Archives for August 12, 2017

'Watkins and Matthews will both become unrestricted free agents in March.'

'"Definitely surprised," said quarterback Tyrod Taylor. "Being in this league seven years, you know every day you step into the building could be your last day. I wish Sammy the best. I have faith in coach (Sean) McDermott, I have faith in management that they made a decision based on the betterment of this team. Just surprised it happened so fast."'

'All of this points to another trade, with possible targets including the Jets, when McDermott's roster makeover resumes.'

'The Bills' decision to trade their top receiver and top cornerback for future draft picks signals that first-year general manager Brandon Beane and coach Sean McDermott view the Bills as a long-term rebuilding project.'

'"I have faith in our management and I have faith in Coach McDermott that they made a decision based on the betterment of this team. Like I said, definitely just surprised that everything happened. It just happened so fast," Taylor said.'

'Speaking of the Bills quarterback, Taylor also finds himself in a make-or-break year, even if that career might not be in western New York. Taylor just lost his top receiver, and while he's getting a viable weapon in Matthews, remember that Matthews was the focal point of a wide receiving corps that was seen as one of the worst in the league in Philadelphia last season. Even if you argue that Matthews has a higher floor than Watkins by virtue of missing a total of just two games over the past three seasons, it should take some time for Taylor to develop a rapport with his new No. 1 wideout.'

'The Bills, meanwhile, added a whole bunch of draft value in these deals. They now own two first-round picks (theirs and the Chiefs', the result of a draft-day deal that saw the Chiefs move up for quarterback Patrick Mahomes), two second-round picks (theirs and the Rams'), and two third-round picks (theirs and the Eagles') in the 2018 draft.'

'In a nutshell: The trades are just two more examples of first-year head coach Sean McDermott moving to clear players from the previous regime and shaping the roster in his vision.'

'The Bills now have two picks in the first, second, and third rounds of the 2018 NFL Draft.'

'Beane was asked if he still would’ve made one trade had the other fallen through. He said, “It’s hard to say if I wouldn’t have, but with both getting similar traction the last couple of days and once I saw both of them as far down the road as they were getting, I kind of said I want to do them together if I can. If somebody had backed out, I don’t know.”'

'"The timing is never what you want it to be, but if we wanted to do this it had to be done sooner rather than later."'

'According to WKBW Sports Director Joe Buscaglia, both Matthews and Gaines have cap hits under $2 million, and both their contracts expire after this year.'

'The Bills gave us a little hint of what could have been on the horizon with the Watkins and the Darby trades with what they did on draft day by acquiring an additional first round selection for 2018 — perhaps as future ammo — to what their true intentions really were. And with Taylor essentially being on a one-year prove it deal, while both Wood and Kyle Williams are on the final year of their contract, the complete overhaul into the future is also knocking on the door.'

'Parting with Watkins was certainly a surprise, but the current front office did not draft the Clemson product and clearly has a different direction charted for the team’s receiving corps. Watkins appeared in 37 games for the Bills posting 153 catches, almost 2,500 yards and 17 touchdowns. Injuries have kept him out of 11 of the team’s last 32 games.'

'Darby, a former second-round pick of the Bills, had two solid seasons for Buffalo, but was seen as an ideal match for a man-cover scheme. With the Bills shifting to more of a zone coverage scheme defensively, Darby’s on field value for Buffalo may not have been as high as it might be for other NFL clubs.'