Possible McKenzie Replacement Bills sign Deonte Harty (formally Deonte Harris)

[Warriorspikes51]

His size makes him very difficult to tackle. He's got speed, quickness, elusiveness, contact balance showing the ability to break tackles due to low center of gravity.
 

I'm pretty excited about the possibilities.  He actually lined up more Outside than in the slot.

[newcam2012]

1 hour ago, Success said:

People have to remember - the best QB this guy had throwing to him was a pretty washed up Brees.

 

He stretches the field. And Allen is more likely to find him and connect w/ him when he does.

 

Remains to be seen. Hope you are right.

 

Can he stay on the field?

 

Didn't you or others say the same thing about Brown when had returned to Buffalo? 

 

Dorsey's offense wasn't dynamic or innovative. He needs to take a big jump this year. 

[The Jokeman]

13 minutes ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

His size makes him very difficult to tackle. He's got speed, quickness, elusiveness, contact balance showing the ability to break tackles due to low center of gravity.
 

I'm pretty excited about the possibilities.  He actually lined up more Outside than in the slot.

Darren Sproles 2.0

[ngbills]

1 hour ago, Success said:

People have to remember - the best QB this guy had throwing to him was a pretty washed up Brees.

 

He stretches the field. And Allen is more likely to find him and connect w/ him when he does.

 

And he was stuck behind Marquez Callaway, Tre'Quan Smith, Kenny Stills, Lil'Jordan Humphrey, Ty Montgomery so never really got a fair shot...

[Beck Water]

1 hour ago, Bleeding Bills Blue said:

 

Beasley was 5'8" 174 so... pretty much the exact same size.  

 

Also, a lot of WRs are taking some notes on the Diggs and Locketts of the league and getting out of bounds... and just generally giving themselves up.  

 

Just a note that one of the stats folks are touting on this signing is Hardy's great YAC.   Typically, players don't get great YAC by getting out of bounds and just generally giving themselves up.  So if you want Hardy to start doing that to protect himself, you're wanting him to give up on one of the factors that folks are pointing to saying "better than what we've got"

 

As for the contention that 6" and 8" are pretty much the exact same size ...."that's what she said" 😇

 

14 hours ago, Richard Noggin said:

 

I can only disagree with the totality of claiming "Josh has always...had issues taking the checkdown [emphasis added]." In certain stretches of 2021 and (early) 2022, Allen had the quick game swinging smoothly like a "Summer Wind." Zen Josh, with his (kinda basic) pregame Sinatra-based serenity, was an assassin. He has conquered his own tendencies for amazing stretches of football. We've seen historic play. But there are some corrections, some regressions to the mean. Often injury-related, turns out.

 

That's a very fair take.  He has indeed had games and sometimes series of games where he made good decisions and had the quick game flowing.  What I meant was, this wasn't a newly observed tendency after the departure of Beasley.  It was a tendency at times while Beasley was on the field.

Edited March 16, 2023 by Beck Water

[Warcodered]

 

 

[HappyDays]

[JakeFrommStateFarm]

5 hours ago, newcam2012 said:

I think McKenzie is a goner. Last year he proved he's not a starting caliber WR. At least not with the Bills and Dorsey. He underperformed at most levels. He's nothing more than a gadget player. Thus, he's very replaceable. 

 

I look for Shakir to get more snaps this year. I would like the Bills to draft WR Addison or WR Flowers. I don't think either will be there at 27. 

To me, then Beane should have cut him much sooner so McKenzie could find another team or at the beginning of the FA period.

 

What sense does it make to wait so long to cut McKenzie after all the WR FA positions have already been filled ?

[Rockinon]

23 hours ago, DrPJax said:

Boy this draft diamonds is some groundbreaking, new wave , analytics based , out of the box way of thinking !   Wow, “ the BILLS are keeping  it quiet that they “SEEM TO BE LOOKING FOR A GUY THAT CAN GET DOWN THE FIELD IN A HURRY!”    That’s the type of stuff i am sure the Bills were hoping would never get out or occur to other football teams ; imagine , looking at SPEEDY (AS OPPOSED TO THE USUAL SLOW GUYS I GUESS WE LOOKED FOR in prior drafts?) ROOKIE WIDE RECEIVERS!  

 

Not only speedy but they can get DOWN the field in a HURRY TOO;  so not just fast but they have a sense of urgency, like if someone was chasing them !  This is why the BILLS SCOUTS are playing chess and teams like Miami , CINCY, & KC are playing dominoes,,,or maybe checkers !  Sounds like we are in good hands and ahead of the curve this year.  Wont be seeing the Bills wr’s running merry go round crap like REID AND KC, cuz who got time for that when we are  now looking to get down the field in a hurry!  Sounds like Dorsey has already begun to use all that they ‘learned from this loss” and now it’s about WR’S who are  in a hurry , pressed for time GOING to the private workouts!  Or maybe coming FROM the private workouts, I’m not sure as they weren’t exactly clear about direction, except they will be headed DOWN somewhere in a HURRY; probably tough to get precise clarification when these guys they’re talking about seem to be in a hurry to get going  fast!  

 

Well, this is a great, comforting start to free agency as now we know we are headed DOWN , FAST, AND IN A HURRY!   I sensed that new direction after the CINCY game. Good to get confirmation from a professional  publication like DRAFT DIAMONDS, and they sure dropped a diamond in the rough with this tweet, a real gem !  This is the type of publication that the subscription price might be going DOWNhill , fast, in a hurry if they keep dropping rare forms  of analysis like this little nugget !    Hey, I’m sure they will get better as they feel the PRESSURE of fast approaching deadlines and keep getting these  deep analytical tweets out rapidly,,,,,,in a hurry,,,with urgency !  Good luck and keep up the hard,,,,work!  😊

You seem a tad annoyed...

[NewEra]

6 hours ago, newcam2012 said:

Welker, Jackson, and Smith are much bigger than him despite being small by NFL standards.

 

Sproles was RB, a special breed, and an exception. 

 

I don't know who Holiday is. 

 

This guy has been in the league for four years. That's plenty of time to see if he's special and able to stay on the field. I think it's a stretch to think he will stay healthy and be solid a WR3. Perhaps an effective gadget player and special teams guy? 

 

This looks to be a high risk high reward pick up. Time will tell how it plays out. 

This is a fair assessment.  
 

Which WRs were/are you hoping we’d sign or trade for?

[newcam2012]

7 minutes ago, NewEra said:

This is a fair assessment.  
 

Which WRs were/are you hoping we’d sign or trade for?

I like Chark and don't mind Jarvis Landry. Of course Dhop would be awesome. 

50 minutes ago, JakeFrommStateFarm said:

To me, then Beane should have cut him much sooner so McKenzie could find another team or at the beginning of the FA period.

 

What sense does it make to wait so long to cut McKenzie after all the WR FA positions have already been filled ?

Maybe they are seriously considering keeping him? 

Edited March 16, 2023 by newcam2012

[Clyde Smith]

I live in Houston now and I was telling a co-worker who is a Saints fan we signed Harty. Wow, he was surprised and disappointed. Gave lil fella alot of props and said that kid ball out, good pickup.

[The Jokeman]

58 minutes ago, JakeFrommStateFarm said:

To me, then Beane should have cut him much sooner so McKenzie could find another team or at the beginning of the FA period.

 

What sense does it make to wait so long to cut McKenzie after all the WR FA positions have already been filled ?

Cuz if we didn't find his replacement we'd be short a WR.

[Warriorspikes51]

 

 

This is very very encouraging.  The analytics show Harty has the ability to be top tier underneath and a top tier deep option

Edited March 17, 2023 by Warriorspikes51

[Straight Hucklebuck]

14 hours ago, NewEra said:

This is a fair assessment.  
 

Which WRs were/are you hoping we’d sign or trade for?

Going into FA I thought Slayton and Zachheaus made sense based on traits and expected contracts. 

[MrEpsYtown]

1 hour ago, Straight Hucklebuck said:

Going into FA I thought Slayton and Zachheaus made sense based on traits and expected contracts. 

 

Interesting stuff, they are very similar. I guess Harty ran a 4.36 at his pro day so that is skewed. So he is a smaller, faster version of Zaccheaus. 

 

Here is Slayton. Harty has them both beat on short-area quickness, but it's all very close. 

[Buffalo_Stampede]

I wonder why the Bills would wait until the last minute to release him?

[MrEpsYtown]

Just now, Buffalo_Stampede said:

I wonder why the Bills would wait until the last minute to release him?

 

Maybe they are trying to trade him or renegotiate a smaller salary? 

[Buffalo_Stampede]

5 minutes ago, MrEpsYtown said:

 

Maybe they are trying to trade him or renegotiate a smaller salary? 

I’m wondering if they tried keeping him away from Miami. Berrios and McKenzie are similar. He still might end up in Miami.

[MrEpsYtown]

Just now, Buffalo_Stampede said:

I’m wondering if they tried keeping him away from Miami. Berrios and McKenzie are similar. He still might end up in Miami.

 

I am guessing he winds up with the Giants as injury insurance for Paris Campbell. Or in the slot for the Patriots (the only team McKenzie routinely killed.)

 

So maybe they are trying to weigh those situations as well. 

[Warriorspikes51]

wishful thinking they package him with Gabe Davis for Hopkins 
 

Diggs

Hopkins

Hyatt
Harty
Shakir
 

CHAMPIONSHIP!!! 😎

Edited March 17, 2023 by Warriorspikes51

[MrEpsYtown]

Someone else mentioned it in another thread, but Jacksonville makes sense for McKenzie as well, following Chad Hall. 

 

Maybe they just don't want to release him on St. Patricks day.

[TheyCallMeAndy]

Lil Dirty has a bonus due today but it’s only 250k, I’d be shocked if the Bills released him even though it would save them about 2.3 million. 
 

He is coming off a 40+ catch 400+ yard season but struggled with drops. 

Edited March 17, 2023 by TheyCallMeAndy

[Warriorspikes51]

Just now, TheyCallMeAndy said:

Lil Dirty has a bonus due today but it’s only 250k, I’d be shocked if the Bills released him even though it would save them about 2.3 million. 

Depends what other irons they have in the fire at WR.   What about...

Diggs

Hardman   (Can play slot or outside)
Davis
Harty

Shakir 

Of the 57 regular-season games Hardman has played in over the course of his career, he's logged eight or more targets in six of them. In those games, he's averaged a stat line of six receptions for 72 yards and half a touchdown.

[TheyCallMeAndy]

Just now, Warriorspikes51 said:

Depends what other irons they have in the fire at WR.   What about...

Diggs

Hardman   (Can play slot or outside)
Davis
Harty

Shakir 

Of the 57 regular-season games Hardman has played in over the course of his career, he's logged eight or more targets in six of them. In those games, he's averaged a stat line of six receptions for 72 yards and half a touchdown.

I would L.O.V.E. to add Hardman but I’m getting the feeling they want to see Gabe Davis with a new WR coach. Hardman to the slot and a release of a McKenzie makes sense but does that contract they gave Harty say #2 slot? 

[Warriorspikes51]

Just now, TheyCallMeAndy said:

I would L.O.V.E. to add Hardman but I’m getting the feeling they want to see Gabe Davis with a new WR coach. Hardman to the slot and a release of a McKenzie makes sense but does that contract they gave Harty say #2 slot? 

 

Beane mentioned they see Harty as lining up both outside and inside

[NewEra]

On 3/15/2023 at 8:28 AM, Beck Water said:

 

https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/football/news/bills-deonte-harty-heading-to-buffalo/

 

Missed 13 games on IR with a toe injury last season.  I hope it's at least contingent on him passing a physical.

 

McKenzie is a Smurf at 5'8" 178 lb

Hardy is a SuperSmurf at 5'6" 170 lb

 

 

"The Best Ability is Availability"

Hardy has played in 14, 9, 13, and 4 games

Same stretch McKenzie has played in 15, 16, 15, and 15 games.

 

If the Bills intended to cut McKenzie this spring, it's surprising to me that they haven't already done it so he could be on the market during the first burst of FA.  That would be the usual courtesy to a guy who has gone hard for them: give him the maximum chance to get out there, but perhaps "things have changed"

 

Hardy has been most active as a KR/PR

 

😉 

 

looks like Beane isn’t very courteous.  
 

The addition of Harty was the end for him.  Harty can play inside and outside and is a better return man.  Their size makes them redundant imo.  
 

But you are right, Harty’s health is def a concern and an obstacle.  The other obstacle being Dorsey being able to implement him into the offense

[LABILLBACKER]

22 hours ago, Clyde Smith said:

I live in Houston now and I was telling a co-worker who is a Saints fan we signed Harty. Wow, he was surprised and disappointed. Gave lil fella alot of props and said that kid ball out, good pickup.

Yeah I think we got a nice little under the radar pu to replace Beasley/McK.  He looks quicker and very capable of sudden cut backs for YAC.  He's gotta stay healthy and not become a Goodwin/Parrish issue with injuries. 

[Beck Water]

7 hours ago, MrEpsYtown said:

 

I am guessing he winds up with the Giants as injury insurance for Paris Campbell. Or in the slot for the Patriots (the only team McKenzie routinely killed.)

 

So maybe they are trying to weigh those situations as well. 

 

McKenzie killed Miami as well.

 

If I were guessing, the Bills wanted to wait until Harty passed his physical with them and signed his contract before moving on from McKenzie, which I guess happened yesterday?   I still think it's not the most courteous treatment for a guy who went hard for the Bills for 5 years, but Business is Business and Beane has to do what's best for the  Bills.

 

1 hour ago, LABILLBACKER said:

Yeah I think we got a nice little under the radar pu to replace Beasley/McK.  He looks quicker and very capable of sudden cut backs for YAC.  He's gotta stay healthy and not become a Goodwin/Parrish issue with injuries. 

 

If Harty were that under the radar, we wouldn't have had to pay what we did for him.

Edited March 17, 2023 by Beck Water

[jlgarsh]

13 minutes ago, Beck Water said:

 

McKenzie killed Miami as well.

 

If I were guessing, the Bills wanted to wait until Harty passed his physical with them and signed his contract before moving on from McKenzie, which I guess happened yesterday?   I still think it's not the most courteous treatment for a guy who went hard for the Bills for 5 years, but Business is Business and Beane has to do what's best for the  Bills.

 

 

If Harty were that under the radar, we wouldn't have had to pay what we did for him.

He had larger offers but wanted to go to Buffalo

[Beck Water]

1 minute ago, jlgarsh said:

He had larger offers but wanted to go to Buffalo

 

Exactly.  If he had larger offers than we gave him, he wasn't that much "under the radar" 'cuz we paid him pretty well IMHO

[RocCityRoller]

5'6" 170

 

I've yelled at teenagers larger than this to get off of my lawn....

 

boooo

[jlgarsh]

2 hours ago, Beck Water said:

 

Exactly.  If he had larger offers than we gave him, he wasn't that much "under the radar" 'cuz we paid him pretty well IMHO

Yup. Excited to see him this season!!!

[Beck Water]

2 hours ago, RocCityRoller said:

5'6" 170

 

I've yelled at teenagers larger than this to get off of my lawn....

 

boooo

 

My biggest concern.  There's a reason that athletes this size don't normally make it to the pros

[DJB]

 

 

 

This is Deonte Harty

[BillsFanForever19]

5 hours ago, DJB said:

 

 

 

This is Deonte Harty

 

Oh man - you've gone and done it now.

 

You've given sound reasoning as to why Beane targeted him in Wave 1 of Free Agency, outbid others to get him, and why he more than likely feels comfortable with what he's done with the Pass Catching core this offseason already. 

 

The "he's an unknown" and "he's never done anything in his career" crowd around here that want to dismiss him and bury him on the depth chart at every chance they get aren't going to like that.

[Buffalo716]

On 3/17/2023 at 9:15 PM, Beck Water said:

 

My biggest concern.  There's a reason that athletes this size don't normally make it to the pros

I think that’s doesn’t even matter at this point in his career 

 

sure there aren’t a lot of 5’8 170 pounders in the NFL but that’s also because there aren’t a lot of world class football athletes that size 

 

If you can play D1 or get to the league at that size , you’re 100% pound for pound a machine 

[Beck Water]

2 minutes ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

Oh man - you've gone and done it now.

 

You've given sound reasoning as to why Beane targeted him in Wave 1 of Free Agency, outbid others to get him, and why he more than likely feels comfortable with what he's done with the Pass Catching core this offseason already. 

 

The "he's an unknown" and "he's never done anything in his career" crowd around here that want to dismiss him and bury him on the depth chart at every chance they get aren't going to like that.

 

I know there were reasons that Beane targeted him. 

The problem Harty has had is staying healthy.  He's never had a full season.  He spent most of last season on IR with turf toe.  He's had repeated problems with tweaked hamstrings.  His ceiling is high, but he's by no means a sure contributor.

 

 

1 minute ago, Buffalo716 said:

I think that’s doesn’t even matter at this point in his career 

 

sure there aren’t a lot of 5’8 170 pounders in the NFL but that’s also because there aren’t a lot of world class football athletes that size 

 

If you can play D1 or get to the league at that size , you’re 100% pound for pound a machine 

 

So Harty didn't play D1.  Assumption College, that's DII, correct?

 

He did get to the league, and make it onto the field as an offensive player for 13 games in 2021.  Also led the league in returns his rook year.

 

He can ball, no doubt.

[Royale with Cheese]

1 minute ago, Buffalo716 said:

I think that’s doesn’t even matter at this point in his career 

 

sure there aren’t a lot of 5’8 170 pounders in the NFL but that’s also because there aren’t a lot of world class football athletes that size 

 

If you can play D1 or get to the league at that size , you’re 100% pound for pound a machine 

 

Jeremy White brought up a good point when we signed him.  He said for him to be that small and for an NFL team to hold a roster spot for him, you have to do something special.  He has that.  He just can't stay healthy.  If he does, I predict he will become the greatest receiver of all time and be on the cover of Madden 2 years in a row.  

[Punching Bag]

1 minute ago, Royale with Cheese said:

 

Jeremy White brought up a good point when we signed him.  He said for him to be that small and for an NFL team to hold a roster spot for him, you have to do something special.  He has that.  He just can't stay healthy.  If he does, I predict he will become the greatest receiver of all time and be on the cover of Madden 2 years in a row.  

 

It will depend on how he is targeted.  If he is like Beasley who was constantly catching balls in traffic he will be a very expensive $5M toy.