Niagara Gazette

‘Brandon Beane might not have a restful offseason. Not only will his next 2 ½ months be consumed with the salary cap, draft and free agency, but the Buffalo Bills general manager also has to start looking toward the future. And five potential cornerstones in the coming year are set to enter free agency in 2026.’

‘The Bills struggled to stop the run, couldn’t get off the field after third down and were carved to bits by the Kansas City Chiefs in a season-ending playoff loss.’

‘Sometimes losses truly expose weaknesses and sometimes it makes people view the big picture through a cloudy lens. Losing to the same team four times in five years is enough to make you mad.’

‘The Buffalo Bills ran 603 running plays (including the playoffs) and 602 passing plays and became the first team in NFL history with 30 rushing and 30 passing scores in a season. It was the first time the Bills ran more than they threw since 2015.’

‘There’s a price to be paid for being good in the NFL.’

‘Two days after the Bills fired longtime assistant Matthew Smiley, the team has hired Chris Tabor to replace him. Tabor has 15 years of NFL experience coaching special teams, including 12 as the coordinator.’

‘Since 2021, the Eagles have allocated nine of their 13 picks in the first three rounds to defensive players, including three consecutive first-round picks. In the playoffs those picks produced 16 tackles for a loss, 14 sacks, three forced fumbles and three interceptions.’

‘His face, name or number are plastered everywhere from gas stations to grocery stores. More than one street with the name Allen in it around Western New York has been re-dubbed with his name on it by a fan.’

‘Bill Belichick, Mike Ditka, Tony Dungy, Andy Reid, George Seifert. Toss in Sean McDermott.’

‘Bobby Babich is a version of McDermott with more outward emotion and a decade younger.’

Brady’s offense responded by producing 33 plays of over 30 yards, nine more than 2023 and the most in Buffalo’s string of five consecutive AFC East championships. And 12 of those plays went for touchdowns.’

‘Six of the team’s 21 picks in the first three rounds of the NFL draft since 2018 have been allocated to defensive linemen. Since 2019, the Bills have spent more than $280 million on defensive linemen, allocating 22% of the salary cap to the position.’

‘“I’ve heard it told to me by multiple people that have been in this league longer than I have, keep kicking the door, keep kicking the door and you’re going to knock it down and that is my mentality, that is our mentality,” Beane said. “We are not giving in, we’re not. We’re frustrated, we want to win and all that’s doing is making our chip bigger.”’

‘The Bills enter the offseason $7.464 million over the cap, according to OverTheCap.com, but Beane has expertly moved money around throughout his tenure to create more wiggle room. Making Von Miller — who expressed his desire to return next year — a post-June 1 cut would create the most space, with $17.44 million recouped.’

‘But the Chiefs figured out how to crack the code, holding the Bills to 2 for 6 on sneaks, stopping them on a two-point conversion and a controversial fourth down in the fourth quarter.’