Logic Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 (edited) https://www.newyorkupstate.com/buffalo-bills/2020/01/nfl-free-agents-2020-top-50-targets-for-buffalo-bills.html "The Bills had their most successful season in two decades in 2019, but that success was spoiled when a second-half collapse against the Houston Texans led to a first-round exit after blowing a 16-point lead on the road in just the team’s second playoff game of this century. There are holes to fill on Bills general manager Brandon Beane’s roster. He has nine draft picks but with so much money to spend he can also look to fill those holes on the free agent market. There are plenty of potential targets and NYUP.com gathered the Top 50 and broke things down a bit for you to argue why each player may be a fit for the Bills. Let’s start at 50 and work our way to what should be the Bills’ top target in free agency." Lots of interesting names in the article. Everyone knows the obvious ones by now: Ngakoue, Clowney, Cooper, etc...This article, though, points some lesser known and perhaps more realistic options for Buffalo, given Beane's recent "I doubt we'll be in the deep end of the pool" comments. Off the top of my head, I think Jordan Howard, Tajae Sharp, Eric Ebron, and Bryan Bulaga could be of great help on offense, while Gerald McCoy or Michael Brockers would make for a great rotation at 3T and AJ Klein would be great depth/leadership for the LB corps. I am particularly confounded by Jordan Howard. He had two 1,100 yard seasons back to back, then a 950ish yard season. He had a down year in Philly, sure, but he's still just 25 years old and likely won't command a huge contract. I get that RBs are supposedly a dime a dozen these days, but why has this guy so quickly fallen from grace? Anyway...what sayest you, Bills fans? Who catches your eye? Edited January 22, 2020 by Logic 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prissythecat Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Philip Rivers -> He will throw for 300 yards 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gambit Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Yannick, Hooper, Conklin, Lawson, Perriman, Byron Jones and Howard. Now I highly doubt we'd have enough cash for all of them clearly but if we could land a good portion of those I'd call that a huge success. If I had to choose 3 give me Yannick, Conklin and Perriman. We could save some money and go with Williams instead of Conklin tho. Cutting Kroft would help towards landing Hooper. Same goes for cutting Murphy to keep Lawson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay free Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Aj green wr, Shaq Barrett lb, jordan Howard rb, yannck ngaque de, Gerald McCoy dt, Robert quinn de, Aj Klein lb, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwhit34 Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 I would go big game hunting and target Ngakoue, Hooper and Conklin. Expensive, but all are young (24 or 25). While the 3 could cost $38-40 million a year combined, signing them enables the Bills to let go Tyler Kroft, Trent Murphy, Spencer Long and Lee Smith, saving about $18-19 million, so it's a net spend of $20-22 million. That leaves them about $70 million under the cap. They could keep Lawson at around $8 million and their DE/edge is solid with Ngakoue, Hughes and Lawson, plus Darryl Johnson (and 3 young players potentially coming into their prime). SIgning Conklin could even open the door to letting Nsekhe go (saves about $3.7 million) if they feel good enough about Bates being swing tackle, potentially moving Cody Ford there in an injury scenario from one of the guard spots, or if they like Waddle sign him as the swing tackle. Hooper is the big get though, and having him, Knox and Sweeney make the position a real strength. That still hasn't addressed WR, but even re-signing Lawson they have over $60 million left. A 2nd tier WR like D. Robinson from KC and draft Shenault or Higgins (since you shored up DE and OT in free agency that's not a pressing need anymore). Pick a RB you like and draft one in middle rounds. Mostert is more evidence you can find them anywhere for cheap. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 (edited) Just say no to Bulaga. The guy can't stay healthy. OTOH, Peat or Glasgow seem like good OL pickups that would fit the Bills needs. Ngakoue, Hooper and Conklin are probably priced out of our range. Kenyan Drake would be ideal, but I doubt Beane wants to spend $6MM per at RB. Sure sounds like a 'process' guy though: "It's bigger than me," Drake said. "The game is not about any one individual player and whatever specific accolades he can accumulate. Not a lot of people get this opportunity." It is a big-picture view that not every player has. "I for sure had to learn it," Drake said. "Everyone has to grow up one day." https://www.azcardinals.com/news/kenyan-drake-wait-for-playing-time-paying-off-with-cardinals-free-agency He'd add a lot to the passing game: https://arizonasports.com/story/2231725/espn-seifert-case-kenyan-drake-nfl-free-agent-rb/ Edited January 22, 2020 by Lurker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed83HOF Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 1 minute ago, Lurker said: Just say no to Bulaga. The guy can't stay healthy. OTOH, Peat or Glasgow seem like good OL pickups that would fit the Bills needs. Ngakoue, Hooper and Conklin are probably priced out of our range. Kenyan Drake would be ideal, but I doubt Beane wants to spend $6MM per at RB. He'd add a lot to the passing game however: https://arizonasports.com/story/2231725/espn-seifert-case-kenyan-drake-nfl-free-agent-rb/ Bulaga looked awful sunday. The other 3 are not out priced of our range & I would be shocked at $6M per year on an RB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldTimeAFLGuy Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 2 minutes ago, Lurker said: Just say no to Bulaga. The guy can't stay healthy. OTOH, Peat or Glasgow seem like good OL pickups that would fit the Bills needs. Ngakoue, Hooper and Conklin are probably priced out of our range. Kenyan Drake would be ideal, but I doubt Beane wants to spend $6MM per at RB. He'd add a lot to the passing game however: https://arizonasports.com/story/2231725/espn-seifert-case-kenyan-drake-nfl-free-agent-rb/ ...agree...Rivers as a backup?....not happening...Mariota?....says, "I will be a starter somewhere"...AJ Green?.....Bungles are allegedly willing to franchise him.....big tag for 8 games a year.....Henry?.....if Titans let him go, so goes their offense......WAY out of McBeane's price range anyway......SD's Gordon?......balked at Charger's offer of $10 mil/yr.....looking for $13 mil/yr according to some reports...seriously?.....McBeane would have his phone disconnected first......FA openers..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleeding Bills Blue Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 12 minutes ago, Lurker said: Just say no to Bulaga. The guy can't stay healthy. OTOH, Peat or Glasgow seem like good OL pickups that would fit the Bills needs. Ngakoue, Hooper and Conklin are probably priced out of our range. Kenyan Drake would be ideal, but I doubt Beane wants to spend $6MM per at RB. He'd add a lot to the passing game however: https://arizonasports.com/story/2231725/espn-seifert-case-kenyan-drake-nfl-free-agent-rb/ Watching Drake, he always impressed me. Looks really quick, has some good top end speed, good hands. Never understood why miami didn't give him a chance. Nevermind - adam gase isn't a very good coach. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleeding Bills Blue Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 9 minutes ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said: ...agree...Rivers as a backup?....not happening...Mariota?....says, "I will be a starter somewhere"...AJ Green?.....Bungles are allegedly willing to franchise him.....big tag for 8 games a year.....Henry?.....if Titans let him go, so goes their offense......WAY out of McBeane's price range anyway......SD's Gordon?......balked at Charger's offer of $10 mil/yr.....looking for $13 mil/yr according to some reports...seriously?.....McBeane would have his phone disconnected first......FA openers..... Rivers - gross Mariota - Maybe the bears with Trubiskey? Green - Makes sense to maximize what you have in front of a rookie. They're not a free agent destination because of ownership, and they don't need cap space. Can make the 17+ million in a second by cut/trading dalton too. Henry - Pass. Too much for a back. He does have an impressive size/speed combo - but his limitations in a passing attack make him a bit of a niche player. Needs to be in a heavy play action team who doesn't throw the ball to their backs very often. He's currently on that team, so i kind of assume he'll stay. Gordon - Is he even good? 10 mil a year? yuck. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dma0034 Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 (edited) I want AJ Green and Conklin. Pass on the rest Edited January 22, 2020 by dma0034 Typo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Biscuit97 Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 I don’t see a major FA signing. This cap room is about to go fast once these young players are up to get paid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bills_fan Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 I would really like Green and Ngakoue. Pass on Conklin because he's too much of a douchebag. Aj Klein would fit in nicely. I'm in the re-sign Shaq Lawson camp. Of course, I would love to sign Hooper and Drake, but I think you can only afford one (assuming you plan to extend guys like White and Milano). 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 (edited) 17 minutes ago, dneveu said: Watching Drake, he always impressed me. Looks really quick, has some good top end speed, good hands. Never understood why miami didn't give him a chance. Nevermind - adam gase isn't a very good coach. That's two big strikes against Gase now. Tanny and Drake. Maybe the smelling salts are eating away at his brain. It looks like the Cards are going to keep Drake and let David Johnson go. Man, I loved Johnson a bunch a few years ago and it's amazing how fast he's gone from the penthouse to the outhouse. Johnson would be a great complement to Singletary, but his contact will likely make him unmoveable ($10.2 million in 2020! NFW)... Edited January 22, 2020 by Lurker 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerboski Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 I like ngakoue, perriman and hunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dkollidas Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 I see them going for one guy in the top 10 (maybe 2 if they go after Hooper) , and then maybe 2-3 others in the top 100 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Biscuit97 Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 1 hour ago, Lurker said: That's two big strikes against Gase now. Tanny and Drake. Maybe the smelling salts are eating away at his brain. It looks like the Cards are going to keep Drake and let David Johnson go. Man, I loved Johnson a bunch a few years ago and it's amazing how fast he's gone from the penthouse to the outhouse. Johnson would be a great complement to Singletary, but his contact will likely make him unmoveable ($10.2 million in 2020! NFW)... I still don’t believe in Tanneyhill but I never got why they didn’t use Drake. I even had him as a keeper in fantasy football and I’m like a fantasy football genius (women love it!). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Formerly Allan in MD Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 Howard would be a good add. Bring back Spain. Would Shaq take the money and not "run?" That's a major question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah John Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 Pay Ngakoue and Henry. Re-sign Spain. That is all we need to do in FA. We can get by without Jordan Phillips with Horrible Harry returning and Ed Oliver progressing. It's a good draft year for WRs so take what the market is offering. Put Henry and Singletary in the backfield together -- what do defenses do? Commit to the run and open the middle of the field to Kroft and Beasley. The Bills got very lucky in FA last year, upgrading their O line with only Morse being expensive. They don't need an upgrade on the O line as much as they need upgrades elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Needle Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 Rashard Higgins would be someone I targeted. I think he has a ton of upside and would come at a reasonable cost. I think he is a player who has been shortchanged and wouldn't lack motivation. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rc2catch Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 The more stuff that comes out the more clear it is a large portion of those players are never going to be available. Yannick and henry are never making it to free agency. We are going to have some really disappointed fans. Better start looking a little deeper down the list like Quinn and JPP and that next tier of players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSHMEAB Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 Conklin is definitely an appealing name. He's gonna get a big contract, but he is the type of RT that could help transform the efficacy of the run block game. Big time. I believe the OL was at least adequate in pass pro, but well below average in the run game. You bring in a banger like Conklin, kick Ford over to LG, and theoretically drastically upgrade the run blocking. That would depend quite a bit more on Ford's ability to play guard than it would Conklin, who's a proven commodity. I'm still not sure where Ford fits, but if he can't excel at guard, that pick went terribly wrong. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rc2catch Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 14 minutes ago, LSHMEAB said: Conklin is definitely an appealing name. He's gonna get a big contract, but he is the type of RT that could help transform the efficacy of the run block game. Big time. I believe the OL was at least adequate in pass pro, but well below average in the run game. You bring in a banger like Conklin, kick Ford over to LG, and theoretically drastically upgrade the run blocking. That would depend quite a bit more on Ford's ability to play guard than it would Conklin, who's a proven commodity. I'm still not sure where Ford fits, but if he can't excel at guard, that pick went terribly wrong. I think putting Conklin, ford and Feliciano on this line would possibly be the nastiest offensive line in the league. Those are 3 big time maulers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njbuff Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 4 hours ago, bills_fan said: I would really like Green and Ngakoue. Pass on Conklin because he's too much of a douchebag. Aj Klein would fit in nicely. I'm in the re-sign Shaq Lawson camp. Of course, I would love to sign Hooper and Drake, but I think you can only afford one (assuming you plan to extend guys like White and Milano). If he can solve the RT turnstile, who cares if he is a douchebag. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LEBills Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 Of all the big names, give me Conklin. Just him and I’ll be really happy. Single best thing we can do for Josh is to finally protect his right side. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LABILLBACKER Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 39 minutes ago, njbuff said: If he can solve the RT turnstile, who cares if he is a douchebag. Exactly, it's not like Richie was a choir boy. Keep improving this oline every year. Watch Josh's numbers continue to improve. And if we land a solid RB2 to compliment Devin away we go. 1. Ngakoue 2. Conklin 3. Hunter Henry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BADOLBILZ Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 1 hour ago, LSHMEAB said: Conklin is definitely an appealing name. He's gonna get a big contract, but he is the type of RT that could help transform the efficacy of the run block game. Big time. I believe the OL was at least adequate in pass pro, but well below average in the run game. You bring in a banger like Conklin, kick Ford over to LG, and theoretically drastically upgrade the run blocking. That would depend quite a bit more on Ford's ability to play guard than it would Conklin, who's a proven commodity. I'm still not sure where Ford fits, but if he can't excel at guard, that pick went terribly wrong. Nsekhe and Ford were VERY impressive in run blocking as a RT/RG combo in the preseason. I'm not in favor of paying Conklin...........I'd prefer to take a shot at Jason Peters and re-sign Waddle to compete or share backup duties with Nsekhe and call the position filled. Peters also offers top 10 LT ability if something happens to Dawkins. And he's year to year so low commitment........which is ideal for a position that is dubious to invest $30M-$50M in guarantees into. And worst case......if they all break down........you can put Ford out there and survive even if he sucks. Bills lead the NFL in rushing, big plays, fewest turnovers and had a good scoring team with the woeful Jordan Mills at RT for two years. Getting a top 5 RT(without LT flexibility) secured long term in FA is very much a luxury purchase IMO. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsbackto81 Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 (edited) 6 hours ago, Lurker said: Just say no to Bulaga. The guy can't stay healthy. OTOH, Peat or Glasgow seem like good OL pickups that would fit the Bills needs. Ngakoue, Hooper and Conklin are probably priced out of our range. Kenyan Drake would be ideal, but I doubt Beane wants to spend $6MM per at RB. Sure sounds like a 'process' guy though: "It's bigger than me," Drake said. "The game is not about any one individual player and whatever specific accolades he can accumulate. Not a lot of people get this opportunity." It is a big-picture view that not every player has. "I for sure had to learn it," Drake said. "Everyone has to grow up one day." https://www.azcardinals.com/news/kenyan-drake-wait-for-playing-time-paying-off-with-cardinals-free-agency He'd add a lot to the passing game: https://arizonasports.com/story/2231725/espn-seifert-case-kenyan-drake-nfl-free-agent-rb/ With 90 mil in cap space no player is out of our price range. Whether its spent is a different topic. 1. Derrick Henry 2. Ngakoue 3. A. Cooper 4. Best FA OL or draft prospect Edited January 23, 2020 by billsbackto81 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSHMEAB Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 4 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said: Nsekhe and Ford were VERY impressive in run blocking as a RT/RG combo in the preseason. I'm not in favor of paying Conklin...........I'd prefer to take a shot at Jason Peters and re-sign Waddle to compete or share backup duties with Nsekhe and call the position filled. Peters also offers top 10 LT ability if something happens to Dawkins. And he's year to year so low commitment........which is ideal for a position that is dubious to invest $30M-$50M in guarantees into. And worst case......if they all break down........you can put Ford out there and survive even if he sucks. Bills lead the NFL in rushing, big plays, fewest turnovers and had a good scoring team with the woeful Jordan Mills at RT for two years. Getting a top 5 RT(without LT flexibility) secured long term in FA is very much a luxury purchase IMO. All fair points and you clearly don't want to see them pay an RT. That's a perfectly reasonable view. But I'm trying to figure out they improve this particular unit and I wouldn't mind that kind of investment in a VERY good RT in both aspects of the game. Yeah, they got by with Mills, but they had Wood, Cogs, and Glenn. I don't see that here. Peters/Waddle would be solid additions and could certainly shift the paradigm. Not sure how much Peters has left in the tank though. Counter would be that Nsekhe is OLD and I must say I haven't been impressed with Ford, even at guard. That's actually my big concern here. They've got to put together a unit capable of pushing the LOS. It seems like it's become a "no brainer" that Ford would excel at guard. I'm not so sure about that. At all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LABILLBACKER Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 3 minutes ago, billsbackto81 said: With 90 mil in cap space no player is out of our price range. Whether its spent is a different topic. We have 90-100 M depending on who we release. Money is not the issue. Its targeting the right players that compliment this team. Don't be afraid to spend it, make it count. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KOKBILLS Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 I don't think the Bills are going big-game hunting in the UFA market... But the guy I would like is Collins...I think he's a great replacement for Zo, he's more versatile, and I don't think they'll have to break the bank to get him (Spotrac has his Market Value at 8.8 per year...)...Plus it hurts the Pats if we sign him...Win/Win...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thurman#1 Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 4 hours ago, LABILLBACKER said: We have 90-100 M depending on who we release. Money is not the issue. Its targeting the right players that compliment this team. Don't be afraid to spend it, make it count. Money is the issue. Not in terms of the total amount of money we have to spend. We could get any three or so guys we wanted if that were the big concern. The money concern isn't total pool available, it is how this regime has said (again and again, and every year) that they will spend free agent money. And been as good as their word every step of the way. What'd he say about being surprised if they go into the deep end? Something like that. Take him at his word. A lot of people here want to play Madden and spend every penny and get the biggest guys. They want to win the offseason. But teams that win the offseason rarely seem to do as well during the actual season. Expect the Bills to continue to be Beane-esque and McDermotty. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Call_Of_Ktulu Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 If we sign Hooper and hit on a 1st rd WR this offense is going to take off next year. Another good RB and a RT and we should be set. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Jokeman Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 7 hours ago, KOKBILLS said: I don't think the Bills are going big-game hunting in the UFA market... But the guy I would like is Collins...I think he's a great replacement for Zo, he's more versatile, and I don't think they'll have to break the bank to get him (Spotrac has his Market Value at 8.8 per year...)...Plus it hurts the Pats if we sign him...Win/Win...? We might get one big name ala when we signed Morse this past offseason yet expect us to get more of the good not great guys out there that fits in what we're trying to do here both scheme wise and locker room wise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoBills! Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 (edited) I’d go hard for hunter Henry and Conklin. Hunter is a top TE threat and maybe won’t command Cooper money. Edited January 23, 2020 by GoBills! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 Hunter Henry, Derek Henry, Jason Verret, Edge, Justin Simmons are the 5 I would seriously consider signing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dont Stop Billeiving Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 10 hours ago, njbuff said: If he can solve the RT turnstile, who cares if he is a douchebag. Also, @bills_fan, are you sure you aren't thinking of the Titans' LEFT tackle Taylor Lewan? As far as I was aware, Lewan has the infamous reputation for being dirty. For example, our secondary had a lot to say about his behavior after our win against them this year. However, I've never heard anything similar about Conklin. Just seems like a good player and a great fit for our team. Adding Conklin and either Hooper/Henry at TE would make a huge difference to our offense. Sign 1-2 playmakers on defense, re-sign/extend our own, and solve the rest through the draft. With our talent and all these resources, no reason this team cannot be a genuine contender for multiple years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victory Formation Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 Bradley Roby opposite of Tre White would be disgusting. I think that would be a huge boost to our defense. Combine that with Bud Dupree at DE and I think our defense could take a jump. Spend our 1st and 2nd picks on OL and WR and maybe draft Josh Uche or Willie Gay to take over for LoZo and we’re looking at a top 3 defense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Call_Of_Ktulu Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 I would love to see this team sign Hooper and Hunter Henry and run a lot more of those Baltimore formations. I have always thought that the hurry up offense gives you an advantage with two all purpose TE’s. Teams don’t know what defensive packages to use and that’s when mistakes are made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebandit27 Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 I’ve long felt that Demarcus Robinson could be a tier-2 option at WR. When he gets targets he looks good 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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