‘Buffalo’s defense finished No. 6 overall in 2022, but the pass defense ranked 15th. The safety position in particular was hampered by injuries. Both of the team’s All-Pro starters, Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, missed extended time; and replacement Damar Hamlin missed the end of the year after suffering cardiac arrest on the field. Poyer was active for the Bills’ two playoff games, but Buffalo surrendered 58 combined points in those games, and the veteran was briefly sidelined after colliding with teammate Tre’Davious White on a deep ball against the Bengals.’
Archives for January 2023
Report: Bills fire safeties coach Jim Salgado
‘The Bills were injured at the safety position this past season with Micah Hyde missing most of the year with a neck injury suffered in a Week 2 win over the Tennessee Titans. In addition, All-Pro safety Jordan Poyer was banged up for a majority of the year with a multitude of injuries, including an elbow, rib and knee injury all at different periods of time.’
Carucci Take 2: The Bills’ Super Bowl window has narrowed
‘Things are much different in the aftermath of last Sunday’s disaster at Highmark Stadium. There are far too many areas the Bills must address to realistically believe they’ll make all of the necessary repairs in a single offseason. The NFL doesn’t work that way, particularly for a team that almost certainly will have to perform some significant salary cap purging.’
Bills want Allen to take fewer hits in 2023
‘”Last season, he actually made his biggest jump with taking less hits,” general manager Brandon Beane said. “I think this year, there were some times in some games where he felt, for whatever reason, maybe we weren’t rolling the way we wanted to in the passing game, and he’s like, ‘I’m going to put it in my hand.'”‘
Josh Allen, Sean McDermott named finalists for NFL Honors awards
‘Allen, who was also an MVP finalist in 2020, joins a list with three other quarterbacks and one wide receiver. Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts, and Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow, as well as Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson are the other four MVP finalists.’
Bills expect to have Von Miller available for ‘good portion’ of 2023 season
‘“I think at 13 weeks, you can start running and stuff,” Miller said Monday as the Bills cleaned out their lockers. “Honestly, I walk around and I do rehab and stuff and where I am mentally, I just try not to think about it. I go through my rehab. I try to be as bright as I possibly can. I think your mental state is a huge part of any type of rehab like this. It’s not like a four-week process where you’ve just got to do this and do that. They say it’s nine months. Hopefully, I can do it in six or seven or something like that. Nine months would put me right at August, so right at the beginning of training camp, I should be ready to go.”’
Another defensive end? That’s what Mel Kiper Jr. gives the Buffalo Bills in his first mock draft of 2023
‘”The Bills have one of the league’s best rosters, but they could lose a few defenders in free agency, including Jordan Poyer, Tremaine Edmunds and Shaq Lawson,” Kiper wrote in his reasoning for the pick. “They need to restock in this draft. And even though Buffalo has used first- or second-round picks on Greg Rousseau, Boogie Basham and A.J. Epenesa in the past three drafts, its depth on the edge has to get better. That’s why I see Hall, who had 15.5 sacks over the past two seasons, as a stellar fit on Day 1. He could turn into a steal here.”‘
Rod Watson: Responses to Damar Hamlin collapse raise hard questions beyond football
‘While celebrating Hamlin’s remarkable recovery, the reader noted in an email that the football player “received the best emergency and medical care, on the field and in the hospital” and might have died without it. That raises an issue that should be obvious, but was not amid all of the hoopla: “He’s an esteemed NFL football player and not an ordinary citizen that might not have health care insurance and/or preferential treatment.”’
Buffalo Bills GM takes ownership after disappointing finish: 5 thoughts on season-ending presser
‘“I will definitely look at the makeup,” Beane said on Wednesday during a press conference that lasted nearly an hour. “We know we’ve got to score more than (10 points). And our offensive players, coaches, all of us know that. And so we’ll look at it all, again. We’ll start with myself.”’
NFL Draft 2023: Buffalo Bills go defense in Mel Kiper Jr.’s mock draft 1.0
‘It’s hard to project for the draft with so many unknowns at this point about how the roster will look after free agency. The Bills defensive line struggled in the team’s playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals, generating just five quarterback hurries in the game. The only sack against quarterback Joe Burrow came on a linebacker blitz by Matt Milano.’
Sabato: Where do the Bills look after postseason flameout?
‘Because the Bills have nine players set to make at least $10 million next year — including Josh Allen’s $39.7 million cap hit — it seems unlikely they will be able to retain Tremaine Edmunds and Jordan Poyer. Edmunds is likely the best option long-term, but he’s going to command significantly more on the open market than Poyer due to age and injury.’
Bills GM Brandon Beane takes jab at Bengals’ success following loss
‘Beane elaborated on the “constraints of the cap,” as the Bills are paying quarterback Josh Allen and wide receiver Stefon Diggs more senior-level contracts for around $350 million combined. In comparison, Bengals’ quarterback Joe Burrow and Chase are signed on rookie deals for a combined $66 million.’
With Super Bowl mission derailed again, there are hard lessons for Buffalo Bills to swallow | Opinion
‘Once again, Allen, who is arguably the most physically gifted quarterback in the league, led the Bills with 26 rushing yards while Devin Singletary and James Cook combined for 37 yards on the ground. That won’t cut it. The Bills need to stop relying on Allen as the bread-and-butter of the running game when he really should be a complementary bonus in that area.’
Bills’ GM Brandon Beane on Bengals’ advantage: ‘I don’t want to suck bad enough to have to get Ja’Marr Chase’
‘Beane continued: “He’s a heck of a talent, I’d love to have but you gotta go through some lean years to do that and they were able to get [Joe] Burrow at No. 1, and I don’t remember where Chase was drafted, pretty high, and those guys are on their rookie deals.”‘
Bills GM Brandon Beane calls out Bengals: ‘I don’t want to suck bad enough to have to get Ja’Marr Chase’
‘”Those guys are on their rookie deals. We’re paying Stefon Diggs a pretty hefty number. We’re paying Josh Allen a pretty hefty number. So, there [are] the constraints of the cap, but they have a really good team,” Beane said (via Sports Illustrated). “They’ve got some good young players. We’re gonna try to get as many good players as we can through the draft and through free agency. But, again, our cap situation is a little different.”‘