Two Bills Drive

'“I believe in the first year, when you look at it, you’re always looking to make sure that you get the right people on board, on the bus, and get the people that are already on board in the right seats,” said McDermott. “That’s a natural occurrence, if you will, [in] the first year at times. Some of those are tough, difficult decisions and unpopular in some ways. I recognize that. Brandon and I both recognize that, but it takes some of those decisions for us to get to where we’re trying to go.”'

'League guidelines state that a player may be considered to return to practice only after the player has returned to baseline status with rest and exertion, has repeat neurophysiological testing, which is interpreted by the team neuropsychology consultant as back to baseline levels of functioning, and has completed the Return to Participation protocol. He also must be cleared by the Team Physician and the Independent Neurological Consultant.'

'Buffalo made quick work of filling out the remaining three openings on their 10-man practice squad Monday signing G Will Pericak, TE MyCole Pruitt and LB Zach Vigil.'

'Webb, 30, is a player very familiar to GM Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott. He’s played the last three seasons for the Carolina Panthers serving as the third-string signal caller behind Cam Newton and Derek Anderson.'

'“You have to be careful when you put together a team,” said Beane. “Don’t just draft talent because if they don’t have everything that goes into making a team – the hard working, the character. Sean uses it and I like, ‘chin above the bar.’ It’s perfect. When you look at the good teams, it isn’t always the team with the most talent, or pro-bowlers, it’s the team that is playing the hardest, working together.”'

'The Patriots made the 6-foot-8, 307-pound McDermott a sixth-round draft pick from UCLA. His older brother, Kevin McDermott, is the long-snapper for the Minnesota Vikings.'

'Sunday's forecast from the National Weather Service calls for sunny skies with a high near 72 degrees. AccuWeather concurs with the sunshine. It projects a 68-degree day.'

'Lacey was undrafted out of West Alabama and wound up playing in the Canadian Football League for Edmonton the last three years. Last season he had 114 tackles, 7 sacks, and 3 interceptions and that warranted a signing by the Dolphins in the spring.'

'Giving Whaley the 2013 draft – because we all know his fingerprints were all over it as he was already in line to become the GM a couple weeks later – there are now only six players left on the Buffalo roster of the 28 he picked in his four drafts. I’m not real proficient at math, but that’s 21.4 percent, and that’s simply horrendous.'

'So you thought after the Bills cut to 53 players on Saturday afternoon, other than filling out their practice squad, the roster for the coming season was set, at least for the start. Wrong.'

'In addition to his familiarity with McDermott and Beane, Webb is among the most versatile quarterbacks in the league. Webb can contribute on special teams and as a receiver. The veteran had been taking more wide receiver snaps with Carolina this offseason.'

'Buffalo needed to do something at wide receiver after it traded for wide receiver Kaelin Clay on Saturday. By releasing Brown, the Bills now have Zay Jones, Jordan Matthews, Andre Holmes, Brandon Tate and Clay as their five receivers.'

'Buffalo will head into the season with LeSean McCoy, Mike Tolbert and Joe Banyard and Taiwan Jones as their running backs. They also have Patrick DiMarco at fullback.'

'McDermott was a sixth-round pick by the Patriots in the 2017 NFL Draft after a successful college career at UCLA. Lee played 24 games with the Lions and Bears over the last two season by caught only one pass. Lacey spent time with the Cowboys and Dolphins in the NFL, but his most extensive experience was as a CFL player. He played three seasons with the Edmonton Eskimos.'

'"In light of Edelman's injury, a league source said the Patriots and recently retired Anquan Boldin had mutual interest in bringing Boldin to New England this offseason, and he remains intrigued by the possibility," Volin said. "But the point is likely moot. Boldin signed with the Bills, and was placed on Buffalo's reserve/retired list Aug. 22. That means the Bills retain his rights, and they would need to release him in order to let him sign with the Patriots. That sort of cooperation from a division rival doesn't seem likely."'