GASabresIUFan Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 Heading into the off-season The Bills' biggest strength may be the O Line. All 5 starters are under contract. Key backup Bates is also under contract and they have youngsters Doyle, Anderson, and Van Denmark also under contract. The only real loss is Edwards. Another area of strength in LB. Even without Dodson, the Bills have starters Milano and Benard under contract and kids Spector and Williams who played pretty well when called upon late in the year. If Milano isn't progressing well from his injury then Beane's opinion of this area will probably change, but right now we have 4 guys under contract for next season and the Bills usually only carry 5. TE - Kincaid and Knox are under contract. We also have 2 others on futures contracts including McKitty. The last area of strength is the CBs. All three starters are in place in Douglas, Benford, and Taron Johnson. Elam, like it or not, is also returning. The question here is additional depth and whether Elam finally take a step forward. The oft-injured White is under contract but is a likely cap casualty. Dane Jackson will be a loss if he isn't re-signed. The questionable areas are as follows: D Line - We have 4 guys under contract including 2 excellent starters in Rousseau and Olivier. However, after that, there are only question marks. The biggest is the Miller. Can he return to form? If he does, that will be a huge boost to the Bills' defense and their SB aspirations. Jonathan is the only signed depth of note. The biggest issue will be replacing the run-stuffing DaQuan Jones. Settle, Floyd, Phillips, Lawson, and Ford are probably all gone. Safety - Only Poyer and Hamlin are under contract and both could be cut. Replacing Hyde and Rapp and possibly Poyer seems like a nearly impossible task. WR - The Bills have Shakir and DIggs which is a solid place to start. Shorter is under contract but not sure if he'll contribute or not. Harty is under contract, but I expect him to get cut. Davis is the biggest loss but is easily replaced. RB - Cook is a star and could be a superstar if he makes strides in holding onto the ball (fumbles and catches). The question is who do we have after him? Hines is under contract, but I suspect he'll be a cap casualty. Ty Johnson played well but is an FA. Murray is also an FA, but I don't expect him back. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanC883 Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 totally agree. One thought: Given the OL and what it means to team success, I would not be opposed to adding a top C/G in Rd3 to provide depth and have a young guy ready to be Allens next long term center after Morse. But WR safety and DL are l gaping holes. I expect the draft to be some combo of WR, S, and interior DL heavy. Hopefully two WRs at least. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Royale with Cheese Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 I don't think Safety is as big an issue if Poyer comes back. Poyer isn't all pro, he's an average safety now. Either Rapp or Lewis take over at the other safety...thinking Lewis. Not that I don't want to upgrade that position but I would rather put money towards a WR and duct tape at safety. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GASabresIUFan Posted January 30 Author Share Posted January 30 5 minutes ago, RyanC883 said: totally agree. One thought: Given the OL and what it means to team success, I would not be opposed to adding a top C/G in Rd3 to provide depth and have a young guy ready to be Allens next long term center after Morse. But WR safety and DL are l gaping holes. I expect the draft to be some combo of WR, S, and interior DL heavy. Hopefully two WRs at least. Bates is the backup center and is under contract. I do agree that a long-term solution at center is needed, but I can see Beane kicking that can down the road for another year, especially if he restructures Morse's deal to include another year. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeverOutNick Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 4 minutes ago, RyanC883 said: totally agree. One thought: Given the OL and what it means to team success, I would not be opposed to adding a top C/G in Rd3 to provide depth and have a young guy ready to be Allens next long term center after Morse. But WR safety and DL are l gaping holes. I expect the draft to be some combo of WR, S, and interior DL heavy. Hopefully two WRs at least. 100% you have to draft OL somewhere and keep developing. Love that they all played well but Dawkins is getting older and more expensive, Morse is probably on his last legs and who knows how long before Brown has a back problem again. I like Alec Anderson and Van Denmark a lot though 2 WRs at least in this LOADED wr draft class taking a page out of GBs book. But this time draft actual WRs not guys who look good in a t shirt and shorters (see what I did there) D Jones will probably be back if Beane likes the numbers but I agree grab a big man in the draft too. Doesn’t have to be early safety I think we can find value in free agency with a deep FA class looking for jobs and find another guy in the draft. Honestly this is not a concern of mine because even though I don’t like McD. He and the coaching staff do a great job developing defensive backs (outside of Elam so far lol) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GASabresIUFan Posted January 30 Author Share Posted January 30 4 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said: I don't think Safety is as big an issue if Poyer comes back. Poyer isn't all pro, he's an average safety now. Either Rapp or Lewis take over at the other safety...thinking Lewis. Not that I don't want to upgrade that position but I would rather put money towards a WR and duct tape at safety. Neither Rapp nor Lewis are under contract. Hamlin and Poyer are our only 2 safeties under contract and both could be cap casualties. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 WR, Safety, LB. Also stock up on OL, CB, maybe even draft a backup QB. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GASabresIUFan Posted January 30 Author Share Posted January 30 What would be an interesting development at center is extending Morse one more year, then trading Bates to fill another area of need and drafting a center in the first 4 rounds (maybe even with the pick received for Bates). This would save about 4-5 million in cap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Royale with Cheese Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 7 minutes ago, GASabresIUFan said: Neither Rapp nor Lewis are under contract. Hamlin and Poyer are our only 2 safeties under contract and both could be cap casualties. I really think they like Lewis so I think he's back. But then, it's going to be draft picks and depth. Not the greatest but still want money put towards offense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sestak4ever Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 I believe in this front office to fill positions of need. If you remember, this past off season everyone on this board was concerned about our linebacking depth. Now it appears to be a position of strength. It’s tough maintaining a competitive roster year in and year out, especially with a veteran roster such as ours. Bean does a great job. Go Bills! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptnCoke11 Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 Gotta invest picks/free agents in WR, safety, DL. That would be the main focus. Other areas can use some depth in late rounds or later in free agency with some one year contract guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBillyG Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 As of right now in no particular order: Safety 1T DT EDGE WR OL depth RB Some of these areas will be addressed in FA and some through re-signing some players. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LABILLBACKER Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 37 minutes ago, RyanC883 said: totally agree. One thought: Given the OL and what it means to team success, I would not be opposed to adding a top C/G in Rd3 to provide depth and have a young guy ready to be Allens next long term center after Morse. But WR safety and DL are l gaping holes. I expect the draft to be some combo of WR, S, and interior DL heavy. Hopefully two WRs at least. Yeah the draft needs to look something like wr, s, dt, wr, s, de. In group categories fa wise I hope we can keep Dane & Ty as quality depth. Nothing sucks more than draining huge cap money on injured or underperforming players like Von, Tre, Dawson and even Diggs to some degree. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strive_for_five_guy Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 2 hours ago, NeverOutNick said: 100% you have to draft OL somewhere and keep developing. Love that they all played well but Dawkins is getting older and more expensive, Morse is probably on his last legs and who knows how long before Brown has a back problem again. I like Alec Anderson and Van Denmark a lot though 2 WRs at least in this LOADED wr draft class taking a page out of GBs book. But this time draft actual WRs not guys who look good in a t shirt and shorters (see what I did there) D Jones will probably be back if Beane likes the numbers but I agree grab a big man in the draft too. Doesn’t have to be early safety I think we can find value in free agency with a deep FA class looking for jobs and find another guy in the draft. Honestly this is not a concern of mine because even though I don’t like McD. He and the coaching staff do a great job developing defensive backs (outside of Elam so far lol) What you’ve outlined sounds right here. I really think they’re going to try and keep White, as long as he’s willing to restructure his deal. An older CB coming off an Achilles injury, a couple years removed from an ACL injury, isn’t ideal for Tre’s outlook or market value. That said, I’m keeping fingers crossed he can surprise and rejoin our CB ranks. If that somehow does happen, maybe they look into moving one of the CBs like Benford over to FS. I still would want to draft a young safety as well, but it’d be nice to have additional flexibility in our DB room. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GustheDog33 Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 Hard-nosed QB Coach that strikes fear into the heart of Josh Allen, but not Kyle Allen, but also Jim Kelly and Frank Reich need to do the Bills a solid and be the Hard-nosed QB whisper coach who Josh respects but mostly fears because he has turnovers and other bad stuff even though Josh is great-sucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QB Bills Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 By far the biggest area of need is a competent head coach. In terms of players, a receiver who can create separation on his own as this offense isn't great at scheming guys open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerBillsFan Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 2 hours ago, GASabresIUFan said: Heading into the off-season The Bills' biggest strength may be the O Line. All 5 starters are under contract. Key backup Bates is also under contract and they have youngsters Doyle, Anderson, and Van Denmark also under contract. The only real loss is Edwards. Another area of strength in LB. Even without Dodson, the Bills have starters Milano and Benard under contract and kids Spector and Williams who played pretty well when called upon late in the year. If Milano isn't progressing well from his injury then Beane's opinion of this area will probably change, but right now we have 4 guys under contract for next season and the Bills usually only carry 5. TE - Kincaid and Knox are under contract. We also have 2 others on futures contracts including McKitty. The last area of strength is the CBs. All three starters are in place in Douglas, Benford, and Taron Johnson. Elam, like it or not, is also returning. The question here is additional depth and whether Elam finally take a step forward. The oft-injured White is under contract but is a likely cap casualty. Dane Jackson will be a loss if he isn't re-signed. The questionable areas are as follows: D Line - We have 4 guys under contract including 2 excellent starters in Rousseau and Olivier. However, after that, there are only question marks. The biggest is the Miller. Can he return to form? If he does, that will be a huge boost to the Bills' defense and their SB aspirations. Jonathan is the only signed depth of note. The biggest issue will be replacing the run-stuffing DaQuan Jones. Settle, Floyd, Phillips, Lawson, and Ford are probably all gone. Safety - Only Poyer and Hamlin are under contract and both could be cut. Replacing Hyde and Rapp and possibly Poyer seems like a nearly impossible task. WR - The Bills have Shakir and DIggs which is a solid place to start. Shorter is under contract but not sure if he'll contribute or not. Harty is under contract, but I expect him to get cut. Davis is the biggest loss but is easily replaced. RB - Cook is a star and could be a superstar if he makes strides in holding onto the ball (fumbles and catches). The question is who do we have after him? Hines is under contract, but I suspect he'll be a cap casualty. Ty Johnson played well but is an FA. Murray is also an FA, but I don't expect him back. WR, WR, Safety, DL, Depth overall in that order. And YES 2 wr's. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GASabresIUFan Posted January 30 Author Share Posted January 30 2 hours ago, SoonerBillsFan said: WR, WR, Safety, DL, Depth overall in that order. And YES 2 wr's. I agree about needing 2 WRs because I don't believe Shorter is part of the solution and I think Diggs is gone in two seasons. However, unless we move back from the 1st or pick up another top 100 pick in trade, I would use one of the 5th on a 2nd WR. The Bills need both DT and Edge and waiting to the 5th or 6th round would be a mistake. You can get good to very good WRs in the 5th, such as Shakir to Nucua. I'd also like to say that I'm also interested in drafting Rosemy-Jacksaint from UGA late. He was overshadowed in his career at Georgia by Pickens, Bowers, Burton, McConkey, and Mitchell, but is a very good receiver. He has decent size, runs excellent routes, and has very good hands. At any other school, he would have been a star player. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan714 Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 Everyone doesn't want to hear it, but DL, both DT and DE are the biggest priority. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerBillsFan Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 19 minutes ago, GASabresIUFan said: I agree about needing 2 WRs because I don't believe Shorter is part of the solution and I think Diggs is gone in two seasons. However, unless we move back from the 1st or pick up another top 100 pick in trade, I would use one of the 5th on a 2nd WR. The Bills need both DT and Edge and waiting to the 5th or 6th round would be a mistake. You can get good to very good WRs in the 5th, such as Shakir to Nucua. I'd also like to say that I'm also interested in drafting Rosemy-Jacksaint from UGA late. He was overshadowed in his career at Georgia by Pickens, Bowers, Burton, McConkey, and Mitchell, but is a very good receiver. He has decent size, runs excellent routes, and has very good hands. At any other school, he would have been a star player. Sitting here today, I wouldn't mind moving back into the high 2nd for another 3rd round pick if we can get it. Take WR there, then use our #28 pick in the 2nd round on say a Safety or DT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GASabresIUFan Posted January 30 Author Share Posted January 30 4 minutes ago, billsfan714 said: Everyone doesn't want to hear it, but DL, both DT and DE are the biggest priority. We have premium players at both positions in Rousseau and Oliver. We also have Miller, who could rebound and have a solid season next year. As I noted above, we certainly need added depth at both positions and it wouldn't surprise me if we draft both positions in the 1st 4 rounds. That said, WR and Safety are bigger concerns. Depending on how Beane proceeds, we may have zero safeties on the roster soon if both Poyer and Hamlin become cap casualties. At WR, Davis' disappearing act and then injury pointed out how ineffective our WR group had become. Defenses double-teamed and schemed to take Diggs away. He helped by dropping critical passes. This forced Brady to use a more ball control offense which took away explosive plays from Allen. To maximize what we get from Allen, Beane needs to give Brady better talent at WR. Unfortunately, through out Beane's tenure to has yet to draft a WR above the 4th rd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Otreply Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 5 hours ago, RyanC883 said: totally agree. One thought: Given the OL and what it means to team success, I would not be opposed to adding a top C/G in Rd3 to provide depth and have a young guy ready to be Allens next long term center after Morse. But WR safety and DL are l gaping holes. I expect the draft to be some combo of WR, S, and interior DL heavy. Hopefully two WRs at least. Yup, Hopefully at least one of those WRs is a high round pick and is ready to play out of the gate. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Who Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 1 hour ago, billsfan714 said: Everyone doesn't want to hear it, but DL, both DT and DE are the biggest priority. They are needs, but no priority is bigger than WR. Getting Josh Allen elite weapons is the key to future success more than any other factor. This is a great draft for WR and there needs to be at least one premium pick spent on the position. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCal Deek Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 As has been said in countless threads the Bills are in need of serious help at WR, Safety and Interior D Line. Beyond that it’s going to be a crap shoot, with a significant dependence on Draft picks given their current Cap situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unforgiven Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 (edited) Whole team except qb and new coach oline is decent Edited January 30 by Unforgiven Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.