Maybe Current Roster Isn't Missing As Much As People Think

[DrDawkinstein]

6 hours ago, bmur66 said:

Playing injured he still gave his QB 3 seconds before what looked like him “giving up”.

 

Thank you. I feel like a lot of folks are confusing "giving up" with "the QB started scrambling and you cant hold the defender from getting away so you have to let them go". And it happens a lot with Josh.

[HappyDays]

5 hours ago, Virgil said:

I don't think anyone believed we were just a DJ and Bradley away last year.

 

We were just a DJ Moore away last year and I was banging that drum all year. We just needed one guy that could win some 1v1s and separate outside. That final pass to Cooks is probably a catch if Moore is the target and then we're probably in the Super Bowl. We were that close.

[ganesh]

2 hours ago, T.E. said:

Ehhh, I think you could make the argument that if Moore had been our #1 WR instead of Cooks, they find a way to get to the Super Bowl.

If they had traded for Shahid Rashid, they probably make it to the Super Bowl

[DrDawkinstein]

21 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

We were just a DJ Moore away last year and I was banging that drum all year. We just needed one guy that could win some 1v1s and separate outside. That final pass to Cooks is probably a catch if Moore is the target and then we're probably in the Super Bowl. We were that close.

 

21 minutes ago, ganesh said:

If they had traded for Shahid Rashid, they probably make it to the Super Bowl

 

It's crazy how quickly folks forget that we were just in the AFC Champ game the prior season, and are always set and favored to make a deep run. Let alone the first team to be favored in all 17 games of their schedule.

 

That is a lot Josh, but it isnt ALL Josh.

 

The coaching change alone could get us there. Moore is a huge boost and key missing piece.

[Ethan in Cleveland]

The biggest hole is probably NT. There is not a player on the roster that is the protoypical NT like Vince Wolfork. Now is that still what a NT needs to look like in 2026 version of the 3-4? I don't really know. 

They need depth players at CB, LB, and another WR. 

Best option is to trade down and get 3 picks from mid 30's to 99. 

Then you pick BPA from NT, WR, LB, or OT. Day 3 picks shoudl be a CB and P. 

[HappyDays]

8 hours ago, Kirby Jackson said:

By not reworking his deal this year, they can save like $12M next year by releasing him. I’m not saying that they should but they could.

 

Yeah they have a decision to make on Dawkins next year. He'll be entering his age 33 season in 2027. One thing they will not do is keep him on his existing cap hit of $25M. They will either cut him for $13.9M dead cap to save $11.1M in cap space, or they will extend him 2-3 years to smooth out that 2027 cap hit and simultaneously eliminate his void year cap hits in 2028 and 2029. Somewhat similar to the decision they had with Knox this offseason.

 

I'm still hopeful about Dawkins' future, I think he recognizes that he needs to work harder this offseason and he's openly talked about it. So I remain optimistic that he will be here past this season, but I am glad Beane was able to leave his contract untouched for now just in case.

[Puckman5]

2 hours ago, HamSandwhich said:

I actually feel a bit better after reading some of the posts, especially yours 

INooooo!   You're taking the fun out of your thread with comments like this!!  If you wear a Bills Jersey and put a table at the bottom of the cliff, you're still eligible for heaven.  

 
Putting aside my inner D-Bag, I'd say a little worry is justified. Especially with how important our QB is to this team.  What we don't know is how he's healed up from injuries and his motivation to keep putting in the work in during the offseason.  I honestly think he'll be fine for another year or two.  

[KHAN]

7 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

Yeah they have a decision to make on Dawkins next year. He'll be entering his age 33 season in 2027. One thing they will not do is keep him on his existing cap hit of $25M. They will either cut him for $13.9M dead cap to save $11.1M in cap space, or they will extend him 2-3 years to smooth out that 2027 cap hit and simultaneously eliminate his void year cap hits in 2028 and 2029. Somewhat similar to the decision they had with Knox this offseason.

 

I'm still hopeful about Dawkins' future, I think he recognizes that he needs to work harder this offseason and he's openly talked about it. So I remain optimistic that he will be here past this season, but I am glad Beane was able to leave his contract untouched for now just in case.

He's too fat for his age.

He said he's going to lose weight this off season. I heard he's doing low carb.

He could lose 30 easily with that. If he keeps the weight down, he could have 3 or 4 really good years left 

[billsfan89]

Right now I see the remaining needs on the roster as the following.

 

Starting Needs

 

1- Thumping MLB - I think most pundits are saying the Bills will likely need a bigger run presence at MLB. The Bills have thus far Dorian Williams and Bernard at LB. That’s not tragic but there’s certainly a front line need there.

 

2- Nose Tackle- I’ve been hearing mixed things about how Denver never had a true two gapper NT and that Oliver/Walker will play there but I am also hearing how Leonard in college liked to run a similar odd man with a more traditional NT. Either way I think finding a two gapper just to have as an option is needed.

 

3- EDGE - Yes with Chubb this is a less desperate need but I think the team still needs some more pass rush juice.

 

4- WR - The addition of Moore is a positive but outside of Moore/Shakir there’s not a lot there. More pass catching talent is needed.
 

Depth/Development Needs 

 

1- Guard - Right now the Bills with resigning McGovern are looking at 80% of the starters back. With SVPG/Andersen/Grabel competing for a spots. I think signing a vet for competition or depth is needed.

 

2- Corner - The starting 3 at corner are fairly comfortable but beyond that you don’t have much. Maybe signing a vet for depth or a mid round pick is enough here but there needs to be some attention there.

 

3- LB - There just does not seem to be much depth here and with a new system you are gonna need some bodies at LB.

4- Safety - Two vet safeties brought in but I think you could probably use some longer term development here.

 

Overall, that’s not too bad. I think some of these needs will be addressed in free agency. I think the team will get a front line LB and I think they will sign a vet corner and possibly a NT. I think the draft will help hit WR/Edge at pick 26 and sure up some other depth needs.

 

Largely there’s not many pieces needed that they can’t get outside of an impact WR/Edge

[US Egg]

52 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

It's crazy how quickly folks forget that we were just in the AFC Champ game the prior season, and are always set and favored to make a deep run. Let alone the first team to be favored in all 17 games of their schedule.

 

That is a lot Josh, but it isnt ALL Josh.

 

The coaching change alone could get us there. Moore is a huge boost and key missing piece.

Don’t be harshin’ the despair buzz. 

[The Jokeman]

I'd still want to add an additional pass rusher to pair with Chubb. Toss in a vet to compete at LG as assume we'll draft someone in the first 3 rounds. If also like to add a true nose tackle. 

Edited March 14 by The Jokeman

[Buffalo Ballin]

We're going to be bullet proof from injuries all of a sudden?

 

We ALWAYS need quality depth because that Mr. Injury came to collect. We didn't learn from that? 

 

Now this roster all good and rosy? LOL ok.

[Einstein]

2 hours ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

The coaching change alone could get us there. 

 

 

Or drive us further away.

To act as if McDermott did not play a key part of getting us there for the past decade is wrong.

[DrDawkinstein]

1 hour ago, US Egg said:

Don’t be harshin’ the despair buzz. 

 

Oh dont worry. They'll find a way to despair. See below.

 

1 minute ago, Einstein said:

 

 

Or drive us further away.

To act as if McDermott did not play a key part of getting us there for the past decade is wrong.

 

[Shaw66]

jwhit -

 

Thanks for starting this conversation. I haven't studied all the comments, but I think the title says it all. And this season is no different from most seasons in the McDermott-Beane era. 

 

It's pretty simple, and it happens every season. The Bills have a pretty good roster, but many fans are nevertheless gnashing their teeth about all the holes, the lack of depth, and the lack of top end talent. Then free agency happens. Free agency is where Beane says he goes to fill holes. In the early years, he had too many holes to fill, but in the most recent years, by the time the draft discussion begins in earnest, pretty much everyone recognizes that the holes have been filled.  Sure, some posters are still saying things like we're hearing this year, things like "the Bills need another receiver, they don't have the right linebackers, etc.," but when most posters look at the roster they realize that the Bills already have a collection of good players to start the season with. Then, the draft adds a couple of guys who look like they might start from early in the season, and there always are a few surprises later in the draft or in the rookie free agent market who demonstrate in camp that they deserve to be on the roster. Then the post-June 1 cuts happen, the Bills sign another veteran here and there.  Bottom line, when September rolls around, most of us are shouting, "LET'S GO!!!"  

 

Why does this happen every year?  Well, first there usually are only a few stud players in free agency, because teams have gotten better at keeping their best players.  So, you get guys s like Brown and Crosby and Hendrickson, the best guys available, and even they present some limitations that keep the Bills from overspending: injuries, one-dimensional, attitude. So, fans are disappointed, but the team isn't, because the team knows that what they're really looking for are guys who solid players in the league but who are not the true premium players.  In the Bills case, they get Moore, Gardner-Johnson, Geno Stone, Alford, and Chubb, and all of a sudden a roster that looked like Swiss cheese looks like a roster that can compete for a playoff berth and more. And we haven't even seen the draft yet.  

 

Why does this happen every year?  Because of the salary cap and the fact that players are always looking to get paid more.  It happens to every team. You get guys like Edwards, who talk to the Bills and then realize they can earn several million dollars more someplace, and that several million dollars means a lot to the long-term financial strength of the guys family.  One way we can say that it happens every year is when a team returns to the Super Bowl after being away for a couple of years. The announcers always point out that this new team only has three or four or six guys who've carried over from the old team.  Rosters are always turning over, but they aren't turning over primarily with players new to the league. They're turning over with guys who've been accumulating experience playing for other teams around the league, or being on those other teams' practice squads.  

 

So, as seems to happen every season, people here have calmed down a bit.  The roster is not a disaster, not by a longshot. And there will be eight or ten or twelve guys whose names we don't even know yet who will be in training camp with a real chance to make the final 53.  

 

Time to relax and get excited about the draft. 

[Never NEVER Give-up]

In the absence of a true FB, maybe Jackson Hawes sees more action.  He's a great blocker.

[Success]

I've gone from some dismay about the Denver loss and the ensuing "bad optics" w/ how they fired McD (though I'm glad we moved on) and that bad presser, to being as excited about an upcoming season as I have been in a long while.

 

I think Beane has done an excellent job of filling holes this offseason with very good players.  Not superstars - but upgrades at WR, S, CB and edge.  Combined w/ the draft, AND all of the guys coming back from injury (we don't know how good some of those can be yet, but odds dictate that some will pan out well), and this could be our best roster in years.

 

[Green Lightning]

Still want to see true NTs (one FA and one draft) and better ILBs. Deep draft for edge and let's draft and develop one that can actually get a QB on the ground.

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

3 hours ago, fergie's ire said:

I think this is an issue, and I also had an interesting thought when listening to Sal talk about CJ Gardner.  He was talking about how teams seem to tire of him, but that's not an issue for the Bills since they signed him to a one year deal.  I wonder if such a signing was not possible under McDermott because the defense was so complicated, particularly at safety.  We have seen Hancock and Bishop struggle mightily as rookies, and even though a veteran could probably pick it up faster, I imagine it is tough for someone to really know what they are doing the first year.  One year "prove it" deals are highly useful for teams in the Bills situation and I'm not sure it was really an option for the back end of the Bills defense.

 

Add to that in todays NFL practice time keeps getting reduced, so it becomes real hard for rookies to play right away, then on top of that maybe the Bills defense was extra complicated.  Even for a number of vet signings that didn't pan out, that could be the reason behind it, took the player too long to figure things out.

[Success]

9 hours ago, Virgil said:

It's funny how a few months and a regime change can make people forget things so easily.  

 

The media and fans combined were blasting Beane for how poor the roster was last season.  We've made a few mid-level additions, lost quite a few more, and added DJ. 

 

I don't think anyone believed we were just a DJ and Bradley away last year.

 

 

I'd disagree. In some ways, we weren't ANYONE 'away' last year.

 

If Cooks hangs onto that ball another half second, or if we don't call an actual play at the end of the 1st half and just kneel the ball, we probably get to the SB - and I'd give us a solid chance of winning that game if we made it, unlike the frauds who did face Seattle.