Two Bills Drive

'Boldin, who turns 37 in October and is entering his 15th season in the NFL, visited the Bills on July 24. Although he left without a contract, he told the team he wanted to talk with his family to figure out his next step. Three days later, when the Bills opened training camp, Beane said Boldin had options besides signing with the Bills to consider.'

'But that résumé covers 14 years and it's attached to a body that will turn 37 on Oct. 3, two days after the Bills' fourth game of the season. The next-youngest Bills recently turned 34: linebacker Lorenzo Alexander, defensive tackle Kyle Williams and offensive guard Richie Incognito.'

'Miami’s receiving corps is far superior to that of the Bills. Slot receiver Jarvis Landry is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and is in a contract year. Speedy Kenny Stills, who runs a 4.38 40, had nine TDs with a 17.3-yard average last year. Young DeVante Parker is 6-3, runs a 4.45 40 and caught 56 passes. Then Miami added tight end Julius Thomas, who produced 24 TDs in two years with Gase as his coordinator in Denver. Jay Cutler thrived under Gase in 2015, posting his second best completion percentage and his lowest full-season interception total. Cutler will be at least as good as Tannehill, probably better.'

'Rookie Zay Jones shows promise and Rod Streater is having a fine camp. But there's no proven commodity behind Sammy Watkins. It's a leap to assume a rookie can step right in and produce. Even if he's nominally the No. 3, Boldin will provide vital depth to the wideout corps.'

'"I just wanted to tell those guys to stay focused. Embrace the journey," Burroughs said. "Trust the process and enjoy the true essence of the sport and why we all started this."'

'Some lesser names got to shine during live action in Seymour's absence. Charles James intercepted Nathan Peterman over the middle and Bradley Sylve continued his strong work as a second-team cornerback. Our Jay Skurski currently projects Sylve, the former Alabama defensive back who hasn't played football in a year due to an Achilles injury, as the first cut among the cornerback group.'

' I was very confident that we were a team that he thought was a fit and we thought was a fit. We had a great visit back a couple weeks ago when he visited us in Buffalo. Everything went great, he left, the agent – everybody was very confident that the Bills were a good fit but I know he had some other options out there. The other thing; this was an important family decision. Sean [McDermott] and I preach family, culture, character and we’re not going to try to talk him into something that he doesn’t feel is a good family fit.'

'I think those are good at the right time, based on where you are as a football team. I’ve been a part of one of those situations in the past in Carolina and it worked well. You’ve got to do it with the right team, of course. We’re open to that.'

'The 36-year-old Boldin visited the Bills on July 24, and Beane and coach Sean McDermott both said the meeting was productive and enjoyable, and that essentially, the ball was in Boldin’s court. The Bills were clearly interested given their questionable depth chart at receiver, but Boldin – who lives in Florida with his wife and two sons, aged 13 and 7 – had to decide if Buffalo was the right place for him.'

'“I think those are good at the right time, based on where you are as a football team,” McDermott said. “I’ve been a part of one of those situations in the past in Carolina and it worked well. You’ve got to do it with the right team, of course. We’re open to that.”'

'"He understands what we want done," Dennison said. "It's just keeping him on the same page, listening to his feet and getting the ball out on time. That's the biggest thing for me and him working on. He's bought into it and he knows what he needs to do. He knows that the ball will get out. He knows where everybody is. That's the biggest thing for me. Distribution and if his feet are telling him to move on, he's got to move on. He can't wait for a route to open up. If it ain't getting there, something's wrong so he has to move on.'

'"We're giving him his time to do what he wants," Beane said last week. "He's gotta be all-in."'

'The signing is the latest example of the Bills' belief that they can be contenders in 2017. However, the low cost and Boldin's leadership give Bills general manager the belief that bringing in Boldin is a move for the long-term success of the team, too.'

'I was very confident that we were a team that he thought was a fit and we thought was a fit. We had a great visit back a couple weeks ago when he visited us in Buffalo.'

'Given the rough start to camp for Andre Holmes, it's fair to wonder if there is room for both he and Anquan Boldin on the roster. Holmes looks like the fourth wide receiver in the pecking order now. Consider he is one of the Bills' signings that counts toward the compensatory pick formula, they might be wise to move on from him.'