Bills Player Rookie Playing Time in 2022 Season

[Chaos]

Its not worth the energy to do an exhaustive analysis, but I think there is an agreement that Bills rookies did not play as many downs as the rookies on most other teams.  This thread is to discuss what the primary reasons for this were. 

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

I didn't vote as think the right response was somewhere between the 1st and 3rd choice.

 

One of the things the Bills have been pretty consistent over the years is drafting players on potential down the road.

 

Knox, Edmunds, Brown, Groot, likely some others I'm forgetting.  Knox was in college offense that had great WR so hardly used TE, Edmunds very young and still growing, Brown and Groot both sat out final college season because of Covid.

 

Not saying right or wrong with this approach, but just what IMO I've seen them do.  It's good if down the road the guy does blossom into star, but the downside on a team ready to win now it hurts as taking up roster spots with little high level playing time in the early years.  Plus with a strong team around them, it's hard for them to get playing time.

[NoSaint]

We have a strange dynamic where our offensive scheme is too simple but simultaneously impossible for new additions to learn. 

[bmur66]

I’ve heard it said that every rookie that is a starter costs you one game. 13-3 says they were managed well but imo the playoffs were the time for them to step up and shine.

[Process]

Because our first three picks were a man to man CB for a zone defense, a pass catching RB for an offensive coordinator that doesn't know how to use one, and a special teams player?

 

 

[TheyCallMeAndy]

Do you have numbers that back that up or just pure eye ball test? 

[Thrivefourfive]

I think the staff does an awful job developing rookies. They literally make the good, average, and the average worse. So in a nutshell, they draft poorly AND screw them up. Take Bedford. He surprised because the Bills staff probably forget about him, and then his talent shined, and when staff noticed they had something there, they did their thing and screwed him up. 
 

The last thing a highly coveted Bills rookie needs is this staff taking notice and investing their crap tutelage on the poor young player.

[Ethan in Cleveland]

Not using Elam as a day one starter was stupid. Drafting Bernard was borderline termination offense. 

[gobills404]

Unless the plan is have him add 10+ pounds and replace Edmunds at MLB, I still have no idea why they spent a day 2 pick on Bernard. Dude is likely gonna play barely any snaps on defense his first 3 years.

[Thrivefourfive]

They just don’t take chances on dogs. It’s all safe, conservative prototypical sized guys or undersized talent with what they believe possess difference maker mentally and motor and character. 
 

They need to draft a couple psychos each year, and watch one make his presence known to the opponent. Then all the other guys will elevate their games. I think Poyer/Hyde did that for the D squad last year. Miller on the 2021 Bills is a SB winner. Single ingredient. Even without White. 
 

So start drafting some lunatics and start bullying.

[LABILLBACKER]

8 minutes ago, gobills404 said:

Unless the plan is have him add 10+ pounds and replace Edmunds at MLB, I still have no idea why they spent a day 2 pick on Bernard. Dude is likely gonna play barely any snaps on defense his first 3 years.

Would've been nice to use Bernard's pick on an olineman.  They way they buried Cook, Hines, Elam and Shakir was pure stupidity. 

[LeGOATski]

I picked option 3 mainly because of Cook

 

Everyone else probably played the right amount. As everyone knows, Elam was a man coverage specialist and needed time. But now he should be ready and a full time starter in year 2. Bernard is just not very good and buried behind two great LBs. He was not a good pick, but the playing time was right. Shakir is pretty good, but also buried behind reliable vets. Benford is good and fit the scheme, but then got injured. He seemed to get the right amount of playing time.

 

Cook is the outlier. He seems pretty good and RB is the easiest position to adjust to. As a 2nd round pick and plus athlete, he should've been getting the majority of snaps and been playing to his full potential by the end of the season. I don't get why he's underutilized.

[Buffalo_Stampede]

Bills drafted for future. They’re going to depend a lot on that draft class next year.

[Gunsgoodtime]

57 minutes ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Bills drafted for future. They’re going to depend a lot on that draft class next year.

Yup the future has became now, including the 2023 draft for Beane and McDermott 

[Buffalo_Stampede]

17 minutes ago, Gunsgoodtime said:

Yup the future has became now, including the 2023 draft for Beane and McDermott 

That’s always been reality after Josh’s rookie contract.

 

They’re going to have to hit on an interior offensive lineman in the draft. Possibly a safety as well.

[Repulsif]

because everyone thought it was the championship year, and they put everything on veteran shoulders = not giving opportunity for a rookie to mess up

it ended vetarans messed up and almost zero experience for rookies

it's a failed bet

[Frostbite]

McD and co. are loyal/trust veterans regardless of skills

[Walking Tall]

Beane whines about the Bengals having great players on rookie contracts but the Bills basically let their rookies ride the pine for a year of their rookie deals.

[damj]

What I don't get is all the work we did to get a pass catching RB, including drafting Cook ... but then never used it

[SoCal Deek]

15 minutes ago, Beast said:

Beane whines about the Bengals having great players on rookie contracts but the Bills basically let their rookies ride the pine for a year of their rookie deals.

Excellent point! Hey Brandon, EVERY team has players on rookie contracts. It’s just that the Bills coaching staff either doesn’t trust or doesn’t develop them.