Archives for August 29, 2017

'Asked Sunday if Ragland was "fighting for a roster spot," McDermott said, "He is, and that said, he’s working extremely hard. You saw him play extensively (in Saturday night's preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens) on special teams. A big part of being a linebacker is playing special teams, embracing that role, and I thought he did some good things there."'

'McDermott's points about the timing of the release of the ball and blocking technique would seem to speak to the fact the Bills are still in the process of learning the new offensive scheme of coordinator Rick Dennison.'

'What isn't a joke is that McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane know they have their hands tied by Dareus' contract if they wanted to do anything more drastic than prevent him from traveling with the team. (Ironically, according to an NFL source, part of what prompted the discipline was Dareus' missing all of the team buses that transported the Bills from their Baltimore hotel to M&T Bank Stadium, thus resulting his arriving, on his own, later than McDermott preferred).'

'If we start with the 2013 draft, when the Bills were transitioning away from GM Buddy Nix and to Whaley, then only nine of 28 draftees prior to this year's class remain on Buffalo's roster.'

'That gives the Bills two healthy quarterbacks, counting rookie backup Nathan Peterman, for Thursday night's preseason-finale against the Detroit Lions. Wenning is likely to take most, if not all, of the snaps in the game, but probably won't remain with the team past the upcoming roster reduction from 90 to 53.'

'The moves produced some great Twitter reactions — and some great Wenning/winning puns.'

'It barely beat the 20.0 for the Bills preseason opening home loss against Minnesota but was well ahead of the 18.6 rating for the 20-16 road loss to Philadelphia a week earlier.'

'Instead, Ragland becomes yet another draft whiff for the Bills, though unfortunate circumstances obviously played a role. The Bills, as you might recall, were scheduled to pick in the second round at No. 49 overall, but they were so enamored with Ragland, they traded up to No. 41 with the Bears, and also sent Chicago two fourth-round picks (one each in 2016 and 2017). Looking back, it proved to be a horrendous trade for the Bills and another black eye on the Whaley Era.'

'To me, just who that player is depends on one thing, and one thing only. If the Bills get bad news on the concussions of Taylor and/or Yates, and there is concern about their availability when it comes time to open the regular season Sept. 10 against the Jets, then yes, the Bills should give considerable thought to bringing in perhaps the most polarizing NFL player in a generation.'

'Wenning will likely see plenty of playing time on Thursday night. Although his stint with Buffalo could be short, an impressive performance could help Wenning land a job somewhere in the league in 2017.'

'The Bills recognized he didn't fit and got more future value in exchange.'

'Ragland obviously wasn't in the Bills' plans, so it's a slight win that they got something for him. Still, the franchise invested a 2017 fourth-round pick to move up eight spots and take Ragland in the second-round of the 2016 draft. His value decreased dramatically in just over a year. Of course, that's no fault of McDermott and Beane.'

'The Buffalo Bills continue to wheel and deal players for draft picks. On Monday, the Bills traded Reggie Ragland to the Kansas City Chiefs for a fourth round pick. The trade makes sense for both teams. Ragland wasn't guaranteed a roster spot in Buffalo so a 4th round pick is good value. From the Chiefs' perspective, they've added a former second round pick that fits their scheme. How did the national media react to the trade? Here's a look at what they're saying.'

'Tyrod Taylor and T.J. Yates are both in the concussion protocol following the Ravens game. If Taylor is cleared before the start of the regular season, the Bills may opt to just carry two quarterbacks. An argument can be made that Yates hasn't done enough in the offseason to earn a roster spot and Keith Wenning is simply a body for Thursday's preseason finale.'

'In Ragland’s case, it might have been McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane’s best return yet in a trade, something they’re getting very comfortable doing.'