Brandon Beane end of season press conference 1/27 11am

[Hapless Bills Fan]

6 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

Ok. Point is, the D and Team did fine with him and without Milano. Milano is replaceable.

 

My understanding is the Bills were 12-0 when Milano played and 3-3 this year when he didn't.

Now a W or L is not all Milano, but that does argue for a close look under the hood before saying "the team did fine"

 

 

[BADOLBILZ]

18 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

That was my interpretation.  He used the Jordan Phillips conversation.

 

The thing is, for both Shaq Lawson and for Jordan Phillips as I recall the Bills offer was not that far off of what they eventually took, on a per-year basis.  The big sticking point seemed to be the length of the contract and the guaranteed $$. 

 

But to replace them, we wound up spending a lot of dollars to bring in a bunch of guys who arguably we did not get nearly as much production from.

 

I kind of had a sinking feeling when I heard that about Milano - that we might wind up spending more to bring in 2-3 JAGS who, added together, only kind of replace him

 

 

 

Jordan Phillips and Shaq Lawson were no more productive in 2020 than the players Beane replaced them with.

 

I know some people refuse to believe that players raise their off-season prep and in-season games to the max in contract years but it's a reality............Shaq and Phillips were THOSE kinda' guys........that was their character/MO for several seasons to start their careers.........underachievers......and predictably huge disappointments for their new teams.

Edited January 27, 2021 by BADOLBILZ

[TheBeaneBandit]

1 hour ago, RyanC883 said:

 

guess what they deem a "star" is important.  I'm fine passing on a guy like Dupree.  Getting either Tomlinson or or L. Williams would be really helpful for the entire D.  

That would make the biggest overall difference for sure👍

[SCBills]

1 minute ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

My understanding is the Bills were 12-0 when Milano played and 3-3 this year when he didn't.

Now a W or L is not all Milano, but that does argue for a close look under the hood before saying "the team did fine"

 

 

 

One of those losses was to KC, and the defense was an unmitigated disaster in the second KC game Milano played in.  

 

Tennessee was when we had no idea how to use Klein, amongst a plethora of other issues going on at the time.  

 

Then we lost to Arizona on a hail mary.  

 

I'm just not sure that record is indicative of anything we need to look too deep into. 

[DrDawkinstein]

4 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

My understanding is the Bills were 12-0 when Milano played and 3-3 this year when he didn't.

Now a W or L is not all Milano, but that does argue for a close look under the hood before saying "the team did fine"

 

 

 

That is a fun, but meaningless stat. Especially given how the team played in the losses to Tenn and KC, and the fact we had the Arizona game all but won.

 

The team did fine without him.

 

 

Edited January 27, 2021 by DrDawkinstein

[Hapless Bills Fan]

11 minutes ago, NewEra said:

Like who?  Klein? Every other FA can be cut with little dead cap. 

 

Can you explain what "little dead cap" means to you?

 

1 minute ago, SCBills said:

One of those losses was to KC, and the defense was an unmitigated disaster in the second KC game Milano played in.  

Tennessee was when we had no idea how to use Klein, amongst a plethora of other issues going on at the time.  

Then we lost to Arizona on a hail mary.  

I'm just not sure that record is indicative of anything we need to look too deep into. 

 

And that may be a fair take.  But it may not be.  The Cover1 guys seem to feel our defense is a different beast with Milano in there.

 

 

13 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

Beane's comments about Milano "earning the right to test the market" and that the Bills "would like to bring him back" sounds to me like they are planning on him not  being here next year.

 

I agree that seems to be the language Beane uses in an end-of-season presser when his assessment is that the FA market will likely offer a player more than he is willing to pay.

 

[bills6969]

6 minutes ago, KOKBILLS said:

 

No...They still want him at DE. Just sounds like he went a little overboard on the weight cut and had problems putting any back on. I think a lot of it had to do with the strange off season. I think if it's a regular off season and he's in the facility every day, their plan for his weight would have been better managed. 😎

makes sense.  Hopefully he’s living in the weightroom this offseason.  He needs to bulk up for sure.  Could be a big year for him next year if he gets his body right. 

[SCBills]

Just now, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Can you explain what "little dead cap" means to you?

 

 

And that may be a fair take.  But it may not be.  The Cover1 guys seem to feel our defense is a different beast with Milano in there.

 

 

 

Moving on from Milano and sacrificing good rotational players for a stud and some JAG's in certain areas might just be the move we have to make to construct a team that can beat KC.  

 

The downside is that team could also be more susceptible to losses against other teams over the course of the season if we get an injury bug and a 6th Round rookie has to play meaningful snaps in multiple games somewhere.  

[DCOrange]

Milano is going to be tough to replace, but I think we pretty much have to try. I'm not necessarily convinced that Edmunds is or will be a better player than Milano, but we can probably only afford to pay one of them and Edmunds is understandably the one they're going to be willing to bet on. We're going to need to find a diamond in the rough.

[Heres to the red and blue]

I honestly have no clue what you all see in Milano. Pass coverage?? TEs ate us alive all season all the playoffs.. Blitzing??...the guy simply got absorbed into the trench way too many times. Missed tackles galore with Milano...every game he got juked or repeatedly failed his arm-tackling. IMO...he is WAY overrated. Please let him walk ...

 

 

[KOKBILLS]

1 minute ago, bills6969 said:

makes sense.  Hopefully he’s living in the weightroom this offseason.  He needs to bulk up for sure.  Could be a big year for him next year if he gets his body right. 

 

He did look real thin...He weighed in at 275 at the Combine. I wonder how low he got? Certainly did not look any more than about 250...My guess is they want him around 260-265...He's a little over 6-5 so that's probably as low as he can go and stay effective as a 4-3 DE...

 

The good news is they asked him to cut and he did it. Shows his dedication. At least we don't have another Marcell Dareus situation in that regard...😎

[WideNine]

2 hours ago, Bangarang said:

Why are people so obsessed with having a more balanced offense? Do you want to take the ball out of Josh’s hands after he had an MVP caliber season and helped us be a top scoring offense?

 

I don’t want to run it a lot more, just be better when we do. This offense is about throwing the ball.

 

Josh dropping back and slinging it a zillion times works when he is facing teams that cannot get to him and stop the run with their front d-linemen and are not able to drop everyone else into coverage effectively.

 

Sure Allen had an MVP caliber season, but teams that could generate pressure with their front 4 and still leave 2 safeties back deep and field DBs across the shallow zones were able to give him his worst games. No open receivers, holding the ball too long, pressure in his face, and costly sacks and incompletions.

 

Having the ability to run the ball, does not mean that you run the ball all the time and that Allen cannot sling it. There is this illogical fear that being able to run means that our offense is going to use 12 personnel and pound it 50% of the time and that is not the case. It means that you have the legit threat that you can run the ball when you need to. When teams have great coverage and can generate pressure, or when some of your key receiving threats are dinged up, you can dictate their defense and slow their pass rush.

 

KC uses 12 personnel and has the option to run or hit their TE's usually 30%-35% of the time, but no one thinks of them as a running team. They can when they need to. When we did to them what they did to us and took away all their receivers what did they do? They ran all over us.

 

When teams go into a split-deep safety look and flood the field with defensive backs leaving the box virtually empty we should be able to run against that and force them to change their defensive posture or personnel. It means that when their d-line is pinning its ears back to rush Allen they now have to tap the brakes to ensure a runner does not slip past them.

 

When they have to change how they play us, it opens up the intermediate passes and play-action passes deep with no help over the top. It also keeps Allen from taking a lot of unnecessary hits from defensive linemen who have no reason to slow down.

 

Allen having an MVP season is great, but it is not the goal. The team winning it all is the goal.

 

In the championship games against more complete teams you have to be able to make good on the threat of being able to run on them if they are cheating their personnel towards coverage and pass rush. It was the legit threat of KC running the ball along with their deep passing threat that kept the Bills in an ineffective defensive purgatory of having to keep enough guys in the box and leave enough deep which left a lot of open green in between.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 27, 2021 by WideNine

[KOKBILLS]

23 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

Beane's comments about Milano "earning the right to test the market" and that the Bills "would like to bring him back" sounds to me like they are planning on him not  being here next year.

 

 

 

My guess is they hope he goes out and does not get what he's looking for due to the Cap in 2021 and the fact that he did have a bit of an off-season due to injuries. Then they can work something out on a 1 year deal. He'll get a big raise no matter what for a year (his 2020 base was only $2.1 million), then hit FA in what will hopefully be a huge money market in 2022...😎

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

2 hours ago, Bangarang said:

Why are people so obsessed with having a more balanced offense? Do you want to take the ball out of Josh’s hands after he had an MVP caliber season and helped us be a top scoring offense?

 

I don’t want to run it a lot more, just be better when we do. This offense is about throwing the ball.

who cares about play calling, but good lord they have a running back on the field almost every offensive down. At least get us a RB that can break a run occasionally to slow the pass rush or hit a swing pass for 25 yards. 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

5 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

Jordan Phillips and Shaq Lawson were no more productive in 2020 than the players Beane replaced them with.

 

I know some people refuse to believe that players raise their off-season prep and in-season games to the max in contract years but it's a reality............Shaq and Phillips were THOSE kinda' guys........that was their character/MO for several seasons to start their careers.........underachievers......and predictably huge disappointments for their new teams.

 

I'm sure the perception that these guys could not necessarily be counted on to "buy in" and continue to prep and play at the same level or better once given a guaranteed contract factored into the decision.

 

I thought Shaq Lawson played well for Miami when I saw him (which is not often, given where I live), but looking at his stats overall you have a point if you're comparing him to Mario Addison.  Of course, Phillips only played 8 (effectively) games, so there's that.

 

For Jordan Phillips, I think a big factor in the decision about a guaranteed contract was his tendency to free-lance and go "off script" sometimes.  I don't know if you saw Matt Fairburn's article in the Athletic.  After he was fired in Philly, he got feedback:

Quote

Mikell was honest with him, too. Those Eagles defenses had what Mikell described as some “colorful personalities.” Some players didn’t buy into the system and would occasionally go off script on the field.

“They were there kind of selfishly doing their own thing,” Mikell said. “And I said, ‘That’s one thing that you have to make sure is, moving along, that’s your way or no way. It’s not, ‘I’m gonna do this on this play, because this is what I feel like doing.’”

I think the biggest Phillips play I catagorize that way, was an encroachment penalty at a critical place against Pittsburgh last year.  Phillips posted on Social Media "did you see any encroachment?" and he was probably right - he knew their cadence and got a clean jump seeking a TFL or a sack for himself.  But that's also a move very likely to be flagged, which hurt the team.

[ColoradoBills]

6 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Can you explain what "little dead cap" means to you?

 

 

For me "little dead cap" is related to the Dead Cap hit v full Cap Hit by percentage.

Anyone under say 25% would be that for me.  Of course that % changes for players with a low Cap Hit.

 

If you sort at the current 2021 Dead Cap from highest to lowest the Bills most expensive players are not going anywhere.

Beane has held on to guys that may have been over paid in the past BUT I think he will have to be much more "NFL business like"

this year.  

 

Bills at -$6M for the top 51 today but all this talk as to what is going to happen will have to wait until the final NFL Cap # comes

in and the adjustments are done.  (Adjustment note:  Diggs incentives alone for catches/yards will net him an additional $1.3M). 

I'm sure Beane has his guys crunching numbers in a myriad of options.  

 

One thing I will watch is the fact that Beane and McDermott are pretty good with player relations.  IF they want to cut some guys

they probably will do it early enough so those guys get the full benefit of FA to find another team.  I'll be watching for that first.

[LOVEMESOMEBILLS]

19 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

My understanding is the Bills were 12-0 when Milano played and 3-3 this year when he didn't.

Now a W or L is not all Milano, but that does argue for a close look under the hood before saying "the team did fine"

 

 

2 of the 3 losses(KC & Ten) were games postponed because of COVID and the first 2 games Josh played after separating his shoulder, requiring him to wear a LBers harness to keep the shoulder stable. Something Matt Hasselbeck has said makes you inaccurate as a thrower(offense was a problem in both games). The 3rd loss should've been a win, but we ultimately lost on the hail mary play. 

[Scott7975]

1 hour ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

Not at $14M/year for Milano. He isnt that good. He's the best of what we have now, but that's not saying much. For a coverage LB, TEs kill us. And he's still a liability in open-field tackling.

 

Milano will hit the market, and some team will prob over pay for him. I'd trigger Edmunds 5th year option, but he needs to improve big time in order to get that 2nd contract.

 

Draft Milano's replacement this year, look to draft Edmunds replacement next year.

 

He would probably be closer to 10mil a year.

[KOKBILLS]

Some of y'all are WAY better than me at the numbers side.

 

But if you're wondering where the tough decisions may come, at a quick glance it looks like the Bills can save over 20 million by cutting Smoke, Jefferson, and Butler. I think if Star is coming back you can fairly assume one of those two DT's will be gone. Maybe all take a big cut?

 

Add in Micah and it's over $25 million...Don't get me wrong, I doubt they cut all of them...It's just where the major fat is and the lower dead cap money...  😎

Edited January 27, 2021 by KOKBILLS

[BuffaloRebound]

5 minutes ago, KOKBILLS said:

 

My guess is they hope he goes out and does not get what he's looking for due to the Cap in 2021 and the fact that he did have a bit of an off-season due to injuries. Then they can work something out on a 1 year deal. He'll get a big raise no matter what for a year (his 2020 base was only $2.1 million), then hit FA in what will hopefully be a huge money market in 2022...😎

I like Milano but paying him more than $10m per year is a gross mis-allocation of funds.  He’s a good player but doesn’t rush the passer and doesn’t shut down Tight Ends.  He’s a luxury player for a team like the Bills without a pass rush.  That money needs to be spent on a pass rusher or somebody who can slow down the top Tight Ends.  I’d offer him 4 years, $30m.  

[RyanC883]

22 minutes ago, KOKBILLS said:

 

He did look real thin...He weighed in at 275 at the Combine. I wonder how low he got? Certainly did not look any more than about 250...My guess is they want him around 260-265...He's a little over 6-5 so that's probably as low as he can go and stay effective as a 4-3 DE...

 

The good news is they asked him to cut and he did it. Shows his dedication. At least we don't have another Marcell Dareus situation in that regard...😎

 

agree.  perhaps they should have given him a target weight.  They said, "he went overboard."  Well, you said cut weight, and he went all-in on that! 

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

37 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

My understanding is the Bills were 12-0 when Milano played and 3-3 this year when he didn't.

Now a W or L is not all Milano, but that does argue for a close look under the hood before saying "the team did fine"

 

 

they were 4-9 with him in 2018 and 2-1 without him. 🤷‍♂️ 
 

I think it more important to ask if we can do better. 

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

1 hour ago, D. L. Hot-Flamethrower said:

Anyone else wonder if we had a third running back with speed and pass catching ability to mix with the other 2 guys if things wouldn't be better. More like NE always does with multiple backs filling roles. Of course that would mean replacing 33 yr old gunner Taiwan Jones on special teams.👀

 

For crying out loud, we should be able to have some guys on special teams who contribute to the offense too. I don't know if Antonio Williams and a speed back are the answer, but I'd like to see!

 

We do have alot of those types, Roberts, Jones, Matakvich, Gilliam to some extent, though he does at least contribute some on offense

 

2 hours ago, Bangarang said:

We were 24th in rush attempts per game. TB was 28th, KC was 23rd and Green Bay was 15th. 
 

KC and GB were 11th and 6th in yards per rush respectively. We were 19th and TB was 26th.

 

TB is worse than us running the ball. All the teams in the conference championship game live and die by the arm of their QB. 
 

 

 

Is that only after adding in Allens yards gained rushing?

 

Always felt kind of unfair how QB running yards are measured.  If a QB scrambles and gets sacked even as little as one yard behind the LOS it counts as a sack, but as soon as he crosses the LOS it becomes positive rushing yards gained.  Seems like the only time a QB gets negative rushing yards in when taking a knee.

 

Would like to see QB running yards tracked differently, once he drops back to pass yards gained or lost is totaled separately, call it yards scrambling

[BuffaLoko]

2 hours ago, RyanC883 said:

the Bills will "be hunted."  Na.  The hunted teams are those that make the SB.  We need a running game/balanced offense, and a defense that can pressure the QB.  

you deserve a ¨C´Mon man!!¨ moment of the week! of course BB meant haunted from within the division! it´s been 3 days, filled with good (and bad)approaches to get over the disappointment,

let´s all go out and have a walk to refresh ourselves, before we point fingers to our elite level GM!😉

Edited January 27, 2021 by BuffaLoko

[KOKBILLS]

2 hours ago, Bangarang said:

Why are people so obsessed with having a more balanced offense? Do you want to take the ball out of Josh’s hands after he had an MVP caliber season and helped us be a top scoring offense?

 

I don’t want to run it a lot more, just be better when we do. This offense is about throwing the ball.

 

Beane basically said it had nothing to do with balance. He knows we'll be a pass heavy team from here on out. It's more about being able to run when you need to. When teams are basically daring you to run, and you can't do it to loosen up the Pass coverage and create more opportunities in the Pass game. Just think about what KC did to us in that 1st game and that is what Beane is looking for. KC has NO balance...basically...But if you dare them to, they will run it. And they will hurt you when they do. 😎

[4BillsintheBurgh]

1 hour ago, Wayne Cubed said:

 

Here's a question, does running the ball more "balanced" beat the Chiefs? Or does getting Josh another weapon in the passing game do that? 

 

No doubt the Bills need to run the ball more effectively when they do run. Is that up front with the OL? Or is it the scheme?

I'll stop reading the thread here to respond, if we had Nick Chubb I think we win that game.  We need to be able to run when the opposing defense is playing the pass, just like what has happened to our defense this year. Then in running situations we should be able to pass better.

 

Sounds like so far Beane is more concerned about the line than the backs, so I'm looking for more changes there, at least for next year.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

Just now, LOVEMESOMEBILLS said:

2 of the 3 losses(KC & Ten) were games postponed because of COVID and the first 2 games Josh played after separating his shoulder, requiring him to wear a LBers harness to keep the shoulder stable. Something Matt Hasselbeck has said makes you inaccurate as a thrower(offense was a problem in both games). The 3rd loss should've been a win, but we ultimately lost on the hail mary play. 

 

It's very true that Milano missing was far from the only factor in those games  Especially in the Tenn. game, our offense and ST put the defense in a big hole 4x.

 

That said, the defense did not play well against Tennessee and AZ.  At Tenn, just when we'd drawn within 4 pts 10-14, the D gave up a 12 play, 90 yd drive to go into half 10-21.  Then another 6 minute, 12 play, 75 yd drive when we'd scored a TD early in the 4th Q to possibly bring ourselves back within 2 scores.

 

The similar thing "ultimately lost on the Hail Mary play".  We were leading 23-9.  If the D doesn't give up 17 points (14 on 75 and 56 yd drives), we don't have to re-take the lead.  After we re-take the lead, if we don't let them convert 2 1st downs and move the ball 32 yds in 23 seconds, there is no "Hail Murray".

 

You can never say the team "ultimately lost on one play" IMO.

[4BillsintheBurgh]

1 hour ago, Rc2catch said:

Keeping milano over Edmunds isn’t really an option though. The only way milano stays imo is if his market is ice cold. It only takes one and we see every year in free agency someone throw crazy money around. 
I could see Jacksonville or Indy tossing Milano a big payday 

Cleveland needs lbs too

[Hapless Bills Fan]

16 minutes ago, KOKBILLS said:

Some of y'all are WAY better than me at the numbers side.

 

But if you're wondering where the tough decisions may come, at a quick glance it looks like the Bills can save over 20 million by cutting Smoke, Jefferson, and Butler. I think if Star is coming back you can fairly assume one of those two DT's will be gone. Maybe all take a big cut?

 

Add in Micah and it's over $25 million...Don't get me wrong, I doubt they cut all of them...It's just where the major fat is and the lower dead cap money...  😎

 

If you listen to both McDermott and to Beane's end of year pressers and take them at face value, they believe the DL started slow but "laid a good foundation" by the end of the year.  They don't sound like they're reaching for the scissors there.

 

Beane said he didn't see Hyde's play as falling off at all.  I don't think the scissors come out for Mr Hyde, either.

 

Of them all, I think Smoke is likeliest to be cut unless he restructures, and Jefferson has 0 dead cap which makes it a possibility he can go.

I'm pretty sure Oliver and Butler turned into our most productive DL, but whether that was considered a Star-less stop-gap I can't tell you.

 

I do know we need change, and McBeane can't change things by keeping them the same.

[appoo]

Milano's value to Buffalo is probably higher than what it would be to most defenses, because of the system McDermott runs. Buffalo runs a 5-2 system, and we almost ALWAYS have 2 LBs on the field every play. So those 2 LBs have to be able to run sideline-to-sideline, drop in coverage, tackle efficiently, and be an effective blitzer.

 

Losing Milano means you'll probably have to move to a true base 4-3, and figure if you're going to use a dime rather than nickel in passing situations. It might be easier to find a 4th corner or safety who can cover and play the run, than a 2nd backer who can cover and do all the things Milano can

Edited January 27, 2021 by appoo

[Nihilarian]

2 hours ago, SCBills said:

 

This.

 

KC is built on Mahomes throwing the ball, but he can throw to WR's, a TE (Kelce), a RB and they can run the ball.

 

Green Bay is built on Rodgers throwing the ball, but he can throw to WR's, a TE (Tonyan), a RB and they can run the ball.

 

Tampa Bay is built on Brady throwing the ball, but he can throw to WR's, TE's (Gronk/Brate), a RB and they can run the ball.

 

Buffalo is built on Allen throwing the ball, and he can throw to WR's.  

Exactly!

 

Buffalo shut down KC's deep passing game so what did they do in week 6. They handed off to Chiefs RB Edwards-Helaire, 26 carries for 161 yards, a 6.2 ypc avg. 

 

BALANCE! 

 

When the team has difficulty in one area of the offense it helps to be able get another to work to win a game. 

 

 

Last season it was more pronounced as Minnesota, San Fran, Ravens, Titans all made a huge impact into the playoffs with a stout run game. Their failure was in their passing game. Buffalo already has one of the very best passing offenses in the NFL. Now get that run game working! 

[appoo]

Wish the Bills were in a position to draft Micah Parsons. He's basically tailor made for McDermott's system. A true plug and play backer.

[Chandler#81]

3 hours ago, ScottLaw said:

Says no big moves in FA due to salary cap restrictions which is obvious.....but they wouldn’t be as restricted if they didn’t over value and over pay some really average players in last years FA. 

I don’t agree. He has directed his staff from the start that we won’t get into Cap hell. This is all about Covid and the unforeseen Cap consequences. Going For us, is that damn near everybody has the same issue and creative contracts (back loaded, etc.) will be very prevalent this offseason. Plus, the League warned of this major Cap drop way before vaccines became available and a new tv contract has yet to be completed. I suspect we’ll ALL be happily surprised with the final Cap number -which won’t be official until the new $$ is.

[Straight Hucklebuck]

2 hours ago, Bangarang said:

Why are people so obsessed with having a more balanced offense? Do you want to take the ball out of Josh’s hands after he had an MVP caliber season and helped us be a top scoring offense?

 

I don’t want to run it a lot more, just be better when we do. This offense is about throwing the ball.

Because we didn’t a lot against Baltimore or Kansas City, so the natural instinct is to run to the other side of the ship and start investing resources into the OLine and RBs.

 

I’d argue we didn’t really try to run the ball, and Yeldon has been virtually inactive for 2-years.

 

Honestly, has this regime really “gone after” RB? They drafted two guys who both run over 4.60, neither one screamed feature NFL back.

 

And still, who wants the Bills to start tilting back towards a 55/45 pass run split? Like you said, Allen is our best player on offense.

 

Unless we get a dynamic playmaker at RB, running the ball is going to do what it always does, allows a team to hold the ball longer at 3-5 yards per clip. 
 

How much do we really want to invest in running backs? Should the Bills instead try and get better Guard/Center/RT play since Dawkins is already extended?

[BillsVet]

1 hour ago, Wayne Cubed said:

Agree with a lot of this.

 

To the bold, I almost think that' one task. If they Bills improve the interior OL the running game will be more efficient/effective. I don't want the Bills running more because I'd prefer the ball stayed in Joshs hand but if they ran more effectively when they did, it would help. 

 

Only thing I would add beyond the pass rush is I think they need another weapon in the pass game for Josh. And I'm thinking it needs to be TE.

 

Of course.  On defense the priority is always gonna be pass rush and corners and that's just how the modern game is played. 

 

Interior OL consistently offers options in UFA, which may be the best route considering the time it can take an OLineman to develop.  As to the TE - yes.  Knox has some flaws to his game, Kroft will go UFA, Smith is blocker, and Sweeney is a complete unknown with his condition.  It's time to be focused on that because almost all the top teams have someone who can run the seam and attack a defense.   

[Straight Hucklebuck]

Just now, Chandler#81 said:

I don’t agree. He has directed his staff from the start that we won’t get into Cap hell. This is all about Covid and the unforeseen Cap consequences. Going For us, is that damn everybody has the same issue and creative contracts (back loaded, etc.) will be very prevalent this offseason. Plus, the League warned of this major Cap drop way before vaccines became available and a new tv contract has yet to be completed. I suspect we’ll ALL be happily surprised with the final Cap number -which won’t be official until the new $$ is.

Well kind of.
 

The Bills have been ‘ok’ drafters with Beane, but they’ve had to supplement quite a bit of the roster via FA, and that’s always going to lead to pricey veterans. 
 

The WR group has been his best work, but we’ve struggled to find much impact on the DLine in the draft or FA.

[Magox]

I think you are going to see a lot of 1 year and bargain deals this year.  We aren't the only ones who will be facing these issues, in fact most teams are in much worse cap position than we are.

 

Thankfully we have a competent GM.

[ColoradoBills]

28 minutes ago, KOKBILLS said:

Some of y'all are WAY better than me at the numbers side.

 

But if you're wondering where the tough decisions may come, at a quick glance it looks like the Bills can save over 20 million by cutting Smoke, Jefferson, and Butler. I think if Star is coming back you can fairly assume one of those two DT's will be gone. Maybe all take a big cut?

 

Add in Micah and it's over $25 million...Don't get me wrong, I doubt they cut all of them...It's just where the major fat is and the lower dead cap money...  😎

 

Those are the obvious big 3.  Don't think for a minute that those players and agents don't know that too.  One major thing that is a lower

chance of happening but could get into the works is a trade of one of those players to a needy team that has another positional player

to fill a hole in the Bills needs.

 

Most fans are concerned with Milano/Williams/Feliciano signings (as they should) but there is also some other free agents who need to be considered

with signing or replacing.

Roberts/McKenzie/Wallace/Boettger/Bojorquez/Marlowe all come to mind and will cost more than an UDFA which are currently counting

against the top 51.

[BuffaloRebound]

2 minutes ago, Straight Hucklebuck said:

Well kind of.
 

The Bills have been ‘ok’ drafters with Beane, but they’ve had to supplement quite a bit of the roster via FA, and that’s always going to lead to pricey veterans. 
 

The WR group has been his best work, but we’ve struggled to find much impact on the DLine in the draft or FA.

look what a true #1 WR did for the WR group and the offense.  DL needs its Diggs this year.  Paying 5-6 JAGs $8-10m per year is not smart allocation of cap dollars.  Go get a stud who demands double teams and he’ll make everybody better.  

[Buffalo Bills Fan]

7 minutes ago, Magox said:

I think you are going to see a lot of 1 year and bargain deals this year.  We aren't the only ones who will be facing these issues, in fact most teams are in much worse cap position than we are.

 

Thankfully we have a competent GM.

Agree. Don't think going to be lots of trades as well unless there reasonable contracts for players.