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Do you believe that signing free agents is the only way for a team to improve from one year to the next? Do you not believe it’s possible for internal improvement from young players to improve the team overall? Josh Allen hasn’t stopped improving. Ed Oliver and Tremaine Edmunds and AJ Epenesa are all young and could improve. Gabriel Davis, Zack Moss, and Cody Ford may all improve. The team as a whole may improve by virtue of better health, a full offseason, and continuity. Lastly, they still have three top 100 picks in the draft coming up. I don’t disagree they need to improve in order to beat the Chiefs and make the Super Bowl. Who’s to say that adding big ticket free agents is the only way to do it? Who’s to say they won’t otherwise improve? Who’s to say they wouldn’t beat the Chiefs if the two teams played next Tuesday? The Bills are returning essentially an entire roster that went 13-3 against a really tough schedule last year, and has many young players that haven’t peaked yet. I think people need to rein it in a bit with the “we’ll NEVER beat the Chiefs!” talk.

Nice. The issue isn’t that he can’t create the space - the biggest issue that there is still uncertainty in the Cap levels for the next 2 years before the new media package takes place. He is being smart and saving it unless the perfect player or trade lines up that could really help ensure the future of the team. The NFL has nearly 30 million in lost cap space per team to recoup after this year. The Cap would have dropped into the 150 million range and instead they agreed to 183. No one know exactly how much of the CAP will be pulled from next year after the pandemic to start to balance out the lost revenue. If you make a general assumption that the Cap would have risen to the expected levels for this year - that would put the Cap at 212 million and if they recollect all 30 million lost - the Cap could stay flat at 182/183 million and the teams that kicked a bunch into next year suddenly have a lot more kicking to do. If they split it over 2 years - the Cap could be 195 and basically back to what it was before the pandemic. This is all assuming that everything in stadium returns to normal. If there are issues and stadiums are reduced - that Cap could shrink. With the additional regular season game the Cap could rise - although they are losing a preseason game - which was free revenue. The other issue is with our current roster - unless The Cap goes up toward 215 million - we are already getting up against it for next year and he has Josh and Edmunds contracts to deal with - both 5th year options that will get exercised. He will be using the restructures next year to gain the space and if he uses them this year - he already kicked some into next year and has to kick even more into the following year. He is not afraid to do it, but eventually kicking the bonuses and salary forward gets you hamstrung until 2024 and the new media that will blow up the current Cap level and start things resetting. Don’t blow it all this year and make it hard to do things next year and cost yourself a shot in FA next year. Beane is not just looking at 2021 - he is planning 2022 and 2023 to ensure he can keep the team together, improve it, and most important bring home a championship without losing your core.

It's going to be a tougher division. I Agee. How do they improve? They need some of their younger players to to take a step forward. That still includes Allen. Allen can get better still. Edmunds, Oliver, Ford, Davis, Epenesa, and an incoming draft class is how the Bills improve. They must take steps forward. Can they beat the Chiefs? I don't know. It's not the same Chiefs team either.

The defense struggled out of the gate last year because the NFL suspended OTA's on March 16, 2020 and then cancelled all of the preseason games. Milano got hurt early in the season and missed games. Edmunds injured his shoulder early, but played through it. The defense is going to better this year, returning to their 2019 form.

Until one of the other teams in our division has a QB playing at a top 10, or even top 16 level, you're not going to convince anyone that the Bills are not a heavy favorite to win the division. To take down a top 5 QB with a top 5 WR corps you either need an absolutely elite roster, or a QB capable of keeping up. No one in our division meets that standard. If you want to make the case that the Bills haven't improved enough to beat the Chiefs, that is a more defensible position. They need to add a player with game breaking speed on offense, ideally a RB, and get their pass rush up to an above average level. A real CB2 would also help so that our safeties could double Kelce instead of shading Wallace's man. The best case I can make for our defense is that Star returning will allow Oliver to play his natural position. If Oliver and Epenesa and Edmunds all take a step this year that would make a huge impact, but I also recognize that that is a projection not a guarantee.

We were really bad here early on. You’re not wrong... it was tough to watch the first 8 weeks or so. Coincidentally Edmunds and Milano were hurt during those first 8 weeks... once they healed up for the stretch run... we were just outside the Top 5 defensively. I expect another year of continuity helping. I expect Star (yes, he’s overpaid) coming back being a big help solely because DL aren’t playing out of position this year. He’s not an impact player but I think he plays an important role... at some point we can replace him for less... but he’s good at his job. I expect a slightly easier schedule to benefit us as well. I expect the confidence and camaraderie from a group that’s pretty much 100% returning to not only help those guys... but usher in a certain expectation for the few new guys and draft picks. We’re returning 21/22 starters from the AFC Championship game and the one spot where a starter isn’t returning we arguably upgraded... and still haven’t reached the draft.

Jets- Can be a prb in a couple yrs . Salah will have these guys playing hard and they got some nice pieces to build with moving forward . If they take Wilson they can be a serious contender in near future. Dolphins- All depends on how they develop Tua and if they hit on these pks they got this yr. Pat's- Can't rule out Belicheck but I can't respect them until they get a QB. But if they do there gonna be very hard to beat. All in all this division will be tough to win by 2022 but until then the Bills should win the East easily. Now the AFC that's a different story unless we get massive growth from some of our young players mainly Oliver, Edmunds, Epenesa , Knox & Ford plus we find us a back in the draft . I don't see us winning the Conference without these guys really stepping up .

Pay Edmunds? We’ll see.. Maybe if he puts everything together this year, otherwise hard pass.

And the Bills have to be mindful not to push too much cost into the future as they have a 40m QB to pay plus Edmunds.

His 5th year option has to be picked up 6 weeks from now........at which point it immediately becomes fully guaranteed(per Chris Brown) because he has already made a Pro Bowl. I've heard nothing that indicates making a pro bowl this year matters. So you are saying a $75M deal with around $40M guaranteed. A $10M signing bonus doesn't seem realistic at all..........that's not a good % for a player for a contract that large.........and $2M allocated bonus every year is not going to backload the value of the deal............which will likely be necessary to make room with so many big contracts in place. It will take several years for the salary cap to catch up to actual annual league revenue again. This offseason the cap should have been around $150M based on the lost revenue of 2020........but the league and players agreed to subsidize this years cap at the expense of future ones. The TV deal is going to raise the cap gradually but even if it gets to $230M in 2024 that gain from today's figure is likely to be near totally consumed by Allen's cap figure alone. I hate the idea of drafting an off ball LB that early but spending $15M+ on a MLB is near the equivalent of utilizing a first rounder on one. If you are going to do that you want one who is actually a tone-setting playmaker. The point man of your defense. Edmunds simply hasn't been anywhere near that. He's not even their best LB in a 2 LB defense.

Yeah.... I don’t think Edmunds is terrible. He’s a decent LB that could be MUCH better. Maybe he’d be better off in another scheme and most certainly better off playing on the outside. It doesn’t really matter what we or anyone else thinks though. McB and Edmunds have the only say that matters. If Edmunds can put in the work and improve, it’ll make their decision a lot easier. They will certainly pick up his 5th year option which. It’s him some more time. I just pray that they don’t throw him 15m+ a year unless he shows adequate improvement. Last years play was clearly not worth the next big contract.

To me, this is hilarious. Star was these boards favorite whipping boy through all of 2019. Then due to a pre-existing medical condition has him opt out and we see the D take a major step back. And for a few weeks people say, "Oh, gee, we really missed this guy." But that's all forgotten and now it's "can't believe he opted out." I mean, the way folks have to desperately twist and flail to find ways to criticize the guy. It cracks me up. You've got a great example here too. First, you criticize him for taking a year off. Then you do a 180 and criticize him for having a lot of miles. Hunh? He just took a year off. And then after knocking him for too many miles, it's "hasn't played a live snap for a year." Jeez, which is it? Played too much? Played too little? You can't reasonably have it both ways, though many here seem to try exactly these arguments, and, wackily, together. The girlfriends simile doesn't work. You saw your girlfriends again. You have NOT seen Star, you're just remembering him, and unlike what you apparently did with your exes, underestimating. We missed him last year, a lot, especially Oliver and Edmunds. Oh, and in answer to your question, my answer is likely the same as the Bills think. He's been above average every year he's played. At what they hired him to do. No, he's not athletic, and no he's not going to penetrate just about ever. But is he well above average as a space eater, which is what they knew he was when they signed him? The Bills would tell you yes, and the evidence shows they believe it.

The bottom line here is Star should help improve Oliver's play and to a lesser extent Edmund's but he's only going to be around this season and then likely gone. Beane needs to hit on a good young 1Tech. Marvin could be a target.

Oliver has not lived up to his draft status. Edmunds regressed badly. Even White had a few games where he struggled. Despite whatever win rate means the D-line was not affecting the opposing QB much and to compensate Frazier blitzed more than he ever has. H. Phillips did not look good coming off injury and was outplayed by journeyman Zimmerman. Star will help but they need more talent up front. There is not one front 7 Bills defender that wpuld start for Tampa. That doesn't mean all 7 ate bad. But they need at least one true difference maker and a NT to develop from this draft. And they need to see solid improvement from Edmunds, Epenesa, and Oliver.

I am shocked someone isn't here to complain about Edmunds by now.

A better 1-tech DT will make Oliver and Edmunds more effective and lessen the pressure on our safeties to make so many run stops. Hanging this responsibility solely on Star wouldn't be my preference. I'd love to see a 1-tech in rounds 2-4.

Oliver has consistently improved. He has been good, it was his second year, and he and Edmunds were the two players most hurt by Star's absence. They both look like key building blocks and long-term fixtures. Both need to improve, but so does everyone.

Nope. Edmunds struggled this year, no question, but he’s not been Oliver-bad, ever, in my opinion. Oliver was the higher draft pick and has done far less in his time here.

I don't think everyone that complains wants Beane fired that's ridiculous. Beane has done a fabulous job in signing low budget free agents and he does his best work in the later rds of the draft. He hasn't really hit hard at the very top of the draft other then delivering us our franchise QB but he hasn't really wiffed either Edmunds, Oliver, Ford are all competent players and not complete busts . Could he be perfect ? No GM is perfect . Beane has also helped build the culture we got here in Buffalo and that's very hard to do while trying to put together a really good football team. I guess the only question is now can he and Mcd take us over the top? We'll find out.

My guess is that Bills fans (those unimpressed with him) and Bills management are VERY far apart in their assessment of Tremaine Edmunds to date. The thing is, I'd love to be wrong on either point. Best case is Edmunds finally realizes he's a monster of a man and begins to play like it. Much less appealing is that the Bills decide he hasn't earned a long-term deal and they move on. Worst case is he continues logging low-impact (not inept, just not really impactful) performances and the Bills extend him for big money.

Based on the reactions to my post, I guess we are in the minority on this, lol. A lot of faith in Edmunds out there. Personally I've seen enough. I can live with him getting another year, but I am concerned that McBeane will give him a long term deal even if we don't see any improvement.

disgruntled people make stuff up all the time. I'm sure Parson's was mean to him, but there is zero evidence he sexually harassed him. the Edmunds issue is why we need a LB at 30 or in the 2nd. Also, we just flat out need a 3rd LB!

As long as Milano stays healthy and plays well, Edmunds days may be numbered...Milano has an “out” in his contact after two years- exactly when the decision on Edmunds will need to be made...no way they keep both, given Allen’s anticipated contract...stay tuned...

The biggest thing that would influence this is willingness to pay Edmunds what some have estimated here, $15M per year. I don’t think LB has played at that value and we signed Milano already. If they aren’t sold on Edmunds at that cost, I think this is in play.

I’m sort of taking this as a Beane reaction thread (leaving the McD draft and FA out, ie 2017). He and McD as a tandem have been one of the best things to happen to this team in a VERY LONG time. The upcoming years will test his draft record pretty hard. QB- let’s get this out of the way. He hit on QB, even when a lot of us thought he missed (myself included). Because of this he gets a pass on other spots on the roster. Obviously the Peterman debacle was bad. Dog stayed healthy without reliance on Barkley, and Mitch is a major upgrade. Grade- rock hard. OL- He absolutely upgraded the line through FA. Morse, Williams, Feliciano, have all been important cogs. This is probably his best work in FA. Ford seems very “meh” at the moment. We all seem to be collectively holding our breaths for him to pan out as a second rounder. Most of us would also probably like Wyatt Teller back. Grade, B-. Holding the Teller trade and Fords lack of being impressive against him. He’s done above average here easily. RB- miss. Sorry guys. Singletary is at best meh right now. Moss looks like he could have some spark. But not enough...yet. Plus the Frank Gore experiment, not good. Grade- D, this has just not been a good group from Gore on. TE- Still a position of need. I would love a stud, but overall I am happy with the passing game so I am not going to grade Knox, Kroft, etc. terribly harshly. That was a serviceable group and look to be serviceable heading into 2021. Grade- C, they were “good enough”. We haven’t spent a lot of resources one way or the other. WR- You could make an argument that he did a better job overhauling the WR room than he did OL and I wouldn’t argue with you. Love this group with or without Brown. Davis looks to be a man waiting in the wings. Diggs, Brown, Beasley, all immediate contributors and game changers for how we play that side of the ball. Grade- A, Diggs alone raises this immensely. Plus Beasley, very good group. DL- Our best DLman is from Whaley still. We have way over spent on bad production. Harry seems like JAG. Oliver was out of position most of 2020, so who knows. Star, I’ll call a wash since this board is split. But his contract is a lot, and we ate a huge Dareus contract at the same time to sign him. The rest are JAG. Grade- below average. LB- I am underwhelmed. We traded up for Edmunds, so with that I am a bit underwhelmed. I am not high or low on him. To me he either has the right feel for the game on any given Sunday or he doesn’t. The difference when he is in the right rhythm/zone is astonishing to me. Milano is exciting when he can get his full snap count. At our current price without an Edmunds extension is OK. This group could face a lot of pitch forks and torches if we get 2020 production out of them for what could be $25M +. Grade- wait and see. DB- Tre was here first. Vontae quit. Norman is JAG at the moment. Wallace is great depth, you could do worse but could do better. Our safety tandem precedes him. Grade- FA/Draft has been average here.