If the Bills think that Tre will be ready by the start of the season, does that change their draft strategy?

[njbuff]

We have seen players come back from Tre's injury in relatively short order in recent years, but Tre is a CB and he relies on cutting and changing direction more than any player out there.

 

Everybody is saying late October, early November for a Tre return.

 

But what if his rehab is coming along very swimmingly according to McDermott and could be ready for week one.

 

Does this change everything or is a CB still high on your list?

[LeGOATski]

I believe it's still high. Regardless of when he comes back, the circumstances make it seem like a perfect time to draft one. There may be some very good options in the 15-25 range.

[Brand J]

1 minute ago, george c said:

Tre won’t be Tre until playoff time. 

Maybe not until the 2023 season, given how athletes initially return from those major surgeries.

[george c]

 

 

Tre won’t be “Tre” until playoff time. That’s a tough injury mentally and physically.
He’ll be ready to play before that, but not at his normal PB level 

[BuffaloBill]

The Bills take BPA round 1 - miraculously it will be a CB.  The Bills are thin at this key position. It would not shock me to see them pick another in rd 2 or rd 3. 

[WhoTom]

At this point, it's probably too early to determine Tre's readiness on Day 1 with any reasonable degree of certainty. I doubt Beane and McD want to roll the dice on that one, so for the draft, they'll assume he won't be ready until mid-season at the earliest.

 

 

 

[billsbackto81]

Barring unforeseeable set backs he'll be ready physically.

 

Whether they play him or take precautionary measures as he eases his way back is another topic all together.

 

As far as draft strategy we're gonna have to wait and see if they acquire a vet in FA but I still think regardless we draft a CB early.

[Chandler#81]

No. Imo, we’re woefully low on CBs and need to Draft at least 2 while adding at least another in FA.

The position sees a very high rate of injury and nearly every team has great receivers. Personally, I anticipate Tre being at or very near the start of the season, but otherwise, all we have currently are jags.

[Augie]

9 minutes ago, JayBaller10 said:

Maybe not until the 2023 season, given how athletes initially return from those major surgeries.

 How did you quote him BEFORE he posted? Do you have special powers? Have you ever played the Powerball? 

[mjt328]

There is no way doctors will know this early whether Tre White will be ready.

 

So if we don't do something before April 28... either signing a veteran or trading for a proven starter... I think Brandon Beane is going to be forced into reaching in the Draft.  Maybe not in the 1st Round, but certainly by the end of Day 2.  There are rumors of us facing off against the Rams on Opening Night.  No way he is comfortable going against the Super Bowl champs with Dane Jackson and Cam Lewis as our starters.

 

Don't forget that Beane admitted they were seriously considering a Cornerback early in the 2021 draft, but the value wasn't quite there.

That was with Levi Wallace still on the roster, and White perfectly healthy.

 

With our style of defense, I don't think Beane values cornerbacks quite as highly as some teams (he would prefer to invest money into the pass rush).  But the situation has gotten pretty dire.  

 

Edited April 2, 2022 by mjt328

[BillsFanForever19]

No, I don't think it does. I believe last seasons playoffs taught them that they can no longer have just one solid starter and one average starter at the CB position. Because if Tre goes down, they're in trouble and we were.

 

The fact that they could have gotten Levi back on a fairly inexpensive deal and let him walk confirmed that to me. They want someone they think can be an upgrade. They aren't going to go the Dolphins route and pay top dollar for two veteran stars. So Drafting one and having them on a cost controlled Rookie contract is the way to go. 

 

It wouldn't shock me to see them trade up to ensure they at least get an Andrew Booth or Trent McDuffie, maybe even higher up if there's a Sauce Gardner or Derek Stingley still on the board at Pick 10 or later. Wouldn't shock me to see them give up a player or players like Epenesa, Moss, and Ford along with 25 and pick(s) next year.

 

Having Tre on one side, one of them on the other, alongside the addition of Von Miller would completely transform their Defense, which was already ranked #1 last season, into something potentially unstoppable.

[Process]

There is a small chance he is ready but zero chance he is back to himself. The Bills let Levi go with the clear intention of adding and upgrading at CB.

[Simon Says]

33 minutes ago, njbuff said:

We have seen players come back from Tre's injury in relatively short order in recent years, but Tre is a CB and he relies on cutting and changing direction more than any player out there.

 

Everybody is saying late October, early November for a Tre return.

 

But what if his rehab is coming along very swimmingly according to McDermott and could be ready for week one.

 

Does this change everything or is a CB still high on your list?

Who is "everybody"? CB and WR are my top 2 picks unless Beane pulls some cap space out of a hat and signs  a veteran.

As it is ,I'm still OK with a CB in 1st or 2nd round PLUS 

another as early as the 4th.

[Malazan]

No. 

[gjv001]

 Exacerbated by the Tre White injury, the weakest area of our roster is CB. If we don't pick up a quality CB in FA or via a trade, it would not surprise me that we would draft three CB's.

[BADOLBILZ]

5 minutes ago, gjv001 said:

 Exacerbated by the Tre White injury, the weakest area of our roster is CB. If we don't pick up a quality CB in FA or via a trade, it would not surprise me that we would draft three CB's.

 

 

Guard is the Bills weakest position..........lesser quality starters and zero depth.

 

Recovering Tre White > last leg Rodger Saffold

Dane Jackson = Ryan Bates

Taron Johnson.......very good slot CB........Siran Neal.......promising slot CB

Lewis and McCloud are more promising in the Bills D system than are lousy Cody Ford and Greg Mancz as backups in the Bills zone blocking system(Boettger with torn achilles on 300# frame probably starts year on IR)

[klos63]

You can't assume a return from major surgery 2 months early, playing at a high level, in April.  It's quite possible White never gets back to Pro Bowl form.  The team needs to prepare for that.

[TBBills]

Nope

[Bangarang]

Don’t see why it should. They still need help at CB. 

[Putin]

I think we should draft couple of them in the early and mid rounds  , unless the thought is since we’ll have a better pass rush no need to invest more assets in to the CB position? 

Edited April 2, 2022 by Putin

[Einstein's Dog]

I don't think the plan changes.  I think the plan remains get a vet CB and draft one.  The drafted one should not be 1st round but may be if FO's top tier WRs are all taken.

 

As for the vet CB, i would welcome Bryce Callahan.  This is a good CB who isn't getting big money because of injury history.  That scenario is a great fit here, have a very good CB for what you hope is at least the early part of the season and then Tre will be back.

[Aussie Joe]

Beane… Whatever date the doctors have for Tre’s return..he will beat it…

 

Take a CB early anyway…

[JaCrispy]

I think the team should be extra cautious with Tre...I would rather him miss a month or two, and be there for the stretch run, rather than reaggrivate it, and be gone for the season...

 

That being said, I’m hoping the Bills trade a 2nd or 3rd rounder, to move up to take one of the top 3 corners... 

Edited April 3, 2022 by JaCrispy

[Alphadawg7]

3 hours ago, njbuff said:

We have seen players come back from Tre's injury in relatively short order in recent years, but Tre is a CB and he relies on cutting and changing direction more than any player out there.

 

Everybody is saying late October, early November for a Tre return.

 

But what if his rehab is coming along very swimmingly according to McDermott and could be ready for week one.

 

Does this change everything or is a CB still high on your list?

 

1. Its way too early for them to know or think that with any confidence.  Setback can also happen at any time.
2. Even if Tre is ready week 1, its going to take a while, maybe most the season for him to start approaching what he was before the injury.  This isn't an injury that you typically step back onto the filed near your peak.  There is a physical and mental aspect to it that usually takes players the better part of a season to work through.  
3. Even if we had Tre, we still only have 2 CB's on the roster in him and Dane, its by far our thinnest position even if Tre wasn't hurt.  

So IMHO...nope.  I do not think where he is currently at, good or bad, will impact their draft approach in anyway.  A CB will be a massively high priority come draft night unless we make some sort of a move or sign someone who is capable of being a solid or better starter. 

[Logic]

God I hope not.

 

Don't rush Tre back. Injury recurrence odds go up if he comes back too early. 
 

Sign a veteran CB, draft two corners, and thus ensure that your defense will be strong enough to get you through until Tre is really and truly 100%.

 

Good teams draft at least one corner every year any way.

[Mr. WEO]

They won’t be drafting for a guy to play half the season until Tre is up to speed…they need a CB opposite him

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

4 hours ago, njbuff said:

We have seen players come back from Tre's injury in relatively short order in recent years, but Tre is a CB and he relies on cutting and changing direction more than any player out there.

 

Everybody is saying late October, early November for a Tre return.

 

But what if his rehab is coming along very swimmingly according to McDermott and could be ready for week one.

 

Does this change everything or is a CB still high on your list?

 

This means nothing.  What's he going to say, "Well hopefully he'll be able to keep the leg, but the spleen is going to have to come out!"

 

Ever player is always doing great on everything when you listen to coaches speak

[Southern_Bills]

CB Is still the thinnest position on the team, if one is available that isn't an extreme reach I'm not sure why we wouldn't take him.

 

I guess if a RB was there that they felt would transform the offense, but that seems like a longshot.

[billybrew1]

6 hours ago, njbuff said:

We have seen players come back from Tre's injury in relatively short order in recent years, but Tre is a CB and he relies on cutting and changing direction more than any player out there.

 

Everybody is saying late October, early November for a Tre return.

 

But what if his rehab is coming along very swimmingly according to McDermott and could be ready for week one.

 

Does this change everything or is a CB still high on your list?

I don’t think so because nobody can tell how Tre is going to be in September. Nobody.

[billybrew1]

Just now, billybrew1 said:

I don’t think so because nobody can tell how Tre is going to be in September. Nobody.

Having said that, I don’t think the Bills absolutely go CB like most in round…. I think the Bills can and should go BPA in round one at CB, OG or WR with an outside long shot at DE if there is a true pass rusher at 25…

What I dream about is a tradedown so the Bills can hit CB, RB, WR and OG with picks in the third round or higher….maybe trade up a bit after trading down….something like 35, 45, 57 and 75…. Burn up those low picks. PS I think the Zbills sign a vet so using two higher picks on CB isn’t necessary….just gotta save that high six for a punter…then the only position I missed is LB…. Maybe we can save the other sixth for that…. Maybe trust in Zduke Johnson who’s pretty good and take that second CB or get a better LB…

But WR, CB and OG are must with decent picks, imho…

[Buffalo Barbarian]

No

 

 

[RyanC883]

6 hours ago, billsbackto81 said:

Barring unforeseeable set backs he'll be ready physically.

 

Whether they play him or take precautionary measures as he eases his way back is another topic all together.

 

As far as draft strategy we're gonna have to wait and see if they acquire a vet in FA but I still think regardless we draft a CB early.

 

really hope we add a vet and draft one in rd 1-3.  at some point a cb will be bpa

[MasterStrategist]

6 hours ago, Chandler#81 said:

No. Imo, we’re woefully low on CBs and need to Draft at least 2 while adding at least another in FA.

The position sees a very high rate of injury and nearly every team has great receivers. Personally, I anticipate Tre being at or very near the start of the season, but otherwise, all we have currently are jags.

We "need" 1 starter, until Tre is ready.  This defense can play well with a Dane Jackson, while we still have 2 all-pro safeties lining up behind him.

 

I think we draft a corner, likely early, but would be shocked if we drafted 2 then also signed a FA (assuming you mean, a veteran).  We have barely any cap space, let alone roster spots:  Tre, Dane, early draft pick, Taron, Neal and Cam Lewis is likely our corner back group.

[In Summary]

6 hours ago, njbuff said:

We have seen players come back from Tre's injury in relatively short order in recent years, but Tre is a CB and he relies on cutting and changing direction more than any player out there.

 

Everybody is saying late October, early November for a Tre return.

 

But what if his rehab is coming along very swimmingly according to McDermott and could be ready for week one.

 

Does this change everything or is a CB still high on your list?

Smokescreen. Bills know they have a hole at Corner. Not looking to draw additional attention. 

[Orlando Tim]

With Tre in the lineup we still need to be prepared to have at least one additional quality CB ready to go each game. I hope we can trade one of our third and 4th to swap picks and move up a few spots to ensure we can get the CB we want.

[BADOLBILZ]

3 hours ago, Logic said:

God I hope not.

 

Don't rush Tre back. Injury recurrence odds go up if he comes back too early. 
 

Sign a veteran CB, draft two corners, and thus ensure that your defense will be strong enough to get you through until Tre is really and truly 100%.

 

Good teams draft at least one corner every year any way.

 

 

Did drafting two DE's in round 1 and 2 last season "ensure" that the pass rush would be strong?

 

No it did not..........throwing numbers at a perceived problem in the draft doesn't guarantee anything. 

 

Beane is a confidence man at the mic.........so we know he's not afraid to bald-face lie to the fans or media in his job............but I do believe him when he says that he didn't select a CB early in the draft last year because he didn't think any of them could beat out Dane Jackson.    

 

McBeane have had undrafted Levi Wallace and late rounder Dane Jackson starting a lot of games with great success the past couple seasons...........they like some of their low pedigree reserves including toolsy Nick McCloud who ran a 4.37 at the ND pro day last year and has 32" arms.    

 

Adding 3 new CB's to the existing mix of White/Jackson/Johnson/Neal/Lewis/McCloud/Griffin isn't out of the question but it also could end up causing a roster crunch and/or leaving the Bills with a disgruntled vet on the bench and a high draft pick struggling to get playing time ahead of more experienced young players who have been in the system.

 

If they eschew BPA to throw numbers at CB that would be a mistake.

 

[Thurman#1]

10 hours ago, njbuff said:

We have seen players come back from Tre's injury in relatively short order in recent years, but Tre is a CB and he relies on cutting and changing direction more than any player out there.

 

Everybody is saying late October, early November for a Tre return.

 

But what if his rehab is coming along very swimmingly according to McDermott and could be ready for week one.

 

Does this change everything or is a CB still high on your list?

 

 

For me, still high. It would still be a top three need, since Wallace is gone.

[John from Riverside]

I want them to plan like it’s not going to be quick and then if it does end up being so much the better

[Thurman#1]

10 hours ago, Process said:

There is a small chance he is ready but zero chance he is back to himself. The Bills let Levi go with the clear intention of adding and upgrading at CB.

 

 

IMO it's not as clear as all that.

 

That's absolutely one of the possible reasons for what they've done. There's a solid chance that's the reason. I think another reason could be that they are more confident about Dane Jackson and the guys behind him that we are. I'm not, but perhaps they are. And they also may feel that the second CB is one of the least important spots in their defensive scheme.

 

Still, I'm with you and would like to see them upgrade. I hope we see it fairly early.

[Ethan in Cleveland]

No. Take BPA in one of three positions- CB, WR, and OT in the first three rounds, in no particular order