Archives for April 19, 2017

'If the Bills allow Gillislee to join the Patriots, they will be left with four running backs (LeSean McCoy, Jonathan Williams, Joe Banyard, and Cedric O'Neal) and two fullbacks (Patrick DiMarco and Mike Tolbert).'

'In Whaley's case, it might also provide job security — particularly if that player, be it Watson or another QB picked 10th, sits for a year behind Tyrod Taylor. No matter what happens in 2017, Whaley could point to that quarterback as "the future" and build a case that more time is needed to see if that's indeed true.'

'The coaches will see how well Tyrod Taylor, T.J. Yates, Cardale Jones, and Josh Woodrum can throw and how the receivers who are healthy enough to participate — which is likely everyone except Sammy Watkins — can catch.'

'Do the Bills have a new quarterback? Well, no, but if you saw this Instagram post of Quavo wearing a No. 18 Bills jersey with the caption "Buffalo called" Monday night, you might have thought about it for a second.'

'After not getting invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, Walker needed to impress when the Owls' held their Pro Day. He did just that, with a 40 time (4.73 seconds) that put him among the leaders at his position. Additionally, those in attendance reported that Walker looked good going through quarterback throwing drills.'

'On the positive side, the Patriots would owe Buffalo a fifth-round pick in the 2017 draft because the Bills gave Gillislee an original-round tender. Currently the Bills have only six picks at their disposal. Also, the Bills would get about $1.2 million in salary cap space. If the Bills were to retain Gillislee, they’d have to absorb a $4 million cap hit in 2017 which would drop them below $10 million in available cap space.'

'"New England's completely, as a franchise, working Buffalo over," said Cowherd. "Two teams that New England has gone after: Cleveland's players and Buffalo's. Poor run franchises. Poorly run franchises. This is what the rich guys do. This is what the rich guys do. This is what the rich people in America do. They find the crevices. They find the weak spots and they go at it, at it, at it. Belichick keeps going right after the poorly run franchises, Buffalo and Cleveland, and cherry picking their players that are undervalued or underused or overpaid or underpaid at Cleveland and Buffalo and it's worked."'

'If the Bills lose Gillislee, they will end up with a need at running back. Second-year pro Jonathan Williams didn't do much as a rookie, and the team's depth chart looks a bit thin behind LeSean McCoy. Gillislee may seem like a huge loss after he burst onto the scene with 577 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in 2016. But the Bills could replace him. After all, they claimed Gillislee off waivers, and he was originally a fifth-round pick himself.'

'The Patriots signed Rex Burkhead in free agency, but have still been active in the free agent market at the position. LeGarrette Blount remains unsigned and the Patriots also with with Adrian Peterson.'

'Estime, who stands 5-feet-8-inches tall and 186 pounds, made a name for himself at Syracuse with his blazing speed. He was one of the most productive return men in the country over the last two seasons. Estime led the ACC in punt return yardage for a second consecutive season, returning 16 punts for 283 yards. He also led the NCAA in punt return average with 17.7 yards per return. Estime also holds the ACC career record for punt return average with 18 yards per return.'

'Considering the reports surrounding Whaley and Buffalo's inability to get over the hump during his tenure, it's no surprise that one site views him as the league's worst general manager. Rotoworld published their best general managers list and Whaley came in dead last among returning general managers.'

'We also don't know when the Bills' bye week will be. Last year, the Bills had a Week 10 bye week. It'd be a safe bet to say it will be earlier in 2017.'

'The Bills lack experienced depth behind Gillislee, though veteran fullback Mike Tolbert could fill that role. Buffalo signed Tolbert and fullback Patrick DiMarco in free agency last month.'

'If the Bills decline to match Gillislee's offer, it is unlikely the Patriots will re-sign free-agent running back LeGarrette Blount, who led the NFL with 18 rushing touchdowns, which was the highest total in the NFL since Adrian Peterson had 18 in 2009. He was the Patriots' top power running back, totaling 1,161 yards on 299 carries in the regular season.'

'Right now, Gillislee is counting $1.8 million against the Bills salary cap for 2017. If they match, it will cost them roughly $2.2 million more, leaving them with approximately $8.6 million in cap space. They’ll need to have about $3.5 million available for drafted rookies, leaving about $5 million to sign veteran free agents for the rest of the offseason.'