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EJ Gaines is back!


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I love this signing . He did great in 17 , terrific fit for the scheme and an upgrade over KJ , for this scheme.

 

More importantly he adds legit competition with Norman,Levi

 

I think if Taron is healthy , he's a lock for the slot. He's a BEAST. But this is also competition for him too. 

 

Roster keeps getting deeper and deeper. Love it!

Edited by JerseyBills
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1 hour ago, nucci said:

You can bring 90 players to camp...you have to start signing players...he could still not make the team

 

Yes to bolded.  Bills currently have 68 players signed with only 11 backfield players.

There will be a lot more going to camp.  

2 minutes ago, That's No Moon said:

I guess what I'm getting at is how do you even justify giving him over a roster spot unless he is head and shoulders better than the next best guy.

 

Simple because there is 90 roster spots to fill.

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2 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

There's going to be a rookie in the mix somewhere, challenging for time, too.   Bills won't go through the next couple of months without signing a drafted or free agent rookie. The position requires depth, but it also requires young depth.   

White , Gaines , Levi , Taron are all under 30. 

 

 

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Naturally you pay this man with incentives for staying on the field. He is a talented corner but either his style of play or his physical limitations cut his availability every year.  Now if you platoon him, cutting his snaps in a meaningful way, maybe you have for the playoff run and the postseason. 

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1 minute ago, JerseyBills said:

White , Gaines , Levi , Taron are all under 30. 

 

 

Gaines is not a guy you plan on as your next young guy behind Wallace.   If he wins the job from Wallace, it means Wallace doesn't have a future, and Gaines will be gone in a couple of years.   

 

I'm just saying, you're going to see more youth in camp than you see on the roster right now.   That's true for all positions, but it's particularly true with defensive backs.   I don't know if I imagined it, but I think Beane once said something like 'you need to take a defensive back in the draft every year."

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Just now, Shaw66 said:

Gaines is not a guy you plan on as your next young guy behind Wallace.   If he wins the job from Wallace, it means Wallace doesn't have a future, and Gaines will be gone in a couple of years.   

 

I'm just saying, you're going to see more youth in camp than you see on the roster right now.   That's true for all positions, but it's particularly true with defensive backs.   I don't know if I imagined it, but I think Beane once said something like 'you need to take a defensive back in the draft every year."

Oh I def agree. The staff is hoping Levi can make a jump but if he can't , Gaines is a great security blanket and doesn't have a long term future for sure. I just like the signing because we need some depth. 

 

Also agree we will see a few rookie DBs . I could see them drafting 2 . Picking up a couple UDFA rookies as well. 

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2 hours ago, JohnC said:

This signing was understandable. The Norman pickup was perplexing. In his last season with the Redskins the team was more comfortable with him on the bench than on the field. When Carolina walked away from him they were smart. When the Redskins signed him they ended up being duped. When a team signs a big ticket player they should be smart enough to put that player in a scheme that he is best suited to. They didn't do it. 

 

That is true. But he still actually played really well his first two years in Washington despite being asked to do things he was less comfortable with. The last year and a half he did really struggle and overall he didn't live up to the contract. I am probably more confident than most that there is something left in Norman though. Back in a more favourable scheme I think he can be a good short term pick up for us. 

 

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1 hour ago, Lurker said:

 

At best, Norman is a contributor in a nickle or dime role.   At worst, he's a $1.5 million (dead cap) insurance policy who can easily be released or ride the bench in a player/coach/mentor role.   

 

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/buffalo-bills/josh-norman-9964/

 

In 2019, Gaines had a one-year contract for $2.1 million.    He'll likely make slightly less this year, so maybe another $300,000 or so dead cap if released.

 

Team Contract Type Status Year Signed Yrs Total APY Guarantees Amount Earned % Earned Effective APY
Rams Drafted Traded 2014 4 $2,327,672 $581,918 $107,672 $1,460,672 62.8% $486,891
Bills Drafted Expired 2014 4 $2,327,672 $581,918 $107,672 $1,797,000 77.2% $1,797,000
Browns UFA Expired 2018 1 $4,000,000 $4,000,000 $1,400,000 $3,531,250 88.3% $3,531,250
Bills UFA Terminated 2019 1 $2,100,000 $2,100,000 $250,000 $350,000 16.7% $0

 

Seems like reasonable bets on both guys...

 

The issue I have with Norman has little to do with how much or how little he will be paid. The coaches in Washington last year thought he was such a liability that the team preferred that he didn't play at all. Whether you are paid a penny or a dollar a liability is a liability. 

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6 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

That is true. But he still actually played really well his first two years in Washington despite being asked to do things he was less comfortable with. The last year and a half he did really struggle and overall he didn't live up to the contract. I am probably more confident than most that there is something left in Norman though. Back in a more favourable scheme I think he can be a good short term pick up for us. 

 

My problem with him is not that he didn't live up to his bountiful contract so much as he was atrocious for an extended period of time ( as you noted a season and a half) regardless what his salary was. If he were a minimum salaried player based on his play he would still be considered an underperforming player. 

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1 hour ago, Nick the Greek said:

Reminds me of Percy Harvin. The guy was always hurt, but for some reason we just kept giving him loads of cash. Seems like Pegula is fond of doing that with certain players. 

I remember when we brought him out of retirement in 2016 and he didn’t do *****. 

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2 hours ago, BuffaloBills1998 said:

No I was making a point. We signed and cut this guy last year because he couldn’t figure out how to stay healthy. We’re signing someone who’s body looks completely broken down 

Couldn’t figure out how to stay healthy

 

you can’t figure out how to make good points we don’t hold that against you

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6 minutes ago, Nick the Greek said:

Could you imagine it? Being paid $1 million to do... nothing. 
 

some guys got all the luck. 

Unfortunately this is true

16 minutes ago, John from Riverside said:

Couldn’t figure out how to stay healthy

 

you can’t figure out how to make good points we don’t hold that against you

Well obviously he can’t, we was effective in 17 and didn’t do anything after that year, I believe he went to Cleveland and didn’t do anything cause he was injured most of that year. He got cut and came back and got injured before the season even started got cut didn’t play for anyone else the rest of the year and now we sign him back again and probably we’ll cut him again. Its a waste of time to sign someone you know is injury prone and someone you can’t rely on. Especially when there’s better players still in free agency that’s worth’s contract more than Gaines

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29 minutes ago, JohnC said:

My problem with him is not that he didn't live up to his bountiful contract so much as he was atrocious for an extended period of time ( as you noted a season and a half) regardless what his salary was. If he were a minimum salaried player based on his play he would still be considered an underperforming player. 

 

Sure. But in a system that as his skills declined his lack of suitability for showed up more. I also think he chucked it in a bit last year - on a terrible team. It might not work out but I am reasonably hopeful. 

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5 minutes ago, BuffaloBills1998 said:

Unfortunately this is true

Well obviously he can’t, we was effective in 17 and didn’t do anything after that year, I believe he went to KC and didn’t do anything cause he was injured most of that year. He got cut and came back and got injured before the season even started got cut didn’t play for anyone else the rest of the year and now we sign him back again and probably we’ll cut him again. Its a waste of time to sign someone you know is injury prone and someone you can’t rely on. Especially when there’s better players still in free agency that’s worth’s contract more than Gaines

Everyone knows he is injury prone

backup corner

very good when healthy

probably super cheap

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20 minutes ago, John from Riverside said:

Everyone knows he is injury prone

backup corner

very good when healthy

probably super cheap

 

This a competition move, building up a highly competitive and deep camp is worth it. Low risk high reward for us, Gaines getting one last crack at making the team again. 

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1 hour ago, Charles Romes said:

He’s going to be fighting for his NFL life and that’s good for the Bills.  Beane is dedicated to creating competition for every roster spot. 

This is a keen observation that has been lost in the excitement.
Beanes and McD spoke about the iron sharpening iron thing. Creating fair competition is a fairly excellent way to get the most out of players. Whom are naturally competitive and driven that way.
and keep bringing in some one who is working hard to take your job.
Players all know it up front.

just an excellent and honest method of Team building to be the best.

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55 minutes ago, Buffalo86 said:

Bring back Jonathan Williams!  

 

I didn't think it deserved its own thread, but we do have an opening.


I actually brought this up in a thread somewhere. He looked pretty good for the Colts in spot duty. I think he would be a good change of pace to Singletary. 

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13 minutes ago, MrEpsYtown said:


I actually brought this up in a thread somewhere. He looked pretty good for the Colts in spot duty. I think he would be a good change of pace to Singletary. 


I'll never understand why the Bills cut Jonathan Williams. He looked really good in the preseason for Buffalo. I know coach McDermott says it wasn't for any character reasons, but I can't help but think Williams was somehow not a culture/process fit. 

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1 hour ago, Logic said:


I'll never understand why the Bills cut Jonathan Williams. He looked really good in the preseason for Buffalo. I know coach McDermott says it wasn't for any character reasons, but I can't help but think Williams was somehow not a culture/process fit. 


I totally disagreed with that move. I think there were two factors at bay there. First Williams didn’t offer any special teams prowess. Secondly, McDermott wanted to keep Mike Tolbert to establish his culture. I didn’t love that they kept Tolbert, but it made some sense. The one that got me was keeping journeyman Joe Banyard who was Kelly Skipper’s guy for culture in the room. Banyard was cut in October or something and they kept Taiwan Jones for special teams. Williams should have made that team over Banyard. 

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