BarleyNY

Truck. Poyer is likely semi-retired now so he will probably try to avoid any real contact.

I heard this just after the SB from a reporter for an NFL team not in the AFCE and think I can share it now. The reporter said that the big rumor among NFL teams in Las Vegas during the week leading up to the SB was that the Bills would be trying to trade Diggs this off-season. The team he reports for would not be a logical trade destination. He wouldn’t give any additional info.

Why wouldn’t he just play for the Eagles? He’s only set to get $6.5M in cash this season. That seems doable for the Bills, but again, why?Why would he choose to change teams and learn a new system for one season rather than stay where he is beloved and knows the players and system? It really makes no sense. Also his retirement paperwork has not been processed yet. That tells me that they’ll do it post 6/1 to push some cap hit into next season. That’s possible because he has void years on his contract.

Yes, he is still under contract with Philly for one more season.

I don’t think Clowney is the right fit as his role is a lot like Rousseau’s. Neither wins quickly with bend, speed and agility. Clowney wins with power and Rousseau more with his length, but it amounts to a similar result. Both are better complimentary pieces to a speed rusher with bend. So I agree that DE is a huge need as we lack that edge that can get pressure quickly. I don’t see much pressure coming from the players currently on the roster. The good news is that a bunch of DEs signed after 6/1 last season. Hoping we can grab a good one this year even if he is just a quality pass rush specialist.

That’s the property of the Titans. The slap in the face was last season when they wore their Oiler throwback uniforms when they played the Texans. Even put the oil derrick on the 50.

https://overthecap.com/evaluation-of-the-2024-compensatory-picks-projection For anyone interested, linked is Over The Cap’s self-evaluation of their Compensatory Draft Pick projections.

I agree. I think that’s the smart play. However I can see the Bills going DE in round 1 and WR in round 2. Right now this team has virtually no pass rush juice. None of our DEs can pressure the QB with any reliability and at DT it’s pretty much just Oliver. Admittedly, there are a lot less quality DE prospects than quality WR prospects this draft so there is certainly a defensible logic to going DE first. But the risk of undermining the offense isn’t worth it IMO. That’s what I’m concerned about. I don’t know that McDermott will be able to help himself. He’s always prioritized his defense.

Cook isn’t a good pass blocker so he’s tough to put in on a lot of third downs. Presumably that would be within the skill set of a complimentary back. At this point I have no idea what your point is. You seem to be arguing against the assertion that it would be good to bring in some help for Cook. A RB who can take some of the load off of him - especially with the increased workload under Brady - as well as complement his skill set. If so, then I disagree and I’ll leave it there. If not, then what’s your point?

There is no possible way to trade away dead cap from money that has already been paid to a player. If a player with future guaranteed salary or bonuses is cut, then that amount becomes dead cap. So trading away a player with future guaranteed money is a way to avoid taking that as dead cap. Take the situation with Diggs and his now guaranteed salary as a good example. If we were to cut him, that adds to the dead cap. If we were to trade him, it would not As for the Amari Cooper trade, he didn't have any guaranteed money left on his deal when Dallas traded him to Cleveland.

I can’t take credit for that. It was from Joe Marino on his Locked On Bills podcast. I think it was his RB review one. I’ll try to re-create what he did. Under Dorsey in 10 games Cook had 120 carries and 24 receptions. Extrapolate those 144 touches to a full 17 game season and you get 245 regular season touches. Under Brady in 9 games (including 2 playoff games) Cook had 153 carries and 28 receptions. Extrapolate those 171 touches to a full 17 game season and you get 323 regular season touches. Marino went on to talk about the relatively light workload Cook had in college and that in his rookie season he only had 110 regular season touches. So his usage even under Dorsey would have been the heaviest of his career. Under Brady is an even bigger step up than that. So if we want him to be able to perform in the playoffs we should get him some help. Cook didn’t look the same to me (or Marino) at season’s end or in the playoffs. I think the workload was the main reason for the fall off of his play mainly because I can’t think of any other explanation (other than unreported injury).

Any team in the top 10 that wants a WR is just going to take one of the top 3 there. Also Diggs has much less trade value than people think. He’s a one year rental type of player now. Big contract, 31 this season, already showing a decline to his skill set and he’s been a bit of a PITA. That last one is particularly important since teams picking top 10 aren’t exactly SB contenders and we know how Diggs feels about that. That all doesn’t scream “big trade value”. Nor does it give the Bills a lot of options as far as teams to trade him to. Diggs likely is a Bill this season, but that will be it.

In Knox’s case he’s getting an additional $17M in guaranteed money to take a pay cut of $4.5M over the 3 years left on his deal. Most players will trade off guaranteed money for some salary they might never see. This reminds me of what Beane worked out with Star on his horrible contract.

I think Von and Diggs will be our two 6/1 cuts next year. Due to a partially guaranteed salary in 2025 it would be too costly to cut Knox then. But the reworked contract wouldn’t impact the Bills ability to trade him then if they decide to go that route.

He does not have a cash outlay due, the only thing that happens is that the unguaranteed portion of his salary this season guarantees. That really won’t impact a trade. It would impact a release though.

No we don’t. His salary guarantees on 3/17, but that wouldn’t have any impact on a trade. It’s not like a team trading for him wouldn’t expect him to play for them this season. The only thing it impacts is releasing him - which I don’t think is happening until next offseason. I think the Bills would be happy to trade Diggs (especially after 6/1), but I don’t think it happens either.

Dunno about that. I don’t think GR has the athletic traits to become a particularly good pass rusher. His lack of bend and flexibility really limits him. He can be a good compliment to a player like Von was expected to be here, but he’s not ever going to be a guy who puts quick pressure on QBs. Not with any consistency at least.

Yup. OTC has it at about $13.4M. I am fine with the Bills picking that up and then either signing him to a reasonable extension or letting him walk. And I’m okay with them not picking it up. It depends on what they want out of the LDE spot. If they want a DE to play the run and contain the QB, then GR is fine. If they want something more out of that spot in the way of pass rush, then they should decline the option and use the money for a replacement that can.

Disagree. It was by far his biggest workload for a season, including college. His touches increased when Brady took over. He looked spent by the playoffs. He wasn’t running the same and he wasn’t catching the ball the same. You can’t give him the kind of workload Brady did for a whole season.

Guessing the Vikings are looking to extend a particular WR who might be concerned about QB play there. This might be creating some urgency for Kwesi and the Vikes.

Constantly? I seem to remember a dime bouncing off of his hands in our 3 point playoff loss to KC. Reasonably, I think Diggs is still a #1 WR on this team and in this league. But I don’t think he’s quite what he was at his peak and he’ll be 31 this November. That’s been the about the time WRs hit their productivity cliffs. The Samuel signing is as much about having a Diggs replacement on the roster as it is filling out the WR corps.

Agree 100%. Cook wore down last season. We absolutely need a complimentary RB who can take a good bit of the load off of him.

I just didn’t want him to go there. Didn’t really care where else he went.

Yeah. This one hurts.

Still need an X. Also DE is a huge need unless you think Epenesa is a quality starter. I sure don’t. Guessing those are our first two picks, in either order.