Gunner's Roster Thread

[eball]

12 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

I don't disagree with your RB room, but it makes me sad. 

Age 30, Age 30, Age 29 (with stone hands), and age 29, is not exactly a room built to look towards the future.

 

Even the guys in red - Taiwan Jones (29), Marcus Murphy (27) aren't exactly a "youth movement"

 

I would like to have one or two young prospects who just MIGHT be a sleeper to look at. 

I guess that translates to "unexcited by 5'11" Keith Ford as That Guy.

 

On WR, I'm curious why you see Andre Holmes with his 13 receptions for 120 yds as a lock?

We expended a bunch of draft capital on WR this year, even if it was late rounds. 

 

That's kind of surprising if we don't intend to give any of them a shot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holmes is probably a lock for Gunner b/c of his ST ability as well.  I'm an optimist, of course, but I really think both Ray-Ray and Proehl could make the roster and have an early impact.

[GunnerBill]

13 minutes ago, eball said:

 

Holmes is probably a lock for Gunner b/c of his ST ability as well.  I'm an optimist, of course, but I really think both Ray-Ray and Proehl could make the roster and have an early impact.

 

Correct. He was on all of their teams last year. I'd be surprised if he was cut unless another of the young wideouts really shines on coverage units in the pre-season. 

[SoCal Deek]

It’ll be another sad commentary if Zay, Shaq, and Adolphus all flame out. The Bills just can’t afford yet another ‘lost generation’ of high draft picks. No team can.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

14 hours ago, Sky Diver said:

Are you suggesting we only keep 2 QB’s?

 

I don't think he is.  His color key again:

BLACK - Guaranteed roster spot (excluding major injury or suspension)

BLUE - Probable roster spot

RED - Fighting for those last few spots

 

IOW it's highly probably (in Gunner's view) that we keep 3 QB - it's just not 100% guaranteed.

 

8 hours ago, Logic said:

To those who are discussing the, um...advanced age of our running back room: 

I totally agree, HOWEVER...

I 100% expect the Bills to draft a brand new starting running back in next year's draft. Unless Shady's name is cleared AND he has a great season, I think he's gone next offseason. Too much money to pay a 31 year old running back. So if the Bills can just hang on for one more season with this group...between the full slate of draft picks and the money they'll have at their disposal in FA, I anticipate a bevy of offensive reinforcements at HB, WR, and OL.

 

Oh, I agree on next year's draft.  I also agree that this might be Shady's last season with the Bills, even if he's cleared.

 

But look at the approach with WR.  They threw a bunch of late draft capital at WR and fished out bunch of UDFA, with the obvious hope that one of those "fish"  would be a "keeper".

 

It's just puzzling (and somewhat disappointing) that they didn't take a similar approach at RB.  They can't draft 3 RB next year (well they could, I suppose, but it would be unusual) and they'll need more than 1.

[Sky Diver]

How many players do we keep at each position?

[BuffaloHokie13]

1 minute ago, Sky Diver said:

How many players do we keep at each position?

It depends. Fringe guys will make it based on versatility. Last year we kept a 3rd QB because he played 278 Special Teams Snaps, for instance.

[GunnerBill]

6 minutes ago, Sky Diver said:

How many players do we keep at each position?

 

So I'd say the minimum at each spot is

 

2 QBs

4 RBs (if you include a FB)

2 TEs

5 WRs

8 OL

- - - - 

7 DL

5 LBs

8 DBs

- - - - 

3 specialists 

 

Which gets you to 44.  The last 9 spots then I would think are where you start saying "who plays teams" and "is my 6th WR more valuable than my 9th defensive back." 

[Whites Bay]

10 hours ago, Rocky Landing said:

What, no Gerhard De Beer? (Red, obviously), but makes me think that there should be asterisks for players we think will make the practice squad.

 

I was thinking the exact thing.  He and Foster are two of my practice squad picks.

 

Foster is intriguing given the lack of depth in the WR corps.  We get the speed burner candidate every couple of years, but they never pan out.  It would be amazing to have someone like that paired up with a QB that can heave it.

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

16 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

That isn't actually suggested in this thread.

Quarterback

Josh Allen

AJ McCarron

Nathan Peterman

Based on that   ^ order 

 

it looks like you have JA as #1, AJ backup and NP on the PS bubble. 

BLACK - Guaranteed roster spot (excluding major injury or suspension)

BLUE - Probable roster spot

RED - Fighting for those last few spots

[Sky Diver]

11 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

So I'd say the minimum at each spot is

 

2 QBs

4 RBs (if you include a FB)

2 TEs

5 WRs

8 OL

- - - - 

7 DL

5 LBs

8 DBs

- - - - 

3 specialists 

 

Which gets you to 44.  The last 9 spots then I would think are where you start saying "who plays teams" and "is my 6th WR more valuable than my 9th defensive back." 

 

If all of your probables make the team, there are 37 players fighting for 10 spots.

 

I'm figuring 3 QBs, 5 RBs, 3 TEs, 6 WRs, 8 OL, 8 DL, 7,  LB, 8 DBs. 3 STs. 

 

that leaves 2 swing guys. I'm figuring the swing guys are WR and LB?

[BuffaloHokie13]

3 minutes ago, ShadyBillsFan said:

Quarterback

Josh Allen

AJ McCarron

Nathan Peterman

Based on that   ^ order 

 

it looks like you have JA as #1, AJ backup and NP on the PS bubble. 

No, he has Josh Allen as the most likely to be on the roster and the other 2 in the same tier of probable likelihood.

[Uncle Joe]

Now need to add LB Keenan Robinson - probably blue..

[GunnerBill]

4 minutes ago, ShadyBillsFan said:

Quarterback

Josh Allen

AJ McCarron

Nathan Peterman

Based on that   ^ order 

 

it looks like you have JA as #1, AJ backup and NP on the PS bubble. 

BLACK - Guaranteed roster spot (excluding major injury or suspension)

BLUE - Probable roster spot

RED - Fighting for those last few spots

 

No.  I have JA as an absolute certainty to be on the roster.  Not likely to be the starter.  This makes no mention of who starts.  Then "probable to be on the roster" does not mean on the bubble.  The people who I think are on the bubble are in red.  

2 minutes ago, Sky Diver said:

 

If all of your probables make the team, there are 37 players fighting for 10 spots.

 

 

Yep.  And that is pretty much how I see it.  

[MiltonWaddams]

33 minutes ago, Whites Bay said:

 

I was thinking the exact thing.  He and Foster are two of my practice squad picks.

 

Foster is intriguing given the lack of depth in the WR corps.  We get the speed burner candidate every couple of years, but they never pan out.  It would be amazing to have someone like that paired up with a QB that can heave it.

I actually think Foster is more than a dark horse roster candidate. He was getting burn with the ones at minicamp. Hopefully he turns out to be one of the great finds of the '18 draft.

[BurpleBull]

18 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

So training camp is finally, finally just about here. I am already eagerly awaiting the first instalment of Astro's Notes.  As longer tenured members of the board will know I like to take a slightly different approach to predicting the roster than just naming the 53. I like at this point to go through what we have and brigade them into one of three categories:

 

BLACK - Guaranteed roster spot (excluding major injury or suspension)

BLUE - Probable roster spot

RED - Fighting for those last few spots

 

All clear? Then let us begin.... Here is my first stab at categorising the players currently on the Bills 2018 roster (missed a few out who I consider basically no-hopers but if one flashes I will add in later updates).

 

Quarterback

Josh Allen

AJ McCarron

Nathan Peterman

 

Running Back

LeSean McCoy

Chris Ivory

Patrick DiMarco (FB)

Travaris Cadet

Taiwan Jones

Marcus Murphy

Keith Ford

 

Tight End

Charles Clay

Nick O'Leary

Logan Thomas

Jason Croom

Khari Lee

Keith Towbridge

 

Wide Receivers

Kelvin Benjamin

Jeremy Kerley

Zay Jones

Andre Holmes

Rod Streater

Ray-Ray McCloud

Austin Proehl

Kaelin Clay

Malachi Dupre

Brandon Reilly

Cam Phillips

Robert Foster

Offensive Line

Dion Dawkins

Ryan Groy

Jordan Mills

Russell Bodine

Wyatt Teller

Vlad Ducasse

John Miller

Marshall Newhouse

Conor McDermott

Adam Redmond

De'Ondre Wesley

Ike Boettger

Defensive Line

Kyle Williams

Harrison Phillips

Star Lotulelei

Trent Murphy

Jerry Hughes

Shaq Lawson

Adolphus Washington

Eddie Yarbrough

Owa Odighizuwa

Terrence Fede

Marquavius Lewis

Tenny Palepoi

Linebacker

Tremaine Edmunds

Matt Milano

Ramon Humber

Lorenzo Alexander

Julian Stanford

Deon Lacey

Tanner Vallejo

Mat Boesen

Corey Thompson

Cornerback

Tre'Davious White

Vontae Davis

Taron Johnson

Phillip Gaines

Siran Neal

Levi Wallace

Lafayette Pitts

Breon Borders

Safety

Jordan Poyer

Micah Hyde

Rafael Bush

LJ McCray

Kelcie McCray

Dean Marlowe

 

Special Teams

 

Stephen Hauschka

Colton Schmidt

Reid Ferguson

Cory Carter

Tyler Davis
 

So in totally I have 28 all but written in to make the 53 and another 15 that I think likely do.  That leaves 10 spots to shoot for and will no doubt be influence by positional balance, special teams ability and performance in camp and pre-season. Okay TBD let me hear where and on who you disagree. 

 

 

You left DE Mike Love off the list. I think he's red with the chance of falling in the blue category.

 

Same with Austin Proehl as a slot receiver.

[Logic]

1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Oh, I agree on next year's draft.  I also agree that this might be Shady's last season with the Bills, even if he's cleared.

 

But look at the approach with WR.  They threw a bunch of late draft capital at WR and fished out bunch of UDFA, with the obvious hope that one of those "fish"  would be a "keeper".

 

It's just puzzling (and somewhat disappointing) that they didn't take a similar approach at RB.  They can't draft 3 RB next year (well they could, I suppose, but it would be unusual) and they'll need more than 1.

That's a great point. Even just signing a bunch of UDFAs at HB would seem to make sense. I'm not sure why they didn't. Then again, I was a bit perplexed at the money they threw at 30-year-old Chris Ivory, too.

Here's hoping for a COMPLETE youth movement at the position this coming offseason.

[Dr. K]

17 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

I don't disagree with your RB room, but it makes me sad. 

Age 30, Age 30, Age 29 (with stone hands), and age 29, is not exactly a room built to look towards the future.

 

Even the guys in red - Taiwan Jones (29), Marcus Murphy (27) aren't exactly a "youth movement"

 

I would like to have one or two young prospects who just MIGHT be a sleeper to look at. 

I guess that translates to "unexcited by 5'11" Keith Ford as That Guy.

 

On WR, I'm curious why you see Andre Holmes with his 13 receptions for 120 yds as a lock?

We expended a bunch of draft capital on WR this year, even if it was late rounds. 

 

That's kind of surprising if we don't intend to give any of them a shot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Agree. I have been worried about running back even before McCoy's recent public problem with his ex-girlfriend. It seems to me Beane & McDermott have taken a lot for granted in assembling this list of runners. One thing Whaley always did was bring in YOUNG undrafted or low-drafted free agent runners who were talented and could surprise. I think if for whatever reason Shady can't play, this running game could fall off a cliff. 

[GunnerBill]

1 hour ago, BurpleBull said:

 

You left DE Mike Love off the list. I think he's red with the chance of falling in the blue category.

 

Same with Austin Proehl as a slot receiver.

 

I don't think either of those can fall into the blue yet.  Is it probable that either makes the roster at this stage? Possible, certainly.  Probable? Not for me.  I did leave Love off the list though.  I will update this after the first 2 weeks of camp before pre-season games start and then again after game 3 of pre-season before cutdowns.  

[BurpleBull]

On 7/24/2018 at 12:18 PM, GunnerBill said:

 

I don't think either of those can fall into the blue yet.  Is it probable that either makes the roster at this stage? Possible, certainly.  Probable? Not for me.  I did leave Love off the list though.  I will update this after the first 2 weeks of camp before pre-season games start and then again after game 3 of pre-season before cutdowns.  

 

Mike Love starting to get some attention.

 

I think he's retained, backs up Trent Murphy and Shaq Lawson is traded if failing to perform up to the coaches' standards.

 

I see ability in him to serve in the same capacity that Shaq Lawson has.

[BurpleBull]

On 7/24/2018 at 12:18 PM, GunnerBill said:

 

I don't think either of those can fall into the blue yet.  Is it probable that either makes the roster at this stage? Possible, certainly.  Probable? Not for me.  I did leave Love off the list though.  I will update this after the first 2 weeks of camp before pre-season games start and then again after game 3 of pre-season before cutdowns.  

 

Mike Love making some plays.

 

Would like to see him retained.