GunnerBill

He is not crappy.

Yes. I don't think there is going to be the rush on receivers others seem to. I just don't see a lot of receiver needs in that bunch from 10 to 27 and I see a TON of OL and CB need. It is a really good OL class as well. I think 7 OTs could go in round one plus a couple of interior guys (Barton and Powers-Johnson).

I say it again: Kamren Curl. He would be awesome in this defense.

Again, true, but the Bills needed to make a decision now. They couldn't bet on being in a position to do a claw back later. Von had the leverage.

He only measures 5'11 at the Combine. The 6'1 was a pipe dream. Agree with the rest though. Worthy has always to me been a perfect pick for a team looking for a playmaker to compliment a true #1 outside receiver. And I do think the Cowboys likely would be interested.... although the risk there is he ends up competing for the same snaps as Lamb who isn't a true outside guy himself he is more a move receiver you use at all spots to generate matchups.

While this is possibly true it wasn't going to happen before they needed to make the decision (i.e. 10 days time).

The things I think he does well? I think he has good intermediate accuracy when you can keep him clean and give him crisp reads, I think he has an effective play-action fake and generally executes those concepts well. He can move and buy time outside the pocket and is a capable thrower on the run and he can make first downs with his legs as a scrambler (which is always one of the first things I look for in a backup QB because if you end up living and dying by the arm of your backup you are dead in the water whoever he is). Where I don't disagree with you is that he holds the ball forever - he definitely does. He can be easily confused if you can take his first read away, has a slightly funky release that takes longer than ideal, is inaccurate when the pocket gets messy and has always been susceptible to being baited into mistakes when teams simulate pressures and drop out into zone. All of which equates to a mid backup. Which is what I think he is. And that is still an upgrade on what we had last year. This move should absolutely not stop them trying to do that.

Who I think they'd take? Adonai Mitchell. I'd still take Legette over him personally.

Before the move his CAP hit in 2024 was $23.5m. $17.5m was guaranteed. This was made up of $6m of bonuses all of which have already been paid (2022 signing bonus and 2023 restructure bonus) which existed on the 2024 cap already and still do - so they are irrelevant for this purpose. And a $17.5m base salary of which $11m was fully guaranteed. What Von and the Bills have done affects only that base salary element. Pre pay cut $11m guaranteed $6.5m that was unguaranteed but due to guarantee on 18/03/24. Post pay cut $1.5m guaranteed $7m roster bonus (which would normally guarantee when the league year starts on the 13th and I can't see anything that disputes that) Therefore while at the point that Von did the deal he was only cutting his guarantees from $11m to essentially $8.5m, so a cut of $2.5m, the reality is if he was going to be on the team (and I say this as someone who was advocating a post 1 June cut) he was about to get an additional $6.5m guranteed. So in reality all of that cap saving ($9m by my calcs because I have rounded everything to the nearest 0.5 for ease of explanation but in reality $8.8m) is pay cut money that Von has left on the table. Two further points: 1. The Bills could still get further cap relief by converting the roster bonus into a restructure bonus which would spread the $7m across 4 years and save a futher $5m on this year's cap. 2. Next year's cap is totally unaffected UNTIL Von earns any of the incentive money back which would land on the 2025 cap. Spotrac now has the "earn back" elements listed as: 2024 Sack Incentives (non-cumulative) 2: $1M 4: $2.5M 6: $4M 8: $6M 10.5: $8.645M 15: $9.645M $1.5M for an AFC Championship Win + 30%+ snaps + 12 regular season snaps

Sammy over Evans was an example where the majority NFL consensus was wrong. It wasn't just the Bills. He was a lock to be the first receiver off the board. Had he been there at #7 I'm sure Tampa would have taken him. Madness. I didn't like OBJ much though I must confess. It was my first year really trying ro evaluate the draft and I had Brandin Cooks as my WR3 after Evans at 1 and Sammy at 2.

I didn't actually. I thought he was overdrafted. No way I'd have taken him 2nd overall. But I don't think he is as bad as you seem to. I've heard your opinion. I disagree with it.

Right now? Win the AFCE and make the playoffs. I can say that even without knowing what the rest of the roster looks like because we have Josh Allen. But this is going to be a 30-40% roster turnover based on the moved this week. So it is way too early to be any more specific than that.

At football.

We couldn't have drafted Evans or Mack at our original spot. Mack went #5 right after we took Sammy at #4. And I think Evans went at #7 and we originally were at either #9 or #10 if memory serves. I remember because Evans was my guy that year. Wanted him so bad. OBJ did go later. He would have been on the board at our original pick.

Yea but that probably means we can afford to sign a qualifying player or two. If we have 4 or 5 of our guys signed and still end up with 3 or 4 comps.

Definitely possible. He did sit out there a while last year, but it is a possibility.

But Ford was a former 2nd round pick. Teams tend to look at them and say "if we can just get that untapped potential out..." I agree though the Bills likely weren't cutting Bates if they couldn't trade him.

https://x.com/Cantguardmike/status/1765796816212439047?s=20 Gets better.

It is as though Mike Tomlin is handicapping himself intentionally and seeing if he can still keep the no losing season record intact.

The Bills moved on from those guys because the age and injuries didn't in their view match the financials. They could have found a way to keep all 3. They'd have had to punt some money ahead into the future years but that is doable. Because it is an accounting cap not a salary cap.

I agree that is the earliest it will happen. And yes, I'd love to be wrong. But it is wish rather than hope that I'd be young haha.

So I'd pay him more than Gabbert for the same reason I'd rather have Trubisky than Kyle Allen - he's better. Browning had a nice year last year. I actually liked him as draftable the year he came out. But it has taken him 5 or 6 seasons to get on an NFL field. I have been clear I'd draft a kid too on day 3 and be willing to carry a 3rd on the roster in 2024 while you let the day 3 guy learn and develop with the hope that the next 3 years he is your backup at a day 3 rookie contract number. But those are, to an extent, lottery tickets.

$5.25m over 2 years. $2.7m guaranteed. Looks right about where I pegged it.

Poyer's issue was lack of opportunity (and then when he did get it his last year in Cleveland injury struck). Hyde's issue in Green Bay was his versatility hurt him. Wherever a guy went down they'd move Hyde there so he never got to shine in a single spot - but he was always an excellent player and I said so the day he was signed here. I just think it is so obviously a schematic thing with Elam that he isn't in the same conversation as those other guys. And even more than that it is transitions. The mechanical awkwardness moving from vertical to lateral and moving from backpedal to close and vice versa. It makes being a good zone defender really hard. If that was an easy fix I think it would have happened by now.

I hope you are right and a light just suddenly comes on. I don't see it though. But he might never have the potential to start for five years for this team in this defense. I think he is more like Jerry Hughes than Wyatt Teller. Hughes could have stayed in Indianapolis for 5 years longer and not broken out the way he did for the Bills because his skillset wasn't fitting what he was being asked to do.