Niagara Gazette

‘When asked why Buffalo was his preferred destination, Edwards claimed excitement to play with Josh Allen, but his No. 1 reason was to reunite with Kromer. The 26-year-old fifth-round pick played right tackle at Wisconsin and has been primarily a guard in the NFL.’

‘“I know what this organization is about,” Harris said, “I know what this what this offense is about and I know what I can also bring to this offense, or I can bring to this team, not only as a player, but as a competitor and as somebody that just has a desire to win and just do whatever it takes to help this organization be successful.”’

‘Spending gobs of money in free agency has also proven to be fool’s gold. It might net a playoff appearance immediately, but the drop is quick. The Jaguars ranked in the top-10 in free agent spending from 2016-2022 and accumulated two playoff berths.’

‘Sherfield has 67 receptions for 844 yards and four touchdowns during his career and his 30 grabs for 417 yards and two touchdowns with Miami last year marked the best season of his time in the NFL.’

‘During his press conference Thursday, general manager Brandon Beane indicated a decision on McKenzie’s future with the team would be made in the coming days. Signing the 5-foot-6, 170-pound Harty gave the Bills two receivers with comparable statures, including McKenzie, who is 5-8, 173 pounds. Meanwhile, McKenzie also had a $250,000 roster bonus that was due Friday.’

‘Poyer said there were teams that were interested, but after discussing with his wife, he decided to make a decision based on what was going to make him happy long-term. Terms for Poyer’s two-year contract have not been released, but reports circulated that he didn’t receive bigger offers due to his age and there were nearly 20 other starting safeties on the market.’

‘“We’re trying to work our way out so we don’t have a tear-down,” Beane said. “… We want to be competitive every single year and some years you’re not going to be able to add a big-ticket item. I know that’s sexy to do that and we want as many talented players as we can get, but we have to be responsible because it will pile up.”’

‘Bringing Poyer back was thought to be a longshot, given his success and Buffalo’s salary cap woes. But NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe reported that Poyer “felt his age limited his interest” from other teams.’

‘Edmunds and the Bears agreed to a four-year, $72 million contract, which included $50 million guaranteed, according to multiple sources. The contract would make Edmunds the fourth-highest paid linebacker in NFL history.’

‘But Frazier faced scrutiny following the AFC Divisional round loss to the Bengals after 412 yards of total offense in the 27-10 loss. It came one season after the Bills blew a lead in the final 13 seconds against the Chiefs in the playoffs.’

‘Both conference championship games had two defining traits: quarterback play matters and protecting and harassing that quarterback is imperative.’

‘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.’

‘The salary cap was $208.2 million this season and the Bills are projected to have nearly $242 million in contracts for 2023, not including players like Tremaine Edmunds and Jordan Poyer, whose contracts expire in the spring.’

‘The Buffalo Bills achieved championships in the middle 1960s, and played in Super Bowls in the early 1990s, so roughly once every 30 years does the team work at an elite level, enough so that everything around here stops to appreciate it. If this pattern keeps up, the ones in the third grade drawing portraits of football players will have children of their own, listening to stories about the Bills of the early 2020s.’

‘Still, the Bills were searching for answers as to how they went from Super Bowl favorites to ending the season with a thud. A team that lost three games by seven points all season was thoroughly beaten and man-handled by what was thought to be an under-manned Bengals team.’