‘Not only did the 6-foot-2, 315-pound Lotulelei finish the 2021 season as the Bills’ worst-graded run defender and among the team’s worst tacklers, according to the analytics website Pro Football Focus, but he’s scheduled to count $9.2 million against the salary cap in 2022, which is by far the highest cap hit for a defensive lineman and the 11th-highest cap hit for any player on the team.’
Archives for February 2022
Buffalo Bills and NFL teams excited for the return of the NFL Scouting Combine
‘“It’s not as good, that’s real,” Bills general manager Brandon Beane said a week before the 2021 NFL Draft. “The medical (information) is nowhere near where it usually is. Our doctors usually have a very good feeling on all the guys that go to Indy. The loops we’re usually trying to close at this point are non-combine guys, just trying to call their schools and get data. That’s probably my biggest angst is some unknown medical.”’
JSU alum aims to finish business with his Bills family
‘“There was a lot of stuff I had to learn when I got here, but one thing I caught on really fast was the family base here. Even coming from different countries, different cities, different towns, different backgrounds, just being here everybody’s mentality is to love each other, and that’s one thing that you’ve got to have in the room to win.”’
Opinion: Capaccio: 2022 State of the Bills – Defensive End
‘After two years in Buffalo and the Bills still searching for a consistent pass rusher from the edge, it’s unclear if Epenesa will ever provide that role. He still has a chance to be a solid contributor, but Year 3 is going to be huge for him, and this offseason the Bills have to figure out if they believe Epenesa can become a more impactful player for them in 2022 as they decide how to approach the position.’
Bills OC Ken Dorsey steps into a great situation with great expectations
‘If the 40-year-old Dorsey isn’t ready for the promotion this year, he never will be ready. He is one of the winningest college football quarterbacks ever, compiling a 38-2 record for the University of Miami Hurricanes from 1999 to 2002. He spent seven seasons as a backup pro quarterback. He worked five years as quarterbacks coach for the Carolina Panthers. He has spent the past three years working under Daboll on Sean McDermott’s Buffalo staff. Dorsey was quarterbacks coach the past three years and last season added the title of passing game coordinator.’
Bills Mailbag: Why did the Bills struggle in close games?
‘The loss to Tennessee came down to a Josh Allen slip. The loss to New England can be chalked up to missed opportunities inside the red zone. The loss to Tampa Bay came down to that, along with a defensive breakdown in overtime that led to a long touchdown pass. If I were to single out one thing, it would probably be the offensive failures in the red zone as being the biggest problem in those close games.’
Alan Pergament: Ranking the actors, athletes and analysts on the Bills Celebrity Mafia
‘1. Kyle Brandt: The NFL Network host of “Good Morning Football” has been extolling Allen and the Bills for some time. He gets big props because he came to Orchard Park to sit in the stands in subzero weather for the Bills’ 47-17 playoff stomping of the Patriots and did a flattering six-minute report on his experiences.’
Bills are betting favorite for Rob Gronkowski if he returns in 2022
‘It’s not as crazy as it seems. With Tom Brady retired, Gronkowski could look to play for a championship contender in 2022. Buffalo is among the early betting favorites to win Super Bowl LVII so the team certainly fits that criteria and a recent Bookies.com gave Buffalo the best odds of landing the tight end.’
Tough choices for Bills’ Beane in free agency
‘Clearly, Buffalo would love to bring Boettger back; he forced veteran Jon Feliciano out of his starting left guard spot, but with offensive linemen being at an NFL premium, the question is how much he would fetch as a free agent.’
Has Levi Wallace outpriced himself from the Bills’ roster?
‘“Levi’s a free agent, he tested the waters last year, we were able to get him back, he’s a guy we’ll definitely talk to and would love to get him back, if he wants to be back,” Beane said at his end-of-the-season news conference. “Time will tell there. Either way, we’ll continue to look for depth at the corner position.”’
Teammate hopes Levi Wallace ‘gets what he deserves’
‘“With Levi, I hope everything works out for the best,” Neal said during a Thursday press conference, “and I hope he gets what he deserves because he deserves it all, especially with a guy being that faithful to God. And handling his life, business, teammates, family, whatever it is, Levi, he handled it, and he put himself second prior to anything. He’s a great friend and a great brother, and I thank him for that. Anybody else that needs him, I’m pretty sure they’ll figure out really fast that Levi’s a guy that they can always depend on and can go to about anything.”’
Carucci Take2 Bills Mailbag: Optimism on imminent stadium announcement and draft priorities
‘Everything I’ve heard is that government and Pegula Sports & Entertainment representatives remain on track to reach the finish line, particularly with Kathy Hochul fully understanding strong Western New York support for her gubernatorial campaign largely hinges on securing the long-term future of the Bills in Buffalo. And make no mistake, the only way this thing happens is with the state forking over the vast majority of the projected price tag of $1.4 billion (meaning something likely north of $1.1 billion).’
2022 Mock Draft Watch 2.0
‘The Bills lost Tre White to injury last season, and everything on defense looked a little bleaker afterward. Granted, this is still an excellent unit even without a stud opposite White. But Elam’s size and physicality in Buffalo’s scheme just makes sense. He’d give Buffalo more upside at the CB2 spot than they’ve had under Sean McDermott.’
Newly re-signed cornerback Siran Neal says Bills are sticking together after loss in Kansas City
‘“It’s in the past and there’s a lot of things that we can go back and re-correct or whatever and restructure,” he said. “But it’s something in the past. It something we’re not going to get into. There’s a lot of things from that game that we could correct and have the outcome of that game to win the game.”’
Bills coaching moves: John Butler adds defensive passing game coordinator title; Jim Salgado is safeties coach
‘Of the six new hires, Marcus West will serve as assistant defensive line coach, replacing Jacques Cesaire, who took on a larger role with the Houston Texans.’