Low Positive

Nope. Unless Mike Brown found about 100 million dollars in his couch cushions, Cincinnati will win nothing if they sign both Chase and Higgins. They already couldn't afford to pay DJ Reeder and Jessie Bates. They have absolutely nothing on defense outside of Trey Hendrickson and he'll only be there for one more year. They tried to buy an OL, but that has failed. Cody Ford got meaningful minutes this year. This is Joe Burrow being GM and wanting to keep the gang together because he's afraid of being exposed. He has never played on a team without two almost all-pro level WRs and he's not about to start now. He can't win without an all-pro team at the skill positions. Bengals went 1-4 without Higgins this year, and that win was against the Raiders. The best thing for actually winning football games would be to spread their limited finances around, but Burrow is demanding that they spend all their money on three guys (himself included) and then let the rest of the team get scraps. Remember, Russell Wilson threw for over 400 yards on then. My opinions might be colored by the fact that I live in Cincinnati and hate the Bengals more than any other team.

I thought they needed another left-handed bat and a middle reliever.

Did Jonathan Martin make Richie do this too? https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2777545-richie-incognito-reportedly-threw-dumbbell-at-man-in-gym-is-on-psychiatric-hold

I agree with this up to a point. Jermaine Burton was such a distraction for the Bengals this year all due his immaturity. He missed team meetings even though his apartment was 20 steps from the stadium. He was seen out on Saturday nights drinking before home games. He got the cops called on him for domestic violence and got evicted for not paying his rent. He was also uncoachable, refusing to listen to anyone. This led him to not playing in the team's most important game of the year. They didn't even fly him to Pittsburgh. So, I agree that the Bills shouldn't put character as high as they do on their lists of necessary traits but there is a line.

Your point about drafting high-ceiling guys that take time to develop is my biggest criticism of Beane. We waste their rookie contracts just getting them up to speed and then have to decide whether or not to pay them right as they figure it out. To be fair, you could say the same thing about Josh Allen. He didn't become himself until year three, when you have guys like Daniels and Stroud lighting the league on fire as rookies. Joe Burrow and Ja'marr Chase went to the SB right away because Cincinnati drafts finished products from big programs. At this point, I want Beane to draft guys who are ready to start now. We don't have time to wait for them to develop.

The problem is that to run an offense like the Vikings or Bengals, you’ve got to have two top-level WRs. So, you’ve still gotta hit on a rookie, use void years like the Eagles, or just don’t pay your defense like Cincinnati. Paying one guy is not enough.

Couple things. 1) These numbers are skewed by teams like the Ravens who ran a lot and the Bengals who almost never ran the ball. 2) What we can’t know is how many plays the Bills ran where the primary read was a WR but Josh had to check down to a TE or a RB due to a lack of separation.

Since we brought AI into this, here's what ChatGPT says: " When looking at total offensive plays (including both run and pass plays), wide receivers are targeted on a smaller percentage of the plays compared to just passing attempts. On average, around 25-30% of all offensive plays in the NFL are designed to target wide receivers. This percentage accounts for both passing plays where wide receivers are targeted and the overall number of plays, including run plays where wide receivers may not be directly involved. Teams that have a more pass-heavy offense will see a higher percentage, while run-heavy teams will have a lower percentage. In essence, if you consider both pass and run plays, the wide receiver's involvement in total offensive plays would be around this range."

It also says "According to recent data, the average percentage of plays that are passing plays in the NFL is around 61-62%" So that is 65% or 61%, so about 40%

Who cares if they win or lose if they generate revenue for their ownership? I mean, the 5th most valuable franchise is the Raiders and the 7th is the NY Jets, so winning has nothing to do with it.

The problem with paying Cook has nothing to do with social media posts, "value," or the new NFL truism to "never pay RBs." I just don't like paying a guy that has to come out for obvious passing downs because he can't block. That's why he wasn't on the field for the most important drive of the season. But I don't like trading him because there is never any value for RBs in trades unless they are essentially WRs like CMC. So I don't know what I would do. I'm glad I don't have to make that choice.

The Giants are not a "pile of poop" from a franchise valuation standpoint. They are the 4th most valuable franchise in the NFL.

Devonta Smith has been extended. They just added 4 void years to kick the can down the road. https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/player/_/id/72390/devonta-smith

I agree with all of this, but I do think that Dorsey is a good QB coach. That's his best role.

Remember that time Scott Mitchell dressed up as Wayne Fonts for Halloween?

You joke, but I think the Bengals take questionable guys every draft because when a player from a big school drops due to character concerns, it's the only guy left on the board that they know. They also only draft guys from big programs. You could say that is a good strategy, but in this case, I think it's because their primary college scouting is Mike Brown and Duke Tobin watching college football games on Saturdays in Mike's man cave. And they're not watching Alcorn State.

Free Agency? That's just lazy GMing!

I think Wahley and Isiaah McKenzie should start a podcast with Dunne. Instead of Locked on Bills, they could call it Bash on Bills. It's not like they've got anything better to do.

The reason that we have to hear from these guys all the time is that Tyler Dunne's best friend in the whole world is Doug Whaley. The subtext of everything Dunne writes is that the Bills would be better off if his best bud was still GM.

Let's fire everyone and rehire the drought-era guys. They really seem to know what they are doing.

Marvin Lewis coached in Cincinnati for 15 seasons without winning a playoff game.

What, you're telling me I'm spelling Burroughs and Mae wrong?

Also true. I don't know about Pellisero, but Schefter's sources are agents and Rappaport's are front office personnel.

Also possible. But I am always skeptical of offseason news. Agents, teams, and players use leaks to manipulate narratives.