Trade Deadline has come and gone

[Nihilarian]

With so many clamoring for a WR that can get separation, to get open to catch deep passes to be a difference maker on offense. Now, someone tell me why the Bengals had Ja'Marr Chase and then paid big money to another top WR in Tee Higgin's. Which has basically kept them from upgrading their defense and offensive line. The latter has kept their QB nearly always injured and a big reason why the team is 3-5.

 

The Seahawks have a top #1 WR in Jaxon Smith-Njibja who leads the NFL with 948 yards. Yet, they went out and obtained WR Rashid Shaheed who is the 24th leading receiver in yards so far. The Steelers are paying 30 mill to DK Metcalf and yet wanted to bring in another WR like Shaheed.  The Eagles have WRs DeVonta Smith and AJ Brown along with RB Saquon Barkley. 

 

Seems like it doesn't stop with one number wideout. The current Buffalo Bills cap space doesn't allow them to pay for one star #1 WR let alone two. Should they abandon the current scheme and follow the lead of the Bengals?

 

Currently the Buffalo Bills are #1 in yards, #3 in points scored offense overall in the league, #1 in rush attempts, #1 in rush yards, #2 in rush TDs and #4 in rush yards per attempt. Buffalo is no longer top 5-10 in passing and because they are more run centric they don't turn the ball over as often. I don't know about the rest of you but I'm happy the Bills put so many draft picks into the defense. Mad max, Deone Walker, Jordan Hancock and we have yet to see what TJ Sanders, Landon Jackson bring. Cole Bishop is a steely-eyed beast man. 

[Kirby Jackson]

12 minutes ago, Nihilarian said:

With so many clamoring for a WR that can get separation, to get open to catch deep passes to be a difference maker on offense. Now, someone tell me why the Bengals had Ja'Marr Chase and then paid big money to another top WR in Tee Higgin's. Which has basically kept them from upgrading their defense and offensive line. The latter has kept their QB nearly always injured and a big reason why the team is 3-5.

 

The Seahawks have a top #1 WR in Jaxon Smith-Njibja who leads the NFL with 948 yards. Yet, they went out and obtained WR Rashid Shaheed who is the 24th leading receiver in yards so far. The Steelers are paying 30 mill to DK Metcalf and yet wanted to bring in another WR like Shaheed.  The Eagles have WRs DeVonta Smith and AJ Brown along with RB Saquon Barkley. 

 

Seems like it doesn't stop with one number wideout. The current Buffalo Bills cap space doesn't allow them to pay for one star #1 WR let alone two. Should they abandon the current scheme and follow the lead of the Bengals?

 

Currently the Buffalo Bills are #1 in yards, #3 in points scored offense overall in the league, #1 in rush attempts, #1 in rush yards, #2 in rush TDs and #4 in rush yards per attempt. Buffalo is no longer top 5-10 in passing and because they are more run centric they don't turn the ball over as often. I don't know about the rest of you but I'm happy the Bills put so many draft picks into the defense. Mad max, Deone Walker, Jordan Hancock and we have yet to see what TJ Sanders, Landon Jackson bring. Cole Bishop is a steely-eyed beast man. 

I’ll say, the Bengals have just done a bad job. The Eagles paid 2 top WRs and won the Super Bowl. It’s a Bengals issue not an issue of having 2 top WRs.

 

Would the Bills be better of with Landon Jackson or Tory Horton? You can point to the successes but we shouldn’t applaud the Bills for using a 3rd on a guy that can’t get a jersey (2 years in a row). 

Edited 3 hours ago by Kirby Jackson

[HamptonBillsfan]

7 hours ago, Sierra Foothills said:

 

That was a good laugh!

 

 

Agreed. Nothing worse than persistent, chronic whining on a message board... or anywhere else.

 

 

True... unless you consider Mike Pennel to be a major addition which I'm sure you don't. The Patriots did stockpile draft picks though so they benefited from the trade deadline in a reverse sort of way... they now have 10 draft picks in 2026.

 

 

Clearly the Jets and Dolphins were not going to deal with us unless we dramatically overpaid.

 

 

Yes. Also I feel like the kid who didn't have a very good Christmas.

 

 

It's too early to say but it looks like the 2025 draft could go down as another 2022 draft which is to say, pretty darn good.

 

 

Ineptitude? Is that what you call a .647 winning percentage and 7 playoff appearances in 8 years... on the heels of a 17 year drought?

 

 

 

As you point out, it's hard to judge Beane today because we don't know what was on the table... we don't know what he turned down.

 

We can only judge Beane on the trades that other teams made. For instance he didn't give up a 3rd rounder for Shaheed. Some GMs might have. It'll be interesting to see how Shaheed does in Seattle though that wouldn't apply to the Bills anyways.

 

We could possibly have outbid Dallas for Logan Wilson, provided Cinci would trade him to an "enemy." He cost Dallas a 7th rounder.

 

For the sake of a better discussion, who are the traded players we should have outbid teams for?

 

 

George Allen's Over-the-Hill gang never won a Super Bowl so not the greatest example. The Rams and Eagles are arguably examples of teams which have made bold moves that have paid off... but the exception is not the rule. Most big swings are misses... how are the Packers doing with Parsons?

 

 

This is mostly fair although Beane did make big, bold moves for Stefon Diggs and Von Miller. Since then he's said more than once, "you're never just one player away."

 

I'm a bit disappointed that the Bills ended up standing pat but I also admire the discipline and the conviction that they have in their valuations. This is not a team that's going to throw money around simply to appease their fans... and I respect that.

 

What are you in the Bills PR department? Everythings perfect,.647% winning percentage, 7 playoff appearances in 8 years,, looks like another great draft class.  That’s the mindset of someone who had a bag over their head for 21/2 decades and then got arguably the best QB in generations and now is totally satisfied with making the playoffs, getting prime time games and having a spanking new stadium. Fans for longer than you,that never experienced a SB win and are frustrated that a team like KC extinguished our hopes 4 times in a row after beating them 4 times in the regular season are frustrated and expecting the organization to prioritize winning it all. Unless you’re an oblivious homer you have to admit this roster is not supporting our great QB/RB tandem after injuries or inaction opened gaping holes at receiver, D-tackle and secondary. You should send the organization a small invoice for squelching criticism by fans who know something is wrong with management.

[SoCal Deek]

I have to wonder if Taron Johnson is in Beane’s office this morning asking if he can have his ‘take one for the team’ money back. 

[FireChans]

2 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

I have to wonder if Taron Johnson is in Beane’s office this morning asking if he can have his ‘take one for the team’ money back. 

Thats not how restructures work. Taron got more money up front. He didn’t take a paycut

[SoCal Deek]

Just now, FireChans said:

Thats not how restructures work. Taron got more money up front. He didn’t take a paycut

So then maybe Beane should be at Taron’s locker this morning asking if he can have his ‘give one for the Team’ money back? 😉

[Ayjent]

23 minutes ago, Kirby Jackson said:

I’ll say, the Bengals have just done a bad job. The Eagles paid 2 top WRs and won the Super Bowl. It’s a Bengals issue not an issue of having 2 top WRs.

 

Would the Bills be better of with Landon Jackson or Tory Horton? You can point to the successes but we shouldn’t applaud the Bills for using a 3rd on a guy that can’t get a jersey (2 years in a row). 

Landon Jackson a lot of people loved and others hated when we drafted, and I've not watched as much college in the past few years so I had no first hand watching him play outside of one or two games where I wasn't focused in on his play.  But I have watched the Bills pick players that have made me scratch my head in the past and Elam was probably the one I was most confused about - a guy that looked out of position or lost his man in college frequently and couldn't tackle to save his life.  I wanted to believe the coaching was bad at Florida on defense (which it was) and they knew what they were doing in drafting someone that they thought had the physical skills to mold into a solid star CB.  But there was no way that you saw what he had on tape and said this guy is a lock to be a star or good starter.  Riq Woolen was a better prospect if you wanted pure potential and was at least an aggressive tackler with size and speed.  My point in all of this is that the scouting and drafting process is far from an exact science and sometimes their due diligence isn't as thorough as people think it is.  I think game tape is way more important than combine results, although you can't ignore either.  And sometimes I think the game tape gets lost in all of the other noise about character, work outs, combine, etc. and teams convince themselves that a particular player will be the right fit for what they do, especially if there is buzz about other teams having interest in that player. 

 

The Bills have done some great things building this team and you can't argue with the results compared to what preceded them.  But...they can be better and it seems that their scouting department isn't great in some aspects when it comes to evaluating talent at the top of the draft.  And no team is that good at it tbh.  You do sit here and think about what the Bills have traded (Justin Jefferson draft pick, Patrick Mahomes draft pick) and I get the safer play for what they were doing and I'd rather have Josh anyhow, but the point is that is who they had the opportunity for and traded picks away or spent more money and draft capital for a player with a shorter, more expensive window to help your team.  Justin Jefferson was an undeniable talent and I liked his game more than Chase's at LSU, although Chase was awesome.  I get the Bills thought Diggs was the immediate help Josh needed to gain confidence.  But here we are years later still wondering if the Bills will ever get talent at that level for Josh again at WR when in hindsight they had that opportunity and went for the shorter term, surer thing with Diggs.  Hindsight is 20/20 I get it, but there has been a weird mix of when they go for the take our shot now vs. long term build.  

[Shaw66]

8 hours ago, HappyDays said:

 

Brady won that play, not the receiver. 

 

That is, whether we like it or not, exactly what McDermott intends. 

 

As for 20+ yard plays correlating with touchdown drives, I'd guess that's true for every team.

[Billz4ever]

Looks like KC was looking at Breece Hall and if there's any truth to this, the deal didn't happen over a 3rd rd pick vs a 4th rounder. Anyway, I'm glad it didn't happen.

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2025/11/04/breece-hall-trade-offer-rumors-jets-chiefs/87093170007/#

[Mat68]

I think the Bills were a bit unlucky that the biggest sellers at the deadline were the Jets and Dolphins.  Neither willing to work with Buffalo with in reason.  Saints kept Olave.  Shaheed was a target but his price tag was steep for a rental.   
 

Palmer getting healthy will be big imo.  He can open up the down field passing game off play-action.  Can Davis run and can Coleman find a rhythm are 2 questions the can help as well.  6-2 with an improving defense and top 3 offense is still a good spot to be. 

[Pete]

2 hours ago, Livinginthepast said:

So now that the dust has settled. Any players on the scrapheap we can bring in? Free agents? retired? washed and old? I'm joking but I am half not! 

Casey Toohill is back 

[IYKYK]

8 hours ago, Buffalo Boy said:

I didn’t want a trade at all. 
I have little faith in Beane’s ability to

A. pick WR receiver talent 

B. Pay the proper price.

 

But I stand by my assessment that Josh is the reason we are who are, where we are. Not just this season but in terms of this run. That was in regards to the comparison w/Rivers, although Josh in better than Rivers

I agree. Take beane away, we’re still a playoff contender. Take Allen away, we are a six win team. Pretty simple. We are winning despite our front office salary cap blunders because of Allen.

[HOUSE]

I like the fact we almost got a WR

Nice job by Beane 

[Solomon Grundy]

1 hour ago, SoCal Deek said:

I have to wonder if Taron Johnson is in Beane’s office this morning asking if he can have his ‘take one for the team’ money back. 

Waiting for Commanders to release Von Miller and him returning to Buffalo 

[Warriorspikes51]

10 minutes ago, Solomon Grundy said:

Waiting for Commanders to release Von Miller and him returning to Buffalo 

can absolutely see this happening.  Would be fine with me.  He could still be quite effective for us as a rotational pass rusher 

[Billz4ever]

6 minutes ago, Solomon Grundy said:

Waiting for Commanders to release Von Miller and him returning to Buffalo 

 

I wouldn't hate it.  I'm a tad worried about Bosa's snap count being higher than it should be. I get the temptation to play him more when he's being so effective, but I want this guy healthy and fresh for the postseason.  He's averaging 39 per game and was at 44 against KC. KC ran 57 total plays, so he was in there on 77% of the snaps.  His season high strangely was 53 against Miami in wk 3. Miami ran 59 total plays so 89% there followed by 49 (75%) against the Saints and 47 (71%) against the Falcons.  He got breathers against the Jets and the Panthers (only in the 20s) due to the score of the game.  If we could shave a bit off that by sharing the load, I think it helps longterm down the stretch.

[Einstein's Dog]

3 hours ago, D. L. Hot-Flamethrower said:

At the end of the day for me it always comes back to the value system in place. Beane is very arrogant about how he values things. Whereas another GM will value a WR skill set that the team is lacking to be worthy of a 1st or second round pick. Beane values it as much lower, likely a 3 or 4. And, when it comes to paying a WR, he'd much rather not go big bucks and piece it together. He also made in my estimation a huge ego related error by calling into WGR in the spring. It has caused him to be more stubborn and dig his heels in more because he needs to be right.

 

I'm done with this all now. He better be right!

In this instance, it's hard for me to buy into the Beane arrogance thing, when none of the big WR targets got moved.  Olave, AJ Brown, Ridley, Wilson or Waddle.  No one got them, so it's unfair to say Beane overvalued his draft choices compared to the others.

 

I'm disappointed, I wanted a WR of the top variety listed above (although never considered Wilson or Waddle possibilities). 

 

I would have even liked Deebo and Von - but once again can't say Beane overvalued draft picks because no one got them.  I didn't care for Meyers or Shaheed.

[HappyDays]

44 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

As for 20+ yard plays correlating with touchdown drives, I'd guess that's true for every team.

 

That's right. Explosive plays (defined as 20+ yards gained) quadruple your scoring expectation on a drive.

 

https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-explosive-plays-and-re-thinking-offensive-success

 

Your expected points on a non-explosive play drive is 1.2, versus 4.79 on an explosive play drive.

 

With Allen at QB explosive plays should be much easier to come by than the average offense. But we haven't made the investments around him to make them as automatic as they should be. That is what some of us take exception with. We've intentionally built our personnel to play a very low margin for error offense, and by definition that means every negative play feels like a drive killer. 

[Solomon Grundy]

8 minutes ago, Billz4ever said:

 

I wouldn't hate it.  I'm a tad worried about Bosa's snap count being higher than it should be. I get the temptation to play him more when he's being so effective, but I want this guy healthy and fresh for the postseason.  He's averaging 39 per game and was at 44 against KC. KC ran 57 total plays, so he was in there on 77% of the snaps.  His season high strangely was 53 against Miami in wk 3. Miami ran 59 total plays so 89% there followed by 49 (75%) against the Saints and 47 (71%) against the Falcons.  He got breathers against the Jets and the Panthers (only in the 20s) due to the score of the game.  If we could shave a bit off that by sharing the load, I think it helps longterm down the stretch.

Personally, I'd love to see Bosa and Von rushing the passer on 3rd and 17 with Groot and Deone coming from the interior 

Edited 20 minutes ago by Solomon Grundy

[Billz4ever]

Just now, Solomon Grundy said:

Personally, I'd love to see Bosa and Von rushing the passer on 3rd and 17 with Groot and Deone coming from the interior 

 

Him coming back would certainly create some good combinations for passing situations and for them to get after it.