Analysis of Bills FA so far (prior to new league year) - Put your links or thoughts here

[Mat68]

1 hour ago, Coach Tuesday said:

Yes.  And that one single move has been held up at the altar by Beane and the Buffalo media as proof that he’s willing to make a big splash - all that jabber about how the conditions were finally there for Beane to pull the trigger.  Hasn’t done anything like it since.  Meanwhile that kind of maneuver is SOP for many teams.

I mean last year with the cap going down running it back was the best they could do imo.  So far more restructures than I expected.  Beane is not afraid of moves.  Benjamin, Watkins, Darby, Dareus, Taylor, and Diggs are proof of that.  He isnt going to spend top dollar in FA.  The good teams dont.  If it makes sense Beane will make a trade.

[metbill]

I think Beane manages not to lose.  He knows we are good enough to compete/contend so why risk much more than that.  It was KC the last 2 years, now add LAC as another place we may go to see our season end.  It has been proven since Reggie White started free agency, small moves do not matter in the big picture.  We were not better than KC when it mattered, are we today?  Are we better than the Chargers or Broncos?  I dont know but there is nothing that has happened in our free agency that says we are definitely better today than the end of the season.  We are too close to not try to swing a big deal.  

[North Buffalo]

Refresh... refresh

[chris heff]

1 minute ago, ddaryl said:

 

can't trade comp picks FYI... 

makes them even less important 

[Beast]

2 hours ago, MrEpsYtown said:

I agree that the washed up veteran approach to finding a corner is dumb. That's why I like going after Jackson. Just 26 years old with just ridiculous speed. I think he fits in really well here. There are still a bunch of corners on the markets, so they may be waiting for wave 2. 

 

What is actually going to happen? They will talk up Dane Jackson as a starter and how they will use Siran Neal on the outside a bit and then they will draft a corner in the first round. 

 

The one thing McDemott and Frazier know a hell of a lot better than any poster on this site is defensive back talent. 

 

If they feel Dane Jackson, Neal, whoever is legitimate, I will take their word for it. They also thought Levi Wallace, an UFA, was legit. They were correct.

Edited March 16, 2022 by Beast

[Brand J]

23 minutes ago, ddaryl said:

 

can't trade comp picks FYI... 

This used to be the case but the rule was changed quite some time ago. Linky

42 minutes ago, chris heff said:

Comp picks? Anyone drafted after the third round will have a hard time making this team. I suppose comp picks could be used to trade up, but trades take two parties. 

I don’t think this is true. There are gems in every round, I made an “all hindsight draft” earlier to show a draft where all 7 picks would’ve been big time contributors (given how they played with the team that drafted them). It’s always more important who is selected rather than where. Of course it becomes increasingly more difficult with each passing round to find that gem.

Edited March 16, 2022 by JayBaller10

[MarlinTheMagician]

I think Beane is kicking butt so far:  Guard, run stuffing DTs and a pass-catching receiver were all high on my wish list.

 

Now:  Much more speed at CB (though sad to see Levi go), Edge and WR.  

 

Let's go!

[HomeskillitMoorman]

The trenches have been where Beane really hasn't done great work, and unfortunately it's so important to be strong there. 

 

I'm guessing we don't bring in a big-time pass rusher and just hope Rousseau pans out big but I don't see it. He's poured in so many resources into the D-line only for it to be so pedestrian and at times a major weakness. 

[BillsVet]

38 minutes ago, Beast said:

 

The one thing McDemott and Frazier know a hell of a lot better than any poster on this site is defensive back talent. 

 

If they feel Dane Jackson, Neal, whoever is legitimate, I will take their word for it. They also thought Levi Wallace, an UFA, was legit. They were correct.

 

That's nice, but in today's NFL it's more valuable to design a solid offense and be able to fit the players.  Being the #1 defensively by any metric really means little when put up against an elite offense.  And the best way to win those games isn't stacking more DB's, LBs, and interior DL.  

[Beast]

17 minutes ago, BillsVet said:

 

That's nice, but in today's NFL it's more valuable to design a solid offense and be able to fit the players.  Being the #1 defensively by any metric really means little when put up against an elite offense.  And the best way to win those games isn't stacking more DB's, LBs, and interior DL.  

 

What does that have to do with what I said?

[Florida Bills Fanatic]

2 hours ago, Coach Tuesday said:

Beane likes to go to the Porche dealership on a Saturday morning, waste the sales’ staff time making a loud show of being interested in a brand-new sporty vehicle, then get back in his comfy 2003 Honda and drive off, patting himself on the back for not unnecessarily splurging on luxury.  We do this charade every year.  On the way home he’ll stop at Chipotle and overpay for guacamole just to allow himself a li’l treat and prove that he’s not cheap.

He creates the false narrative of a shortage of Porches and the Jests believe it and overpay for the Porche, destroying their cap in the process.  Beane is a real showman.

[BillsVet]

Just now, Florida Bills Fanatic said:

He creates the false narrative of a shortage of Porches and the Jests believe it and overpay for the Porche, destroying their cap in the process.  Beane is a real showman.

 

Occam's razor.

[Shaw66]

3 hours ago, D. L. Hot-Flamethrower said:

So the priorities that remain are backup QB, CB, TE and Edge. Can we get that done in FA with at least a stop gap before the draft? Fitz, Donte Jackson, lots of options still at TE and Jones/ Hunter or someone of that ilk. Probably in excess of 40 million there.

 

 

I think it's important to distinguish between "priorities" and "holes."   The Bills don't have any holes, and that's a good thing.   They have a starting lineup that includes Neal or Jackson at the corner opposite White, they have a starting QB, they have plenty of starting edge rushers, and they have two or three tight ends.  

 

Those guys they have may not be the guys you like, but they are starter-caliber players in the NFL - they've demonstrated it.  

 

The draft and the rest of free agency is about getting better, not about filling holes.   There are months to go.   Bills will bring home some talent in the draft, and the free agent surprises will continue through June.  Then there will be the usual collection of signings just to fill out the training camp roster.   

 

The most important needs, as far as I've viewed them, all have been met - interior defensive line, guard, and running back.  

 

And people who point out that year after year Beane didn't bring home that killer dress or that new Porsche have to get used to the fact that Beane NEVER spends that way.  He shops at thrift stores and the Chevy dealer.  Then he goes to the annual technology and electronics show in Las Vegas (or the NFL's version of it, called the draft), and buys some of the latest technology.  

[Hapless Bills Fan]

36 minutes ago, HomeskillitMoorman said:

The trenches have been where Beane really hasn't done great work, and unfortunately it's so important to be strong there. 

 

I'm guessing we don't bring in a big-time pass rusher and just hope Rousseau pans out big but I don't see it. He's poured in so many resources into the D-line only for it to be so pedestrian and at times a major weakness. 

 

To be fair to Beane here, McDermott and Frazier's insistence on a DL rotation is IMO a big stumbling block.

 

When you have to have 8-9 guys on the roster who can all play capably for 30-45% of the snaps, it's hard to find cap space for a Star.

[Success]

I'm pleasantly surprised. I didn't expect us to be much of a player in the 1st week of FA - and while we haven't made splashy moves, all of the acquisitions add talent to the team, at positions of need.

 

I like Beane's approach. It's fun to get the expensive "impact player," and I'd love that too - but then it's all for naught if that guy gets hurt, or underperforms. I like a bunch of solid additions that improve the team as a whole, and improve depth.

 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

4 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

I think it's important to distinguish between "priorities" and "holes."   The Bills don't have any holes, and that's a good thing.   They have a starting lineup that includes Neal or Jackson at the corner opposite White, they have a starting QB, they have plenty of starting edge rushers, and they have two or three tight ends.  

 

?? who are the 2 or 3 tight ends?

We have one starting quality TE - Knox.  Period.

 

Otherwise, I agree, at this point no glaring holes, but thin on backup

 

4 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

And people who point out that year after year Beane didn't bring home that killer dress or that new Porsche have to get used to the fact that Beane NEVER spends that way.  He shops at thrift stores and the Chevy dealer.  Then he goes to the annual technology and electronics show in Las Vegas (or the NFL's version of it, called the draft), and buys some of the latest technology.  

 

I feel you've accurately described Beane's approach.  Here's the problem with that approach: some of us (myself included) have concerns that while it may keep us in contention, it may keep us from taking the final step to Championship level.

 

There are a few positions which are expensive to acquire in FA, but also very difficult to acquire for a good team that is drafting late in the 1st round.  QB is one.  Pass rusher, Edge or DE, is another.  CB is a third.

 

Beane got his starting QB and his #1 CB.  In contrast to our previous GM, he "did what it took".  But he seems unwilling to take the needed steps to obtain that top-tier pass rusher that most of us think we need, all the while reiterating a consistent theme in his last 3 "end of season" pressers that we need to do more to "affect the  QB" we are facing.

 

Maybe one of the guys we got (Rousseau, Basham, Epenesa, now Settle) will take that step and become That Guy.  Maybe we'll get someone in this draft who becomes that guy.  Maybe some of us are wrong that a top-tier pass rusher is a critical unmet need.

 

Or maybe Beane needs to stop filling his trunk with dresses from the markdown rack and go for that kicky MiuMiu number

 

 

[Chandler#81]

3 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I'm afraid you're right. 

 

In preseason, I didn't see anything that persuaded me that the answer to "who can play outside CB?" is "Siran Neal".

 

What do you make of the Saffold signing?

I’m good with a CB Round 1. I figured they would from getgo. But now we must sign a pass rushing threat.

[bigK14094]

McKissick = TJ Yeldon v2.0 (?)   I hope not.

[boater]

There's a lot of shade being thrown at the former NFL Executive of the Year. And this is after a season most other fans would give their left nut for.

 

Could you imagine the vitriol here if the Bills had a bad season. The fans have become spoiled.

[BillsVet]

36 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

To be fair to Beane here, McDermott and Frazier's insistence on a DL rotation is IMO a big stumbling block.

 

When you have to have 8-9 guys on the roster who can all play capably for 30-45% of the snaps, it's hard to find cap space for a Star.

 

McD is the stumbling block who insists on that DL depth and Beane just fills the order.  This will become an obstacle next year when Josh's contract kicks in...because you can't keep the DL rotation McD wants, pay Josh, and have enough left over to build an elite offense.  Or, devote cap dollars to CB and LB the way they have.  

 

I had hopes McD would evolve as Josh ascended.  He hasn't and I see nothing that will.