ChanOverChin Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 When I think of Brandon Beane I think of the name Billy Beane, you know, the Babe Ruth of baseball GMs, who is famous for getting great value for players at a very affordable price. Could the former be considering the luring of vet FA TE G. Barnidge to Buffalo at an affordable price with the intent of having him REPLACE TE Ch. Clay as the Bills' #1 TE?? After all, the Bills' new GM wasn't the one who signed Clay to an outrageous contract, one which amounts to about $9M for this season. That's a high price to pay for damaged goods. The bottom line is that the Bills need to create cap room both for this year and for the future. As a result, you can bet your sweet patootie that they will be examining all existing contracts and looking to unload any high priced contract that is not commensurate with a player's production, most especially if that player cannot be counted because of poor health, and in Clay's case, a bad knee. The Bills could probably secure Barnidge's services for about $3.5M per year. Much more affordable than $9M. Obviously, I'd like to see them KEEP Clay, but only if his knee is not going to be a chronic problem. The Bills have already let it be known that they have concerns about Clay's knee. It would be ideal to have BOTH Clay and Barnidge at TE. Dennison's offense, which is all about ball control, pretty much requires it. Adding Barnidge would be just like adding a very good possession receiver. At his best, Barnidge is comparable to Carolina TE G. Olsen. McD's familiarity with Olsen has allowed him to see first hand the benefits of having a great pass catching TE in fold. Most teams would kill to have TWO very good TEs because that scenario allows for much more deception. The higher level TEs can block like an extra OL, catch like a WR, they can sneak out into patterns when the defense doesn't expect it, and they can create mismatches in the middle of the field against slower LBs as well as outside of the hash marks against smaller DBs. The question is, "Would the Bills want to REPLACE Clay with Barnidge to add a solid, healthy TE at a much more affordable price and to create cap space in order to be able to add more vet FAs or just add him to the mix at TE"?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Moulds on my A** Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 Correct me if I'm wrong and in this case I hope I am but aren't we locked in to Clays contract? Meaning we'd be paying for him even if we cut him? I don't think the world of Barnridge but I've had enough of Clay and his nagging knees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBD Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 I think cutting Clay actually costs more against the cap than it does to keep him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CommonCents Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 Babe Ruth of baseball GMs is Theo Epstein. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeGOATski Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 (edited) Pay to get rid of a more talented guy and pay for a less talented replacement. Sad that this wouldn't surprise me. Edited June 1, 2017 by LeGOATski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4merper4mer Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 Maybe we could wait for someone else to sign Barnidge and then package Sammy and Clay in a trade for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chandler#81 Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 To the question 'Would they?', I'm guessing No at this time. Clay AND Barnidge would be a fantastic TE combo -the like of which we haven't seen since Metz & McKeller. If we do pursue and sign Barnidge, I'd guess it's because we want them both. At least for the foreseeable future.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Over 29 years of fanhood Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 I believe Clay was pinpointed as the missing offensive piece in Romans offense... hence the expensive tender to pluck him from the phins. Was looking at his dead cap hit... Not pretty through 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDIGGZ Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 we are stuck with Clay for 2 more seasons so we just have to hope he stays healthy and that Tyrod can see him! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 No, we actually need another TE, not a TE swap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanOverChin Posted June 1, 2017 Author Share Posted June 1, 2017 Yolo, I'd actually love to see the Bills keep them both. Just wondering what people think the Bills are thinking on this issue because of the Clay cap and injury issues. Barnidge is playing Denver, Jax, and Buffalo against each other. My sources seem to think that he would prefer to sign with Denver, but that he could be had for the right price. At what price do you think that he would sign with the Bills?? My guess is $3.5M per season. I think the Bills would look to sign him for 2-3 years if possible. He is 31 currently. Barnidge would be a huge add to the offense. I'd really like to have the Bills be able to evaluate Taylor for the long term with the likes of McCoy, Watkins, Jones, Clay, and Barnidge on the field for the majority of the 2017 season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaw66 Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 I don't much about Barnridge, but I don't think this makes a lot of sense. If I understand it correctly, if the Bills cut Clay now he count's $13,500,000 against the cap. That's a big hit; as some said, it's more than keeping him. So the the strategy would be to keep Clay and sign Barnridge to a low ball deal this year with a big guaranteed boost next season. But cutting Clay even next season isn't so pretty - it's still a $9 million cap hit next year. So the Bills are likely to keep Clay for the next two seasons. Plus, I don't know where this "damaged" goods stuff comes from. In the last four seasons Clay has missed six games. That's more than adequate reliability. He caught 57 passes last season, which if I counted correctly was 8th in the league. And that's on a team with he fewest passing attempts in the league. Clay's played six seasons and has caught 100 more passes than Barnidge has caught in eight. So why would the Bills be anxious to replace Clay with Barnidge? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 I am looking at Barnidge as an addition rather then a replacement Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26CornerBlitz Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 I am looking at Barnidge as an addition rather then a replacement Exactly. Barnidge & Clay would be excellent in 2 TE sets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaw66 Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 No, we actually need another TE, not a TE swap The Tyrod narrative around here is unbelievable. In 2016 the Bills threw fewer passes than any other team and playing 15 games Clay finished 8th among tight ends in receptions. In 2015 the Bills threw the second fewest passes in the league and playing 13 games Clay finished 12th among tight ends in receptions. So how in the world are people concluding that Taylor doesn't see Clay? I know, you sat in your basement for three weeks straight and watched All-22 and counted the times you think Clay was open and you think Taylor should have seen him and thrown to him. Or you saw a stat someplace that said Taylor throws over the middle less than other QBs, and since the TE runs patterns over the middle, Taylor wasn't throwing to Clay enough. How often could Taylor possibly have missed Clay when Clay's a top 10 receiver among tight ends playing for the offense that passes less than any other offense in the league. The question isn't why didn't Taylor throw more to Clay. The question is why didn't he throw more to the wideouts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 Exactly. Barnidge & Clay would be excellent in 2 TE sets. Still need the QB to actually throw them the ball. I am a big Clay fan, and like big ole Nick as well. Sitting in the upper deck watching both of them run free without seeing the ball can drive ya nuts...and it drove me nuts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26CornerBlitz Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 Still need the QB to actually throw them the ball. I am a big Clay fan, and like big ole Nick as well. Sitting in the upper deck watching both of them run free without seeing the ball can drive ya nuts...and it drove me nuts. I hear you loud and clear. Tyrod actually started to utilize Clay much more later in 2016. I'd like to see that rend continue this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain_Quint Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 1yr deal for Barnridge with the empty promise of a longterm deal after the season. We test the waters with Clay this year and his knee. Next offseason, we pull the rug out from under one of them and screw em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Moulds on my A** Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 1yr deal for Barnridge with the empty promise of a longterm deal after the season. We test the waters with Clay this year and his knee. Next offseason, we pull the rug out from under one of them and screw em. We are locked into Clay for 2 more years. Done. Unless we trade him and that awful contract. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsfanAZ Posted June 1, 2017 Share Posted June 1, 2017 I think the Bills keep Clay this season as a make it or break it season. They can always restructure Clays contract. I would like to see the Bills add Barnidge and I think he could take over as the #1 TE to earn a new contract. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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