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We're on to the off-season


jkeerie

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1 hour ago, Just in Atlanta said:

Defensive stats:

No. 2 - TDs allowed
No. 4 - INTs

No. 4 - Sacks
No. 4 - Point differential
No. 8 - Yds/att

No. 9 - Fumble recoveries

Biggest loss differential - 6 points

We are top 10 in almost every defensive category, despite the rash of injuries. Visually, the defense had the look - aggressive and smart. How McD had this unit playing as well as it did with these massive injuries is nothing short of amazing IMO. 

 

People calling the defense "garbage" and other vapid names have a poor take and that's saying it lightly. 

 

 

 

 

 

This fan base might be brain damaged. 

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I hate to say it but I am in a little bit of a panic mode this off season.  Chiefs won the super bowl and are $25 million under the caps.  We are getting pretty old in critical positions and are $50 million over the cap. Von and Diggs are not cuttable/tradable because of their dead cap money.  White has had 2 major injuries in his legs and is not getting younger.  Our Safeties looked their age at the end of the year.  A. Epenesa will get a big dollar offer from someone.  L Floyd is a mercenary and will take top dollar.  I don't see Greg Rousseau getting massively better, he is decent and will always be just decent. 

 

Yeah, I know that there will be a boat load of restructures and contract extensions to get us to resign a guy or two so a decent contract. But extensions and restructuring just pushes the cap issue down the road, effectively making everything much worse in the future.  

 

There is some hope.. it is not all a nightmare.... Kincaid, Shakir, Torrence, and Cook might be the real deal.  Justin Shorter is huge and decently fast.  Rasul Douglas is the real deal.  If Milanio comes back near his old self, we have really good young LBs that step up this year a lot. Dorian Williams was a rookie and come on late in the season, imagine a good pro training off season for him. a potential 3-4 defense not a dime defense on 1st down with our young LBS. Tommy Dolye is a decent depth piece.  Hines will come back at a lower price/extension. I have not given up on Kailr Elam as the 1st guy off the bench.  Taylor Rapp will resign. 

 

We need to have killer draft.... almost a perfect draft. 

  1. We need a DT that is 400 pound sumo wrestler to occupy 2 lineman. Oliver is best when he has a hippo next to him. 
  2. An heir to Diggs as a #1 WR.  maybe 2 great WR
  3. Smart athletic Safeties
  4. a DE... (yeah I know we always draft a DE)
  5. An heir to Mitch Morris. That can play both center and guard
  6. A late 7th round development QB with a high ceiling. We have been lucky with Allen's health. 
  7. A fast and nasty hard hitting Safety or LB.. late round.

This is super hard to hit on all of these... but for once Beane can't just have a good draft.  He needs to have a great one. The future of the salary cap demands it... 

Edited by Iraq Vet
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I"m in the camp of (2) WR coming in.  But i'd like to see one as a FA signing.  We need the help NOW, and not when the coaches THINK our new WR draft pic can play.

 

M. Brown is who I would target.  And then get the best WR available with our first pick.

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20 minutes ago, Iraq Vet said:

I hate to say it but I am in a little bit of a panic mode this off season.  Chiefs won the super bowl and are $25 million under the caps.  We are getting pretty old in critical positions and are $50 million over the cap. Von and Diggs are not cuttable/tradable because of their dead cap money.  White has had 2 major injuries in his legs and is not getting younger.  Our Safeties looked their age at the end of the year.  A. Epenesa will get a big dollar offer from someone.  L Floyd is a mercenary and will take top dollar.  I don't see Greg Rousseau getting massively better, he is decent and will always be just decent. 

 

Yeah, I know that there will be a boat load of restructures and contract extensions to get us to resign a guy or two so a decent contract. But extensions and restructuring just pushes the cap issue down the road, effectively making everything much worse in the future.  

 

There is some hope.. it is not all a nightmare.... Kincaid, Shakir, Torrence, and Cook might be the real deal.  Justin Shorter is huge and decently fast.  Rasul Douglas is the real deal.  If Milanio comes back near his old self, we have really good young LBs that step up this year a lot. Dorian Williams was a rookie and come on late in the season, imagine a good pro training off season for him. a potential 3-4 defense not a dime defense on 1st down with our young LBS. Tommy Dolye is a decent depth piece.  Hines will come back at a lower price/extension. I have not given up on Kailr Elam as the 1st guy off the bench.  Taylor Rapp will resign. 

 

We need to have killer draft.... almost a perfect draft. 

  1. We need a DT that is 400 pound sumo wrestler to occupy 2 lineman. Oliver is best when he has a hippo next to him. 
  2. An heir to Diggs as a #1 WR.  maybe 2 great WR
  3. Smart athletic Safeties
  4. a DE... (yeah I know we always draft a DE)
  5. An heir to Mitch Morris. That can play both center and guard
  6. A late 7th round development QB with a high ceiling. We have been lucky with Allen's health. 
  7. A fast and nasty hard hitting Safety or LB.. late round.

This is super hard to hit on all of these... but for once Beane can't just have a good draft.  He needs to have a great one. The future of the salary cap demands it... 

They have only 43 players signed.  Their free agent list includes Chris Jones, Snead, Tranquil, Gay, and a number of others from their starting defense.  So they are not awash with cash.  Yes...the Bills have more free agents...but they need to get younger and build through the draft...and play those players so they develop!

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The Bills currently have 21 Unrestricted Free Agents and are set to start the offseason approximately $51 million over the cap which means Brandon Beane has his work cut out for him just to free up enough cap space to fill out his roster, sign his draft class, and have enough cap space leftover for the regular season.

 

Here's what I would do this offseason if I were Brandon Beane. Below is a list of 21 Unrestricted Free Agents. I would re-sign 5 of the 21 FA's.

 

*UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS

1. WR Gabe Davis

2. WR Trent Sherfield

3. RB Latavius Murray

4. RB Ty Johnson: re-signed $1.5M

5. RB Damien Harris

6. QB Kyle Allen

7. OL David Edwards: re-signed $2M

8. FS Micah Hyde

9. S Taylor Rapp

10. DE Shaq Lawson

11. DE A.J. Epenesa: re-signed $5.5M

12. DE Leonard Floyd

13. DT DaQuan Jones

14. DT Tim Settle

15. DT Jordan Phillips

16. DT Poona Ford

17. DT Linval Joseph

18. LB Tyrel Dodson: re-signed $3M

19. CB Dane Jackson: re-signed $3M

20. CB Cam Lewis

21. ST Tyler Matakevich

 

*RELEASED

RB Nyheim Hines: Cap Hit in 2024 is $5.5M with a Dead Cap of 500K is a cap savings of $5M. 

WR Deonte Harty: Cap Hit in 2024 is $5.57M with a Dead Cap of $1.37M is a cap savings of $4.2M. 

C Mitch Morse: The problem here is that at 32 (in April), Morse is set to make $11.2 million in the final year of his deal.  Cutting him saves $8.4M, and the team is due to draft or sign a younger center anyway. Morse is a difficult Bills cut candidate to jettison this offseason, but it only gets harder from here. For the time being Ryan Bates will be my starting Center while the young Center develops.

SS Jordan Poyer: When Poyer hit free agency last season, he expected a big market, but it never came and he returned on a two-year deal worth $10 million. Age and injuries appeared to wear on Poyer this season and it was clear doesn’t possess the same range anymore. Cutting Poyer saves $5.7M in cap space.

LB Von Miller: There's lyrics in Kenny Rodgers song ''The Gambler'' that says ''You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, and know when to run''. It's high time to cut our losses and move on. Von is washed up, and his valuable roster spot can be put to better use with someone younger and heathier.

 

The thinking here would be to get out of his contract before the remaining $6.43M of 2024 salary becomes fully guaranteed. Without a Post June 1st Designation, Buffalo would take on a $32.5M dead cap hit (including $10.71M cash), which would represent an $8.6M cap loss for 2024.

I'd designate Von as a Post June 1st Designation which would mean $17.08M of 2024 dead cap ($10.71M cash), & another $15.4M of 2025 dead cap. This would free up $6.8M of cap space for the Bills next year, but not until June 2nd.

 

I'm willing to bite the bullet. Addition by subtraction.

 

*CONTRACT RESTRUCTURE

QB Josh Allen

LG Connor McGovern

IOL Ryan Bates

LB Matt Milano

 

*DON'T RESTRUCTURE

WR Stephon Diggs

TE Dawson Knox

 

*CONTRACT EXTENSIONS

OT Dion Dawkins: UFA after 2024. Offer a 2 year contract extension through 2026.

CB Rasul Douglas: UFA after 2024. Offer a 2 year contract extension through 2026.

CB Taron Johnson: UFA after 2024. Offer a 2 year contract extension through 2026.

 

*PAY CUT RESTRUCTURE WITH INCENTIVES FOR SNAPS/GAMES PLAYED

CB Tre White: White is coming back from a torn Achilles without a timetable for return, his 2nd long-term injury in 3 seasons. 2024 Cap Hit is $16.4M with a $10.4M Dead Cap. Releasing White saves $6M in cap space. I'd ask White to accept a $6M Pay Cut with the opportunity to earn that back by hitting incentives, but if White disagrees, I'll designate him as a post-June 1 release which saves $10.2M in cap space.

 

*TEAM NEEDS

3 WR's to replace Davis, Sherfield, and Harty

1 RB to replace Latavius Murray

3 DE's to replace Miller, Floyd, and Lawson

5 DT to replace Jones, Phillips, Settle, Ford, and Joseph (DL gets revamped)

1 FS to replace Hyde

1 SS to replace Poyer

1 HYBRID SAFETY to replace Rapp (Safety group gets revamped)

1-2 CB's to replace Lewis and possibly White

 

*FREE AGENT ADDITIONS 

FS Geno Stone: $8.5M AAV, replaces Hyde

SS Jeremy Chinn: $3M AAV, replaces Poyer

DE Jadeveon Clowney: $7M AAV, replaces Floyd

LDT Sebastian Joseph-Day: $3.5M, replaces Jones

RDT Maurice Hurst Jr: $1.5M replaces Settle

WR Kendrick Bourne: $5M AAV or WR Darnell Mooney on the cheap (Spotrac projected Mooney AAV at $10.4M. He should be half that much)

RB J.K. Dobbins: $2M AAV 

 

*NFL DRAFT: 10 total draft picks. 1,2, comp pick 3, 4, two 5th's, three 6th's and a 7th.

2 WR'S: My draft plan is to add 2 explosive WR''s. The traits this receiving core lacks is speed, size, explosiveness, yards after the catch, and separators.

The offense also finished last in the league completing deep middle passes. These are huge needs which must be addressed.

The first would be an Outside X-Receiver with size, speed, and big play ability who stretches the field. With the 28 overall pick I'm hoping LSU WR Brian Thomas Jr or Oregon WR Troy Franklin is available. If not, trade out of the 1st round with a team selecting early in the 2nd round and draft Xavier Legette instead. 

The second WR will be selected on Day 3. Some of the notable WR's who's projected to be Day 3 picks that I like is Virgina WR Malik Washington, UCF WR Javon Baker, Illinois WR Isaiah Williams, and Idaho WR Hayden Hatten.


Round 1: WR Brian Thomas Jr or WR Troy Franklin. If both aren't available trade out of 1st rd with team early in the 2nd and draft South Carolina WR Xavier Legette. Any one of these 3 WR's replaces Davis.

Round 2: LDT T'Vondre Sweat, replaces LDT Jones

Round 3: DE

Round 4: C

Round 5: SS

Round 5: CB 

Round 6: RDT

Round 6: WR

Round 6: DE

Round 7: OT

 

Edited by Trust The Process
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Saw this over at the Buffalo Range board.

 

 

Byron Murphy, DT, 6’1” 307lbs – Texas

 

Murphy is an uber-talented Defensive Lineman who can play zero technique to five technique at a high level.

In 2023 as a junior Murphy recorded 13 tackles, 5 assists while making 19 stops. As a pass rusher, he produced an incredible 40 total pressures, which included 30 QB hurries, 4 QB hits, and 6 sacks on the year.  This is elite for an interior Defensive Lineman.

Exhibits explosive first-step quickness and disrupts plays behind the line of scrimmage.

Murphy's collegiate performance and skill set suggest he possesses the potential to become an outstanding pro.

Beane / McDermott are undoubtably drooling over the possibility of drafting him – yet he could be drafted as high as 12-14, so will be unlikely to be an option for the Bills.    If he makes it to pick 23-25, look for Beane to be leaping out of his chair.

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