Bills sign Latavius Murray to a one-year deal

[BuffaloBillyG]

3 minutes ago, PrimeTime101 said:

 

JR. Class

Snaps by Alignment

Position---2022-----2021 ----2020

LT---------0----------0---------0

LG---------0----------0---------0

C----------0-----------0--------0

RG---------697------761------699

RT---------0---------46--------0

---------fresh-------soft--------JR

 

Per PFF. I do not know where you are getting your info from

PFF os incorrect on this.

 

From The Athletic (Paywall)

"With the 59th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Bills selected Florida guard O'Cyrus Torrence. Torrence played only one season with the Gators, but over his college career split between Louisiana and Florida, he started his last 34 games at right guard and 13 games as a freshman at left guard"

 

Draft Profile on NFL.com

"He immediately stepped into the starting lineup in Lafayette, beginning 13 of 14 contests at left guard in 2019."

 

TThat's just 2. There are many more.

 

 

[Nextmanup]

1 hour ago, JohnBonhamRocks said:

Just heard on WGR. 
 

Gotta be $1.7M given before 4 PM.

 

760 yards, 6 TDs, 4.4 ypc last year.

 

Tough not to like this signing.

See, you can always pick up a serviceable running back from wherever, whenever, for cheap.

 

This is why you don't draft them, let alone in the top 10 of the draft! 

 

 

[KDIGGZ]

Just now, Motorin' said:

 

You're not saying you don't know if McGovern is a huge improvement in pass protection from the LG spot, are you? 

 

I don't think McGovern is a huge improvement, no. I think if he was so great he would start for Dallas or they would re-sign him for depth. He came here for a chance to start so we'll see. Hopefully he's better. He might be worse than what we had. Maybe Saffold just needed time to gel with the line. We'll never know.

[Brianmoorman4jesus]

I like the idea of wanting to be more physical. Hopefully we evolve into a power running team with balance and fall off this finesse bull####

[Manther]

1 hour ago, Chicken Boo said:

 

Latavius is insurance.  Harris is injury prone and it remains to be seen if Cook can handle a full workload.  Based on last year, they don't believe in Hines much at all.

I like your thoughts besides they don't believe in Hines.  If they didn't believe in Hines they could have cut him with no cap penalty.  I don't believe they would pay that much for a return guy.  But, I could be wrong.

[NewEra]

9 minutes ago, Manther said:

It is the same type of safety valve if RBs get injured.

For sure-  he’s the Harris insurance policy for when he inevitably gets injured

[PrimeTime101]

7 minutes ago, BuffaloBillyG said:

PFF os incorrect on this.

 

From The Athletic (Paywall)

"With the 59th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Bills selected Florida guard O'Cyrus Torrence. Torrence played only one season with the Gators, but over his college career split between Louisiana and Florida, he started his last 34 games at right guard and 13 games as a freshman at left guard"

 

Draft Profile on NFL.com

"He immediately stepped into the starting lineup in Lafayette, beginning 13 of 14 contests at left guard in 2019."

 

TThat's just 2. There are many more.

 

 

I stand corrected, pff does screw it up now and then

[Alphadawg7]

Solid signing as insurance for Harris.  I mean there was no backup no the roster for Harris as neither Cook or Hines could do what he will be used for, so this felt inevitable after they didn't draft one.  

[Starr Almighty]

1 hour ago, I'm Spartacus said:

Is Taiwan history now?

I see this question in a lot of threads. Am I wrong or is he a Free Agent that's not currently on the team?

[Brand J]

@KDIGGZWho was the better guard for the Bills last season? Ryan Bates or Rodger Saffold? 
 

A) If you answer Saffold, you will lose all credibility and it isn’t worth more discussion. 
 

B) If you answer Bates, you effectively contradict many of your points of argument.

 

C) If you try to argue they were the same caliber player, not only would you be disproven by OL metrics, but you’d also contradict your points in regards to Saffold’s body of work and history of pro bowls, seeing as how Bates hasn’t been nominated to one.
 

I don’t like groupthink myself, I like to form my own opinions like you, so in that respect I can appreciate taking an opposing POV. But you also have to admit when an argument is faulty. 

[Alphadawg7]

11 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

See, you can always pick up a serviceable running back from wherever, whenever, for cheap.

 

This is why you don't draft them, let alone in the top 10 of the draft! 

 

 

 

True...but you also are not looking for a "serviceable" RB when you take one in the top 10.  Not defending Atlanta, they had a very good rookie RB last year, so puzzled why they take another and I definitely would have picked someone else.  But, just saying when you take a RB in first round in general, it's because you want more than a "serviceable" guy.

[RyanC883]

love this signing.   Now get Justin Houston.  

[Chicken Boo]

15 minutes ago, Manther said:

I like your thoughts besides they don't believe in Hines.  If they didn't believe in Hines they could have cut him with no cap penalty.  I don't believe they would pay that much for a return guy.  But, I could be wrong.

 

In 9 games last year Hines had 6 rush attempts.  That's not on him.  

 

Like with a few others on the roster and their lack of usage, it's has nothing to do with their talent and everything to do with mismanagement.

1 minute ago, RyanC883 said:

love this signing.   Now get Justin Houston.  

 

That thought never crossed my mind until now.  

[DCbillsfan]

28 minutes ago, KDIGGZ said:

I don't think McGovern is a huge improvement, no. I think if he was so great he would start for Dallas or they would re-sign him for depth. He came here for a chance to start so we'll see. Hopefully he's better. He might be worse than what we had. Maybe Saffold just needed time to gel with the line. We'll never know.

Saffold was washed up.  He's done.  McGovern was starting in Dallas but they're hurting for cap space because of the dumb contract for Zeke Elliott.

[Billz4ever]

22 minutes ago, KDIGGZ said:

I don't think McGovern is a huge improvement, no. I think if he was so great he would start for Dallas or they would re-sign him for depth. He came here for a chance to start so we'll see. Hopefully he's better. He might be worse than what we had. Maybe Saffold just needed time to gel with the line. We'll never know.

Saffold was rated the worst starting guard in the league last year.

 

Just having him not there this season is an improvement.

[KDIGGZ]

5 minutes ago, JayBaller10 said:

@KDIGGZWho was the better guard for the Bills last season? Ryan Bates or Rodger Saffold? 
 

A) If you answer Saffold, you will lose all credibility and it isn’t worth more discussion. 
 

B) If you answer Bates, you effectively contradict many of your points of argument.

 

C) If you try to argue they were the same caliber player, not only would you be disproven by OL metrics, but you’d also contradict your points in regards to Saffold’s body of work and history of pro bowls, seeing as how Bates hasn’t been nominated to one.
 

I don’t like groupthink myself, I like to form my own opinions like you, so in that respect I can appreciate taking an opposing POV. But you also have to admit when an argument is faulty. 

We have seen Bates and his body of work. We have trust with what he can do on this line because he has the years of working with this group. Bates played better than Saffold last year but is Bates a better player than Saffold? When their careers are over I don't know if anyone would think that would be the case as it stands currently. Saffold might have just had a bad year, might have had issues geling with the team, might have had injuries he played through. We will never know. I would not assume Dallas' backup G will step in and be leaps and bounds better. He played well for Dallas on an already dominant line. This is a different group, different scheme, different coaches. We'll see. He could be worse than Saffold which is just as equally likely but nobody wants to admit that. 

[John from Riverside]

See how anyone could not like this

[stevewin]

58 minutes ago, Stevie Ray said:

Better than a Huffy!  

You guys had brand name bikes?  Rich.  Ours were always some generic  KMart special

Edited May 1, 2023 by stevewin

[JerseyBills]

2 hours ago, JohnBonhamRocks said:

Just heard on WGR. 
 

Gotta be $1.7M given before 4 PM.

 

760 yards, 6 TDs, 4.4 ypc last year.

 

Tough not to like this signing.

In limited action after Williams injury and Gordon release. He looked good imo. Insurance for Harris if injuries pop up. This RB room is very superior to what we had going into last year - Motor,Cook,Moss🤮,Jones🤮

[Brand J]

12 minutes ago, KDIGGZ said:

We have seen Bates and his body of work. We have trust with what he can do on this line because he has the years of working with this group. Bates played better than Saffold last year but is Bates a better player than Saffold? When their careers are over I don't know if anyone would think that would be the case as it stands currently. Saffold might have just had a bad year, might have had issues geling with the team, might have had injuries he played through. We will never know. I would not assume Dallas' backup G will step in and be leaps and bounds better. He played well for Dallas on an already dominant line. This is a different group, different scheme, different coaches. We'll see. He could be worse than Saffold which is just as equally likely but nobody wants to admit that. 

Bates is a better player than Saffold right now and yes, he was better than him last year. It wasn’t just a one year fluke with Saffold, he’s been in decline. To assume McGovern could be just as bad in pass protection… I mean, I don’t know. It’s possible, sure, but I’d say much more unlikely.
 

McGovern received a contract within the first few days of free agency. Saffold is still a free agent. If the league valued Rodger as highly as you do, or thought his career and body of work as a pro bowler meant something, he would’ve been signed by this point. It’s always a “what have you done for me lately?” league, no evaluator dwells on the past. As the saying goes, contracts aren’t awarded based on what you’ve done, they’re awarded based on what you potentially can do moving forward. But anyway, even if McGovern flops, Bates at LG is an upgrade over Saffold, which would then leave the rookie or Edwards at RG. And in that scenario the IOL is still more solid on paper than last year. 

Edited May 1, 2023 by JayBaller10

[JerseyBills]

34 minutes ago, KDIGGZ said:

I don't think McGovern is a huge improvement, no. I think if he was so great he would start for Dallas or they would re-sign him for depth. He came here for a chance to start so we'll see. Hopefully he's better. He might be worse than what we had. Maybe Saffold just needed time to gel with the line. We'll never know.

Completely disagree.  I bet he turns out as a Daquan Jones type signing and we'll be loving his contract. Big upgrade

[Hsker4life]

56 minutes ago, KDIGGZ said:

Saffold has the body of work. Maybe he's declining or maybe he will sign with the Jets and run us over twice a year. It's weird to assume McGovern, who was not a full time starter and was not re-signed by his previous team, is definitely without question better than a multi time pro bowl guard. He might me, fingers crossed. We don't know

Saffold is 34 years old and a shell of his former self. He graded terribly this past season. McGovern graded out much higher.

[Billz4ever]

3 minutes ago, KDIGGZ said:

We have seen Bates and his body of work. We have trust with what he can do on this line because he has the years of working with this group. Bates played better than Saffold last year but is Bates a better player than Saffold? When their careers are over I don't know if anyone would think that would be the case as it stands currently. Saffold might have just had a bad year, might have had issues geling with the team, might have had injuries he played through. We will never know. I would not assume Dallas' backup G will step in and be leaps and bounds better. He played well for Dallas on an already dominant line. This is a different group, different scheme, different coaches. We'll see. He could be worse than Saffold which is just as equally likely but nobody wants to admit that. 

Backup?  He started 15 games for the Cowboys in 2022.  He has a 93.1% pass block win rate compared to the disaster that was Saffold.

[Warriorspikes51]

3 minutes ago, JerseyBills said:

Completely disagree.  I bet he turns out as a Daquan Jones type signing and we'll be loving his contract. Big upgrade

 

That would be really exciting for the interior.  If we can just figure out RT we should be in the Above Average - Good range for the league

[TheBrownBear]

Nice signing.  He's old, but he still looked good last year, especially down the stretch.

[Warriorspikes51]

1 hour ago, BuffaloRebound said:

Shows McBeane is committed to being more physical on offense.  

More physical and bigger

O'Cyrus  6'5  340
Kincaid  6'4  245
Shorter 6'4  230

Shavers 6'6 215 

Murray 6'3  230

Harris 5'11, 215 but plays very physical

Edited May 1, 2023 by Warriorspikes51

[JerseyBills]

8 minutes ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

 

That would be really exciting for the interior.  If we can just figure out RT we should be in the Above Average - Good range for the league

Absolutely.  I still have faith in Brown and looks like the coaches do too. He's a physical freak, I hope he takes the jump this year, if he comes on we could be very very good

4 minutes ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

More physical and bigger

O'Cyrus  6'5  340
Kincaid  6'4  245
Shorter 6'4  230

Shavers 6'6 215 

Murray 6'3  230

Harris 5'11, 215 but plays very physical

McD said last or 2 off seasons ago they need to get bigger and more physical and it has shown

[NewEra]

52 minutes ago, KDIGGZ said:

I don't think McGovern is a huge improvement, no. I think if he was so great he would start for Dallas or they would re-sign him for depth. He came here for a chance to start so we'll see. Hopefully he's better. He might be worse than what we had. Maybe Saffold just needed time to gel with the line. We'll never know.

This is hilarious like so many of your predictable posts.  
 

ever think they wanted to resign him for depth- but could afford to pay a backup what he paid him?  And if they would offer him the same contract, that he didn’t want to be a depth player anymore?  
 

You’re sitting her talking about rodger Saffold.  Saffold.  Not an offensive lineman. Not a lineman.  But Saffold….  Rodger Saffold.  He’s been terrible for a couple years now.  And you think he may have gelled after one season.  You’re reaching for air

[Dr. Who]

11 minutes ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

More physical and bigger

O'Cyrus  6'5  340
Kincaid  6'4  245
Shorter 6'4  230

Shavers 6'6 215 

Murray 6'3  230

Harris 5'11, 215 but plays very physical

Correct, but you're still forgetting Harty 5'6, 170

 

[Sierra Foothills]

2 hours ago, CapeBreton said:

Love it, Latavius surprisingly still had some juice last year. 

 

He's consistently had juice.

 

He's a 9 year vet with eight straight seasons of at least 500 yards. Only once has he averaged less than 4.0 per carry. He has power and speed and doesn't fumble the ball.

 

1 hour ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

Murray's size and ball security may result in him being the "punisher" to wear teams down late once we have the lead

 

I've always maintained that McDermott (from his comments) is a neanderthal football coach at heart. We pass because we have Josh Allen but McDermott would love to be able to play smash mouth football. I'm getting visions of Ottis Anderson running against us in Super Bowl XXV.

 

1 hour ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

I expect him to be a contributor 
 

 

This fires me up.

 

Downhill, punishing... excellent vision. It's been about 10 years so people forget that Murray ran a sub 4.4 forty at the combine. This is a big, physical, durable, dependable, running back who can still outrun linebackers.

 

Also he's averaged 10.5 yards per reception... a part of his game that's been underutilized.

 

The Bills can go jumbo with the 2 TE set and teams will be overplaying the run when Murray's in the game.

 

 

[Paup 1995MVP]

2 hours ago, NewEra said:

Welcome Duke Johnson 2.0-

I hope you are not bashing Duke Johnson.  Duke could still play.  And the Bills buried him on the depth chart behind Moss Singletary and Cook.  Just like they did to TJ Yeldon when he could play as well.  

 

Murray is solid if not spectacular.  And a backfield of Murray Harris and Cook is excellent.  Hynes will be the kick and punt returner.  And can be an option out of the backfield in special situations.  

[strive_for_five_guy]

18 minutes ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

More physical and bigger

O'Cyrus  6'5  340
Kincaid  6'4  245
Shorter 6'4  230

Shavers 6'6 215 

Murray 6'3  230

Harris 5'11, 215 but plays very physical

Even some of the defensive adds like Rapp and Dorian are known for being physical too.  Adding physicality appears to be a theme.

[Paup 1995MVP]

2 hours ago, KDIGGZ said:

RB might be the only position group besides TE that we have improved at. Everything else is the same or worse. They really seemed to focus on getting some veteran help at that position this year.

I think we certainly have gotten bet at Interior Offensive line.

[Shaw66]

2 hours ago, Virgil said:

I feel like Murray and Harris won't both make the roster in training camp.  

 

Good to have options.  I do feel like, between the draft and the type of guys we are bringing in, we will finally have a somewhat power run game

I'm slow.  Don't the Bills carry four running backs in the 53?   Harris, Murray, Cook, Hines.    Or is Gilliam one of the four?   

 

I agree with others that Taiwan Jones, nominally a running back, is likely done, and his special teams role will be filled by others.  

[KDIGGZ]

34 minutes ago, JayBaller10 said:

 

33 minutes ago, JerseyBills said:

 

 

30 minutes ago, Hsker4life said:

 

 

29 minutes ago, Billz4ever said:

 

 

12 minutes ago, NewEra said:

 

 

I see a lot of "I bet" and "hopefully" and "it's likely" when it comes to McGovern. Yes hopefully he's better and not worse. Both are possible outcomes. Too early to say our OL is any better let alone "vastly improved" and "leaps and bounds better."

[JohnBonhamRocks]

4 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

I'm slow.  Don't the Bills carry four running backs in the 53?   Harris, Murray, Cook, Hines.    Or is Gilliam one of the four?   

 

I agree with others that Taiwan Jones, nominally a running back, is likely done, and his special teams role will be filled by others.  

I think they usually have 5 total counting Gilliam and the PS. Speculation is Kincaid and Shavers respectively make Gilliam and Jones expendable. 

[Billz4ever]

2 minutes ago, KDIGGZ said:

I see a lot of "I bet" and "hopefully" and "it's likely" when it comes to McGovern. Yes hopefully he's better and not worse. Both are possible outcomes. Too early to say our OL is any better let alone "vastly improved" and "leaps and bounds better."

 

If you replace the statistically worst rated guard in the league doesn't take much to improve.

[SCBills]

28 minutes ago, JerseyBills said:

Completely disagree.  I bet he turns out as a Daquan Jones type signing and we'll be loving his contract. Big upgrade

 

The poster you're responding to is basing his argument on the fact Dallas didn't re-sign McGovern.  

 

Ignoring the fact that Dallas has a completely different OL philosophy than Buffalo. 

 

They currently have Martin at RG and Tyler Smith at LG.  They are a power scheme.  McGovern is more of an athletic pass blocker and they have limited money.  

 

Should Bengals fans be worried that KC didn't re-sign Brown or KC fans worried that Jax didn't re-sign Taylor?  Absurd reasoning.  

[Paup 1995MVP]

42 minutes ago, JayBaller10 said:

Bates is a better player than Saffold right now and yes, he was better than him last year. It wasn’t just a one year fluke with Saffold, he’s been in decline. To assume McGovern could be just as bad in pass protection… I mean, I don’t know. It’s possible, sure, but I’d say much more unlikely.
 

McGovern received a contract within the first few days of free agency. Saffold is still a free agent. If the league valued Rodger as highly as you do, or thought his career and body of work as a pro bowler meant something, he would’ve been signed by this point. It’s always a “what have you done for me lately?” league, no evaluator dwells on the past. As the saying goes, contracts aren’t awarded based on what you’ve done, they’re awarded based on what you potentially can do moving forward. But anyway, even if McGovern flops, Bates at LG is an upgrade over Saffold, which would then leave the rookie or Edwards at RG. And in that scenario the IOL is still more solid on paper than last year. 

Baller can Edwards play RT also?  It seems odd that we have drafted a RG with a high pick, and signed two guards in Free Agency, one getting a big contract, and have two decent guards already on the roster in Bates and Boettger.  (Ike when healthy is at least fairly competent and tough if not very good) And have not signed anyone to specifically compete at RT.  (Do the Bills think that Tommy Doyle if healthy can compete w Spencer Brown for the starting job at RT?)

[RiotAct]

7 minutes ago, KDIGGZ said:

I see a lot of "I bet" and "hopefully" and "it's likely" when it comes to McGovern. Yes hopefully he's better and not worse. Both are possible outcomes. Too early to say our OL is any better let alone "vastly improved" and "leaps and bounds better."

true that… it’s all on paper ‘til the bullets start flying!