BarleyNY

I understand that DTs, especially ones that can provide a decent pass rush, are scarce. Oliver is a good DT, but even with that said I don’t get $17M AAV on the extension. There’s no way to look at that and not see a substantial overpay.

Scarcity at play

There is a link provided in the first tweeted reply that shows the ranking info. It is not arbitrary, but PFF grades/rankings are used. The numbers used are strictly based on last season’s performances.

Assuming the knee is okay, I agree. The Bills definitely need to make some cap room for when they go to a 53 man roster plus practice squad. Even with restructuring Tre they might need to find a few more dollars for IR replacements.

That is really the issue. I do not like the idea of restructuring Dawkins. He might require an extension to do so as well and I would not want to add guarantees to his deal at this point. Tre White is a better option, but I understand why people would hesitate. But my view is that his salary this season is now guaranteed so we might as well make some room with it. The other possibility is cutting Morse. I’m not advocating for that, but I can see it happening - especially with the money and high draft pick spent on the IOL.

I chalk this up to it being a good sign. It’s not nearly enough to be certain of his future, but it’s a positive. I’d love to see how he did against zone too.

I checked but can’t find an associated article.

Shakir looking good in limited reps. It’ll be interesting to see how he does with more opportunities this season.

He obviously has played with Watson before too. Still, IDK that Cleveland makes the move. Seems pricey for them at this point. They are the only team with higher active spending this season than the Bills. Much like the Bills it may come down to how much pressure the brass is under.

Circumstances have changed. The fact that the Bills were one of two teams seriously pursuing trading for Hopkins is indicative of that. But the degree to which this regime will be more aggressive is certainly debatable.

The Bills knew who Diggs was when they traded for him and then later signed him to his current contract. He’s an elite, emotional player who gets angry when he thinks his teammates and/or coaches let him and the team down. And he’s watched both happen while he has played at his typical elite level. The coaches effed up with 13 seconds against KC and most of the team - Allen included - didn’t bother to show up in the playoffs this past year. Diggs, Milano and only a few others should have had their heads up after the Bengals game. And the team sucked against the Phins too. Squeaking out a 3 point win against Skyler Thompson was embarrassing. So, yeah, there’s definitely some effort by the team to keep the Diggs situation from blowing up. But they are tied together for two more seasons - at least - so what choice do they have?

Agreed on the money. That’ll be interesting. I wonder what Hopkins was asking for from teams wanting to trade for him. His contract would’ve been tough to fit into any decent team’s cap. Was he asking for a bump up? Would he have played for the same money with a restructure? Was he looking for additional years or guarantees? I expect him to go to the highest bidder among playoff caliber teams. With the highest bidder being the best combo of guaranteed money and expected income. I don’t know where this will land, but I think it’ll take a payout of at least $30M over two years - with most/all of that guaranteed - just to get his agent talking. Structure would make it look like a bigger deal to spread out the cap hits though. Signing Hopkins isn’t without risks. His age and PED suspension are both concerning. But it’s probably a risk worth taking for the Bills and this regime. Beane and McDermott likely have two seasons to show progress and earn extensions so Hopkins would fit in to that very nicely. Time for them to push in all their chips.

I think that you have to consider changing circumstances when looking at how people act. Beane has changed his approach as the team became more competitive. I think that there is a lot of pressure on Beane and McDermott to get over the top and that they reasonably have two seasons to do so. That’s based on how the last few seasons ended as well as their tenure and contract situations. I think a move like bringing in Hopkins for two seasons makes a lot of sense in that context. I think we offer him a sizable contract that is effectively two seasons, but is longer and spreads out the cap hits for two seasons beyond that. Edit: I should stress that this is what I expect to happen, not necessarily what I’d do. Hopkins scares me due to his age and PED violation. I know Beane has more info than us fans. I think taking the chance has a lot of merit, but there are certainly risks.

Hopkins has no guaranteed money left on his contract. The dead money on Hopkins’ deal that AZ has to account for is due to money (signing bonuses) already paid to him but not accounted for on their cap. It has no bearing on any future contracts.

I don’t understand how this is supposed to be fun. Maybe when there are some other features added it’ll be interesting.

I do laundry a couple times a week. 2-3 loads each time. Sometimes I will throw in an additional single load if I have time and the mood strikes.

That they’re hideous is the fun of it. Also I’ve seen some ladies in the spandex zubas that are very far from hideous.

I agree. Beane and McDermott are tied and will stay or go together. They have concurrent contracts through 2025 so a decision will be made (one way or the other) by no later than after the 2024 season.

Not great, but how about they show all of the important stats for QBs during one score games? Show me yards, TDs, QBR, PFF rating, WAR, etc. Something (heck, anything) that gives a sense of the whole picture. I’m not one to sugar coat negatives - and I do think Allen needs to improve in the turnover area - but there’s not much context here. Shrug.

Which would be why some of us are concerned about him being able to perform at his previous level. Because he’s a good player and important to the team.

I get that there are still 3 or 4 months before the season starts so things have time to dramatically improve. But OTOH Dawkins’ weight and conditioning have been an issue in the past and it did seem to be an issue last season. This season he looks to be in the worst shape he’s ever been in as Bill. The possible impact of that on Allen’s health and the Bills’ season is a legitimate concern IMO. Again, the season doesn’t start tomorrow, but this bears watching.

Do you think Dawkins is carrying around 10 extra pounds of water?

12th among LTs LINK and 22nd among OTs. That seems about right for him. I’ve always liked Dawkins as a player and from what I’ve seen of him as a person. That said, his weight has been a concern that has grown each season. I can see him playing out his contract but don’t see how he gets extended. Not bringing in a quality swing tackle this season could be a real problem.

Yup. In lopsided college games it allows the team getting pummeled to avoid getting unnecessarily injured on kickoff returns by fair catching them all. That won’t happen as often in the NFL, but if I’m a coach I’m using this to my advantage. I’m telling my KO return team to fair catch every KO in meaningless games or after meaningful games are out of hand in either direction.