Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘McCarron has four career starts, including one in the 2015 playoffs, when Dalton was injured. He won two national championships at Alabama.’

‘Murphy and Lotulelei will be expected to come in and start on the Bills’ front line, while Bush and Stanford figure to serve in backup roles and contribute on special teams.’

‘So, if you’re counting at home, that’s five free agents in the fold, all on the defensive side of the ball. That’s what happens when you rank 29th in run defense, and 31st in sacks, a double whammy that illuminated Buffalo’s difficulty in stopping teams in 2017.’

‘The Bills were never going to be in on Kirk Cousins, and probably not Case Keenum or Sam Bradford, either. Not at those prices. The second tier was certainly a possibility, but several were scooped up — Teddy Bridgewater, Josh McCown, and Mike Glennon.’

‘ As for the Bills, GM Brandon Beane, diving head-first into his first full off-season with Buffalo, did a lot of impressive heavy lifting before Wednesday’s 4 p.m. green light.’

‘On Tuesday afternoon, his daughter Erin Kelly-Bean posted a photo to Instagram of the former Buffalo Bills quarterback and his wife, Jill, aboard a departing plane. Kelly-Bean’s message read: “These two are off to NYC for more tests for my dad. Believing in the power of prayer. Believing that God still performs miracles. Thank you to everyone who has been praying. Don’t stop! #KellyTough”’

‘The Bills had already found and played Glenn’s replacement, Dion Dawkins, while Taylor was clearly no longer in Buffalo’s future plans; and rather than just cutting both players before $8 million in roster bonuses came due this week, Beane was able to get valuable compensation, a third-round pick from the Browns for Taylor, and a swap of first-round picks with the Bengals that moves the Bills up to the No. 12.’

‘While it seems apparent the Bills are gearing up to trade into the top five of the draft to select their franchise quarterback, they still need a veteran on the team, at the very least to act as a mentor to the rookie, but also perhaps to serve as the bridge starter in 2018. In this game of musical chairs, the Bills don’t want to be left standing with only Nathan Peterman in a backup role, do they?’

‘“When it comes down to it, as eloquently as I can put it, I haven’t exhausted my dream of playing this game and chasing being a champion,” Williams said via conference call Tuesday afternoon, hours after a new one-year, $6 million contract that allows his return to the Bills became official. “Buffalo is home, it’s where I want to be, where I want to win.”’

‘Lotulelei is a 6-foot-2, 315-pounder who got off to a great start in his NFL career, but last year wasn’t quite so effective. Still, what he does best may be what the Bills need most — he can occupy blockers in the middle of the line, which will enable the linebackers to make plays.’

‘Reports indicate the two-year contract will be worth up to $4.5 million.’

‘According to contract website overthecap.com, by trading Glenn the Bills will save $4.85 million on their salary cap this year, but will have to swallow a $9.6 million dead cap hit. When they traded Tyrod Taylor to the Cleveland Browns Friday, the Bills created a cap savings of $10.44 million, and absorbed a $7.6 million cap hit. Buffalo also saved a total of $8 million in roster bonuses that were due to Taylor and Glenn.’

‘In the broadest sense, Beane had almost no leverage in his search for a taker of Taylor because teams knew he was probably going to cut the seven-year veteran, so why give up anything to get him? However, by honing in on the Browns — a team that has been as quarterback-challenged as the Bills the past two decades — Beane found precisely the right mark.’

‘This on the heels of Dorsey acquiring wide receiver Jarvis Landry from Miami a few hours earlier. Clearly, Dorsey – in his first year with the Browns – isn’t afraid to make any type of deal, not for a team that went 1-31 the last two years. And clearly, the Bills are serious about improving at quarterback.’

‘If the Bills want to make the big move up, they may need to get creative, which is what A.J. Smith did in 2004 as general manager of the Chargers. He owned the No. 1 overall pick and wanted to select Eli Manning, but Manning, and his father, Archie, made it very publicly known that Eli did not and would not want to play for San Diego. They advised Smith — the ex-Bills’ personnel chief who had become GM in San Diego after the death from cancer of ex-Bills GM John Butler — not to waste the pick.’