Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘This brings to 13 the number of new players who have signed with the Bills as free agents in the past few weeks, the work may not yet be done, and there’s still 10 picks to make in the NFL Draft at the end of April. One thing we know for sure: Training camp at St. John Fisher College is going to be fierce in the battle for roster spots.’

‘State records show the company, which owns both franchises and the Rochester Americans, hired Albany-based lobbying firm Ostroff Associates to a $7,500-a-month contract last month to push its sports-betting interests at the Capitol.’

‘Right now, Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver has become a popular target for Buffalo among several mock drafters, a player who has already been reported as one of the Bills’ pre-draft visits.’

‘The Bills’ free agent largesse — 10 players counting a previous move — allowed Beane to gleefully sack the post-Brown narrative that players don’t want to be part of Buffalo and the team’s vision for success. In fact, the young GM threw a bean ball right between the eyes. A North Carolina native proud of where he currently lives and works.’

‘Thursday night, he tweeted out a picture of his new Bills ID card with the message, “Let’s do this!” with the requisite #Billsmafia hashtag. And then, when a Cowboys fan chided him for signing with the lowly Bills, Beasley had a ready reply: “Was at the Cowboys for 7 years. We didn’t win either. I’ll be alright.”’

‘“Once I made the decision,” wide receiver John Brown said of his agreeing to terms on Tuesday, “Josh Allen was the first person to call me from the organization and he was amped up about it. I was glad to hear from him. Him being a young quarterback, you don’t see most guys do that who are trying to take over a team. That was the first person I heard from.”’

‘“It was ignorant,” Beane said of the narrative that was put out by Brown and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus. “Don’t speak about Buffalo if you don’t know what this city and what this fan base is like. It really pissed me off because it’s not true.”’

‘Now, the caveat to all this is that the Bills have to hope the additions they have made turn out to be the performers they believe they can be. Remember, free agency can sometimes be fool’s gold, and Bills fans have plenty of nightmares to recall. Do you recall the double-whammy disaster of offensive linemen Langston Walker and Derrick Dockery?’

‘In a dizzying span of about five minutes, multiple reports came out that the Bills were signing deep threat John Brown and slot receiver Cole Beasley, and all of a sudden, the Buffalo passing game has taken on an entirely new look.’

‘“I’m ready to come here and go to work,” he said via a conference call with reporters. “The defense plays fast and physical. I have to come in and earn my respect from coaches and teammates.”’

‘Morse was considered one of the keys to helping Patrick Mahomes blossom into the league’s MVP, and now he will anchor the middle of the line in front of quarterback Josh Allen. Center was a trouble spot all season as Russell Bodine and Ryan Groy struggled, particularly in run blocking, which helped lead to the worst season of running back LeSean McCoy’s career.’

‘Beyond that tiny monetary saving, it is uncertain why the Bills would be interested in bringing in a running back who turns 36 in May during an era in the NFL where the younger you are at that position, generally the better you are.’

‘Kroft is a former third-round pick of the Bengals in 2015. During his four years in Cincinnati he started 35 of 51 games and caught 67 passes for 661 yards and eight touchdowns.’

‘So it goes in the NFL’s two-day legal tampering period where hopes rise and fall by the minute. If you thought the overnight rollercoaster ride that was the Antonio Brown to Buffalo saga was pulsating, welcome to the start of free agency.’

‘“You want to make sure you’ve got the young quarterback, or any quarterback, protected,” McDermott said, referring to tight ends who can block. “If you start there and start building out from there, the tight end is an important position for a quarterback. You see how that helps a young quarterback whether he becomes a security blanket, he can turn a 5-yard completion into a 15-yard gain. Obviously, the work on third down and in the red zone, I think it goes without saying how important the position is.”’