot proof things as they keep making better idiots!

Was reading an column in the Athletic today and it made an interesting point. It talked about how the top 3 slots are all set, but depth remains a question and also addressed that WR is one of the positions that takes the longest for a rookie to come up to speed, but with getting Diggs they don't need a rookie to contribute much. Also talked about a few FA names they could still sign. Nothing really new there! But did get me thinking, assuming the Bills do draft a WR in 2020 would he be add more as a backup rookie than a McKenzie, Foster, or Williams, maybe,maybe not. So what as this article suggested if they draft a guy like South Carolina’s Bryan Edwards who was hurt so his draft slot will drop as result. Maybe he's ready to go, maybe not, so could stash him on IR for a year to develop without taking up a roster spot. On the other hand if prior to week 1 someone else gets hurt and out for the season, could keep him active. Or he clearly is better than the 3 names I mentioned as backups, you keep him active.

But it makes little sense to sign 3 DL payers, pay signing bonuses to then cut someone. Currently there are 9 DL on roster, suppose you could cut Johnson, maybe get him to PS if he gets picked up by someone else so be it.

True the question is then how do you ever get young? They are in decent shape at tackle with Phillips and Oliver and even Jefferson is only 27. But at end they are a little gray in the tooth. I believe this is Murphy's last contract year so could see next year replacing him wit ha high draft pick, though good chance they won't have a low pick

I'm in my 60's she looks pretty good to me!

He deserves love because he also possesses a skill set very few TE's in the league have. Yes the drops are concerning, but he also made 3 or 4 pretty amazing plays throughout the year too that very few others could have made. Likely will know by the end of this season as will be given every opportunity to flourish.

The Bills have 9 defensive lineman on their roster right now. Why sign all of them give them signing bonuses only to turn around and cut some. And I'm sure I'll get many responses back to cut Murphy but there's also other threads and articles stating he's valuable to the team, admittedly somewhat overpaid, but you're not likely to get a better return once you take the cap hit on him and sign someone else in particualr a rookie filling the shoes of the defensive lineman who played the most snaps last season.

True but my point was that while they were 1st rounders, they were all ones that weren't maybe a NFL ready as others were, wasn't Edmunds like the 2nd youngest player ever drafted? But the Bills stil ldrafted them and they've all worked out well. Also my point in bringing them ups is seems Beane tends to do well with drafting 1st rounders with potential, why wouldn't we see the same with 7th rounders. So yes because of how they've drafted I'm bullish on guys like Johnson & Johnson, Sweeney, etc.

Seems like the Bills have drafted a number of players with potential, Allen, Edmunds, Oliver to name a couple so wouldn't be shocked if they saw similar things here with Johnson too.

Either by the fall things are OK to play as normal or no season. The number of players, coaches, and staff per team times 32 teams is easily over 3000, adding in training camp cuts and extra staff, probably 5000. The odds of keeping all them from not getting even one of them infected is slim. No add in the staff of the mini prisons that I'd assume under your plan would also need to stay there. And everyone involved then goes for like 4 months with no contact with their families. Well maybe every Tuesday on their off days, they can bring the families by to wave from their windows. Do you also plan to quarantine the airplanes the airplanes and the crews of said planes for 14 days prior to each road game (LOL may be easy to do as not being used for anything else), the staff in the hotels they stay in for road games, the bus drivers who take them from the airports. Is the team going to serve them box lunches made in their mini prisons prior to leaving as you can't let anyone serve them food? You say people would sign up, yes normal people who are out of work desperate for money may sign up, but not NFL players! Go back to sleep!

I'd say very unlikely only due to fact that when you look at the size or rosters, add in practice squad, training camp has a 90 man roster, coaching and training staff and front office personal, easily 150 people during the season and likely around 200 during training camp times 32 teams. That's over 5000 people ,then add in their families. The odds of not having players testing positive is very low if still being transmitted at a fairly high rate. Either will be safe enough to have fans present or no season at all until safe. That's what did the NBA in, once a player tested positive.

Considering how many first round QB's flunk out, you'd e crazy not to. Drafting a franchise QB is more luck than anything

Moving him anyplace will mean you need two lineman one to play LT now which we don't have and not likely to get an elite one either drafting 54th, then a second one to replace Dawkins when his contract expires. LT get paid the most, Dawkins has played there for three seasons now, so will want to be paid LT money. If you move him he will find a team that will still play him at LT and pay him the money that position warrants and will be gone once his contract is up. If you were to move him, doubt they'd pick up the option then either, so likely net off-season he'd be gone. I'll grant you, he's not elite and neither is Ford, but easier to move Ford inside without losing him than Dawkins. Personally I think they should raft a RT high, let him be the backup for a season or could play sooner if someone gets injured. Then next off-season, you don't resign Feliciano and move Ford to his spot inside.

Add in too that Morse the center, making all the calls didn't play at all till opening day. And they were doing a lot of juggling all pre season. One thing that I think hurt Fords development last year was moving him back and forth between guard and tackle. For a rookie in particular that likely hurt, maybe a 5 year vet can handle that. If someone inside gets hurt, use one of your interior back ups, but leave Ford alone! I do think they will draft a lineman fairly high too.

So until you're strapped for cash and can't sign someone you want to sign IMO don't cut anyone. You have no idea if all of the names mentioned above make it through pre-season healthy. That also gives you the option to see if the drop off from Murphy to Johnson is small or large. While Jefferson supposedly can play both positions, until you know how they are using him its an unknown so to say there's no holes created is a stretch. And again lets see first of all the DT's make it through healthy Replacing a blocking TE like Smith with likely at best a mid round rookie and to say there's no hole created is more than a stretch. I will though say I could see Sweeney taking Smiths spot as the blocking TE and also get better receiving from him than you'll get from Smith. But again at this point maybe the coaches have an idea that could happen or something similar but for any fans to say they can do that with no drop off in talent is based on no real knowledge. And again, let see if everyone makes it through camp first healthy, then start making cuts. Likely there will be some vets cut this year when adding in the new additions, plus still have high draft picks, but these guys also may have got at least a small bonus for being on the roster on March 18th, so if you wanted to cut them,. should have done it prior, or wait things out.

So you're cutting 3 players and saving around $7 mil. Do you actually think you can sign 3 players as good as those three are for less than $7 mil? You've no t just created more holes to fill. You want to improve the TE play over Kroft, so you cut a blocking TE. If you do what you're saying there'd be little to no roster spots open for rookies anyway, so may as well trade all the draft picks left. Just keep cutting players under reasonable contracts is the way to go right to salary cap hell within a couple years.

They want to trade for Higgins so they can then trade him straight up to the Rams for Donald.

So the only way this makes any sense at all is if you signed him, then move Ford to guard and no re-sign Spain. You don't draft a guy in the 2nd round who showed quite a bit of promise , then bench him the following season so Ford will be starting. At the better option is to build through the draft. I wouldn't call the line below average.

To say they'e done nothing isn't true, they've allowed Ford to gain a year of experience which is no small thing for a rookie. Plus have got a year of experience playing together. Last year Morse missed all of the off-season, so they will improve. Their depth is also better as beyond the starting five have Waddle, Bates, Long and Ty. Admittedly if they do draft a guy, one of those 4 will be gone, or maybe Bates goes to PS assuming he passes waivers or maybe they can trade one for another 5th or 6th rounder. Unless they signed one of the high priced guys, not likely to see any improvement there anyway on the O-line. Likely will draft someone fairly high to be Feleciano's replacement next off-season when he's a FA. They will either draft a guard to directly replace him,or a RT and then move Ford inside

Arguing who's best off stats is very misleading as all three guys on the Bills have receiving stats based on more than one QB involved and more than one offensive system, as does AZ. Because of that I think the eyeball test is really better way to evaluate. While much more subjective, using stats can generate misleading results.

I disagree with the tight end part in that while yes there's no certainly how good of a player he will become, you also don't want to do anything to reduce his playing time, so don't think we need anything there. I think they likely will still draft a WR in the 2nd or 3rd, likely will push people like Foster Roberts or Williams potentially off the roster. Will be interesting to see if they still draft a pass rushing type guy either LB or DE., there too if they do will probably knock D Johnson off the roster as I doubt they'd want to bank on him as a rookie rather than keeping Murphy. Think a lineman will be drafted fairly high to become the starter next year either to take Feleciano's spot directly when he becomes a FA or you move Ford into his spot and the rookie is the starting RT in 2021 Running back, could still use improvement, but at most it's signing one more guy. I think anyone else you sign, you're likely signing someone knowing that likely someones signing bonus is going to become dead cap when they are cut, either a player signed this off-season or you cut someone like a Murphy or a Smith.

We also lost much more on the defensive side 3 major contributors, Phillips, Lawson, and Alexander. Who'd we lose on offense? Frank Gore who I'm sure we could have back if we wanted. The biggest hole we had on offense was at WR which we did address. You have nine offensive lineman from last year all under contract. The only place where I could see a FA helping would be a running back, but even there, maybe the plan is for Yeldon to be the #2, plus signed Jones though mainly for ST and who knows about (can't think of his name) the rugby player. Can't recall was S Perry a FA or is he signed?

Trying to recall last season did we have a 4 or 3 man rotation at DE? I know we had Hughes, Lawson, and Murphy mainly. And 7th rounder Johnson. Am I forgetting someone that did play a fair amount of snaps? Now have Addison, Hughes, Murphy, and Johnson. At tackle had Oliver, Phillips, Star, and Liguit (once Harrison went down). This year have Oliver, Star, Harrison, the new guy Butler, but also another or does that last one plat both tackle and end?