Archives for April 2017

'“I’m just going to continue with my preparation,” said Williams. “Nothing changes. Mike was one of my closest friends on the team last year. I hung out with him just about every day last season. But every day is a competition and I was trying to beat him out. I work every day to be the best I can be. So my preparation isn’t going to change. I’m still going to try to be the best running back I can be.”'

'The bottom line is, the Bills have the cap space if they want to match Gillislee’s offer, particularly with more breathing room opening up after June 1 following the release of Aaron Williams.'

'Playing in Division II means there will be a big learning curve for him, but he showed at the NFLPA Bowl after the 2016 season that he can play at a higher level. Expectations for him shouldn't be too high as a rookie, but he should be a rotational player who could develop into more.'

'Seeing the Patriots looking to reload for another Super Bowl run with the help of former Bills players is what makes the Gillislee situation harder for a lot of the team's loyalists to stomach. Seeing it happen with a restricted free agent for the second offseason in a row is galling to them.'

'Peppers would be a fun pick for the Bills at 10. McDermott still needs someone who can play the "big nickel" position in his defense. Peppers might be the only one in this draft who can do it given his experience at both linebacker and safety. He would give the Bills tons of flexibility in the packages they could run with his ability to play outside linebacker and also line up in the slot on passing downs. Will he go as high as 10? He certainly could.'

'Mike Williams is exactly the type of physical receiver the Bills need. Some question Williams' pure athleticism, but even without top-end speed, Williams was dominant in college. He consistently wins the battle for contested catches and would be a huge boost to Buffalo's red-zone offense. The top receivers in this draft could be ranked a few different ways depending on team preference, and the Bills should prefer the physicality of Williams.'

'If Gillislee departs, Buffalo would grab an approximate $1.2 million cap space along with the fifth-round pick, which would bring the Bills back up to seven draft picks this season.'

'Buffalo Bills: Mitchell Trubisky, QB, North Carolina.'

'The Bills, who don’t have much cap space this off season, must not have been too worried about losing their backup running back. They could have practically guaranteed his return with another 900 thousand dollars. Perhaps they figured they’d much rather have the extra fifth round pick. After all, the Bills only have six picks in this years draft.'

'As we get closer to the draft, I continue to believe that the Bills primary objective should be to move out of their first round selection at 10th overall.'

'The Bills would add a fifth-round pick to their current lot of six draft choices in the 2017 draft if they ultimately choose not to match. In a draft that is uncommonly deep, including the running back position, perhaps it was Buffalo’s intent to have another team try to sign Gillislee in the hopes of adding another draft choice.'

'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.'