finn

I wonder if Beane promised him that start. If they sign Blackmon or Simmons, that promise would be pretty disingenuous, less so if they draft a safety in the second round. He sounds like an excellent depth player but a gamble as a starter. My ideal scenario (given the cap): They sign Blackmon after June 1 and draft a safety in the fifth round and a corner in the fourth or fifth. Go into the season with Douglas and Bedford backed up by Elam, a rookie, and a free agent, with Blackmon and Rapp at safety backed up by Edwards, and a rookie. Jackson backed up by Lewis.

What don't you like about him? He's the athletic white guy, right?

What about trading down to pick up another second and third? They still might be able to pick up a good WR since the draft is deep there, and they'd have two more high picks. With needs at DE, DT, and S in addition to WR and depth on the offensive line, those two picks would be welcome. The top four or five WRs will be gone, but Mitchell, Franklin, or one of the two Xaviers might still be there in the second. Put it this way, would you rather have 1. Brian Thomas or 2. Keon Coleman AND a top safety AND a decent DT?

On his tiny throwing hand.

I won't miss Gabe. I can say that even as I recognize the valuable qualities he brought to the team. We need a big WR who can block, get deep, win contested throws, catch the ball in clutch moments, and block downfield. Gabe did some of that, but not all.

Yikes, that hurts our depth. Now we have Elam, Lewis, and....[crickets]

Add one impact WR, and you're looking at that guy, Diggs, Shakir, Kincaid, and Cook. With Allen behind a decent line, that's a scary lineup to face. One home run, and they go from meh to "Wow!"

Well, continuity, depth, and familiarity with schemes are all pluses, along with rewarding hard work and performance. I do think Dawkins, Jones and Epenesa performed well. Dawkins had a great season. According to the Athletic (take it or leave it), Epenesa is the only natural fit on the roster rushing from the right side. Jones has been terrific, even after his injury. Lewis is good depth. Are you objecting to Rapp? Trubinsky? I didn't love these signings myself, but, again, I see the upsides.

Agreed. I wouldn't trade him for less than first-round pick and extras.

Just what I was thinking. Davis was a WR2 playing opposite Diggs with the best quarterback in football. Brown was a backup playing with a rookie, albeit a terrific one.

NFL.com describes him as having top-end speed. News to me.

An older Gabe Davis. Davis: 45 catches for 746 yards, 16.6 avg. 6'2" 210. Brown: 33 catches for 567 yards, 17.2 avg. 6'2" 215.

And Isabella. Could be not as long as he wanted, like two years instead of four or five. Not so appealing to be back on the market at 32. (He'll be 30 in August.)

Oh, duh. I was thinking about releases of other wide receivers around the league. Thanks.

I hear you, but then I look at what the Chiefs did two years ago facing a similar situation (Mahomes' contract). They traded one of their best players (Tyreek) for picks that turned into McDuffie, Skye Moore, Rashee Rice, two other players, and a fifth-rounder this year, they took the full hit of Mahomes' salary ($36 million, 17% of the cap that year), and THEY WON THE SUPER BOWL, while setting themselves up for years to come. Meanwhile, the Bills went all-in, signing Von Miller to that 6-year, $114 million contract that is now an albatross around their necks, even with the restructuring. I'm not trashing Beane. I think Miller was a reasonable gamble. I would have preferred signing a younger DE, but whatever. The point is, the Bills might be able to absorb the full hit of Allen's contract and be competitive this year, even win it all. They have to stay healthy, and they need four starters not yet on the roster, at least at the moment: DT, DE, WR, and safety. I'm thinking sign Jones at DT (shouldn't be too expensive), trade up for an impact WR, sign a decent safety at a moderate contract (given the market), and, well, cross your fingers at DE. Maybe Miller can earn his pay. In the draft, add depth at DT, DE, safety, and corner. Voila, a competitive, relatively inexpensive team, with a healthy cap going forward. My one radical idea: Trade Milano (30 in July) for multiple picks. Start Williams and Bernard, draft a backup. Get younger and cheaper.

I believe that's what KC did, paying Mahomes something like $35 million. And they still won the Super Bowl. 😒

I can see him trading up ten spots for the WR he wants. Not more, but only because he doesn't have the capital.

I wouldn't be too sure about that. The Athletic had a writeup about how the Bills were stymied without a deep threat, which allowed defenses to roll up on Shakir, Diggs, and Kincaid. The only thing they could do is bid their time and look for one or two deep shots per game. You remember how that went: Allen overthrew Diggs in two games when he got open, and Diggs dropped the perfect ball in the playoffs. In short, not a sustainable offense. With a true deep threat keeping the safeties honest, Diggs could revive his superstar ways. According to the article, he was still displaying elite speed and moves. I'm working VERY hard to refrain from taking a shot at Gabe Davis. Must...concentrate...

Paying off the Miller bill in dribs and drabs. Only $122 million to go. Make that $121.5 million now.

I forgot about Roland Mitchell. Later, I was so excited about Henry Jones at safety. But then Marv Levy sat him during the Super Bowl when we (as I recall) Leonard Smith was getting smoked.

Right, J.D. Blazingly fast, with long arms but just couldn't track the ball or stick with his man. Strange, and a real bummer, because a shut-down corner across from Nate Odomes was just what that team needed.

Yes, he was terrific. But he did have some odd moments of standing around. At least twice I wondered, "Who in the hell is 31?" Also, Elam's upside is pretty high. He's got length, size, speed, athleticism, and (we're told) a solid work ethic. You would think his weaknesses--tackling and zone awareness--could be learned. But busts do happen. Anyone old enough to remember James Williams, the Bills' fast, athletic 1990 first-round pick at cornerback? Anyway, yeah, a tough call. If Beane extends Douglas, he'll have a solid corner and good depth for at least two or three years, albeit an older one (Douglas will be 30 in August). But his salary cap problems deepen. If he doesn't extend him, he saves a nice chunk of change but is gambling that either Elam or White can hold up that side. Given that it's a lean year and we have no DL depth, I would understand if Beane rolled the dice.

Yes, there have been stinkers. But think of the outcome the Bills may be facing at the end of 2025: $114 million dollars for half a season of excellent play. There have been some truly awful contracts, but not many compete with that much money for that little production. Not blaming Miller or, really, Beane. He rolled the dice and (so far) got snake eyes. Happens. I'm not so much angry as bummed out that one of the few huge gambles Beane took has fallen flat.

Not saying that. I acknowledged Miller was performing well and still might return to form. But if he doesn't, his contract will prove to be a horrendous waste of money and lost opportunity. Beane wanted to get to Mahomes. I wished at the time and still do now that he had instead given Allen another weapon so he could outscore Mahomes. Allen did anyway, at least during the regular season, even throwing to Diggs and a bunch of warm bodies.