WGR

‘If I had to rank the most likely free agents to wind up in Buffalo, right tackle Daryl Williams would be right near the top of the list. There will obviously be a connection between him and the Bills considering he’s spent his first four years in Carolina and both Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane will be familiar with him, but the same can be said for Giants’ GM Dave Gettleman, who drafted Williams in 2015 while GM of the Panthers. There are rumblings Gettleman and the Giants may also be interested in Williams.’

‘VERY, VERY, VERY FEW Bills fans ever took seriously the possibility that the Bills would trade for the Pittsburgh Steelers star. The vast majority were closed to it. No way does THIS team go after THAT player. Then they did, thrusting us all collectively onto sports’ main stage. Before the champagne got passed around the floor fell out.’

‘Many have speculated and even reported that once the trade was agreed upon, or very close, Brown said he either wouldn’t report to the Bills, or at least wouldn’t commit to reporting to Buffalo. It’s important to remember that the Steelers have never knowingly given permission to Brown or his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, to have discussions with another team. In fact, it had been reported last month that the Steelers wouldn’t give that permission. So the Bills couldn’t have spoken with Brown or Rosenhaus directly about a potential deal and his feelings on landing in Buffalo. They could, however, hear through third parties that Brown was balking at coming to Buffalo and the Bills simply may have not wanted to deal with that sort of situation.’

‘Our own Sal Capaccio confirms that the Bills and Steelers began engaging in trade discussions earlier this week, and that things moved fast and talks were positive. However, things just didn’t work out between the two clubs.’

‘Beyond those starting three, the Bills have a very uncertain depth situation. Deon Lacey, Julian Stanford, and Corey Thompson have experience and can be short-term fill-ins, but if the team needs someone to step in for several games, they may need to upgrade.’

‘Mostly just the crowd. I didn’t really know anybody yet, but the crowd was crazy and they got into it, so I got into it, and that’s really what drove me to want to stay.’

‘Allen was then traded to New England in 2017 where he had 13 receptions for 113 yards over two seasons, before being released on March 2nd. He played only 32 percent of the Patriots’ snaps in 2018 but would be able to challenge for the starting tight end spot for a Bills team that only had 525 yards amongst their tight end corps last season.’

‘The former second round pick of the Dolphins was released by Miami back in October after clashing with their coaching staff. In Buffalo, he immediately brought a bunch of energy with him as a rotational player on the defensive line, playing in 10 games, collecting 19 tackles, including two for a loss, three pass breakups, and a fumble recovery.’

‘This offensive line class has some very nice players near the top. There’s a good seven or eight players who could be drafted in the first round at either tackle or guard, and that’s excellent news for the Bills, who need to add to that position. I’ve advocated for the Bills trading down from nine all along, now I’m thinking ‘what of they traded down and took offensive linemen with their first two picks?’ I don’t think it’s out of the question, and depending on how they address wide receiver in free agency, I think it’s a possibility.’

‘Fourteen players so far have confirmed they met with the Bills, seven of which are offensive tackles. Mock drafts have often had the Bills drafting tackles to this point in the draft season.’

‘Beane said he “sleeps a little bit better” this year as compared to last year at this time, knowing they have a quarterback who they believe in and don’t have to try to find one and figure out how to get him. He even said how much different and better it will be when the team gets to camps this offseason not having to have a three-way quarterback battle and knowing Josh Allen will be the starter right off the bat and that will help set the tone for the offense. “He missed out on some reps that we would have liked to have gotten him had we known he would have ended up being the No. 1 as quick as he was, but it played out like it is and obviously that will help us this year.”’

‘Why is this important for the Buffalo Bills, considering they aren’t even in the market to take a quarterback this year? Because other teams are, and the Bills would love for as many quarterbacks as possible to be selected before they get to their No. 9 pick, allowing more talent at other positions to fall so they can either pick an elite prospect or increase the value of trading the pick.’

‘After his session with the national and local media at the podium, I had a one-on-one with McDermott where we discussed the status of the running back position, including the age of the players currently on the roster and the dip in production from LeSean McCoy last year, how important finding the right TE is, having salary cap flexibility and availability this year compared to his first two offseason as head coach, and what’s still needed on defense…’.

‘Based on Johnson’s chart, which weighs early picks a little more heavily, the Bills have the ninth-most 2019 draft capital. Using Stuart’s more modern chart, they have the fifth most capital as of right now. The only teams ahead of the Bills, based on Stuart’s chart, are the Oakland Raiders, Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, and San Francisco 49ers. The Raiders have three first-round picks and the Packers have two. Oakland and Arizona both have the most draft capital according to both charts.’

‘Departing are COO Bruce Popko, EVP and Sabres CAO Brent Rossi, and EVP Erica Muhleman.’