GunnerBill

I know it is camp fodder but he is terrible.

And you wouldn't find one.

It couldn't. No way.

Agree. They have outdated ownership.

You are the one lying to yourself. Or you don't understand the draft. What you are talking about is a nice idea but it is next to impossible. The Giants are not tanking. They probably should be. But the owner has told the GM and Coach it is "win or else" in 2025. With that ultimatum there is zero chance they drop to #30. Even if they were trying to stack picks for next year.... the Bills are gonna have a late 1st. That doesn't help a ton. I agree we need a blue chipper. But there are very few of them in this draft (at least in terms of sure things) and we have no chance to get one.

Carter won't get to #5. And Jax would not move down to #30 regardless.

They can't get to the Titans, Browns, Giants, Jags picks. No team in the top 5 has a reason to drop down to #30. To do that the Bills would have to be willing to do it in two deals.... and they just don't have the capital. And in this draft I am not that fussed about getting to #11 or #14. I don't think the talent differential is that big between #11 and #30. There are max 5 or 6 blie chippers in this class.

What is wrong with people is they are frustrated with the lack of high end talent on the roster besides Josh. And while Beane doesn't have many outright misses, that's true, and a lot of his guys really come on in year 2 and 3, also true, and we pick late every year, also true..... it is 7 years waiting for him to find an elite player beyond Josh. Eventually all that context doesn't matter. You just gotta find a monster hit. And without it, I'm afraid, the pressure is going to grow. It isn't a secret on the Bills. It is known across the league - they have a ton of good players, they lack great ones.

The Bills spent their first 3 picks last year on a WR, a safety and a DT. Then came into this offseason with at best 3 of the 4 biggest weaknesses on the roster being WR, S, DT. If by this time next year none of Coleman, Bishop or Carter look like hits the pressure on Beane is going to ramp right up. Unless he finds an early round rookie stud in 2025.

I think he is pretty good too. But he isn't a star.

By money it is Darnold (a reclamation project QB starter), Dan Moore Jnr (a slightly below average starting left tackle) and Milton Williams (a backup / rotational DT on the best defense in football). I'd personally say in terms of guys still within their peak and able to contribute the actual answer might be Charvarius Ward, Paulson Adebo and possibly Talanoa Hufanga. Ward is a CB1 who is leaving the bay area not just for football reasons, Adebo is a CB2 and Hufanga is a good not great safety. Could throw Josh Sweat in there too but he is again a rotational edge used to coming in after the starters have wreaked havoc. Remains to be seen what he does when he is supposed to be "the guy". It isn't spectacular is it?

I think in more general, less Bills specific, answer to the OP's point - the fast acceleration of the salary cap and the increasing wealth of owners in the league has increasingly turned free agency into the way that the middle class of the NFL player cohort moves around. As a way to acquire a difference maker? It has limited use. You can get starters, you can rarely get stars and certainly not at the premium positions. If you want vet difference makers now you acquire them via trade.

In fairness it happened at OL as well a fair bit. It is only the last couple of years it hasn't. I remember them signing Quintin Spain and Jon Feliciano to be their two guards and thinking "great they are both upgrades but they play totally different styles, what blocking scheme are we using?"

I know they weren't on speaking terms by the end of the previous season. The Cincy game their relationship was described to me as "toxic" and even teammates were not sure of the root cause.

And more importantly with the Quarterback.

Yea. Fat guy. Don't love the skill set that comes with it.

Far below is an exaggeration. But I think he only re-set the market once. He normally slotted in as 2nd or 3rd highest AAV when he got paid.

Yep. I think Benford is a Ward type level player right now and is younger with still the potential to get better. He is already better than Davis and Adebo. He clearly isn't Stingley. So that gives you a sense of where his real market is.

Ha, I was also going by PFR on their Ed specific page.... it says 66%! Just checked PFF and while they don't give you a percentage they agree the regular season total snaps was 603 - which is the number that PFR use to get their 66%.

Ed played 66% in 2024. Despite missing one entire game.

I like TJ a lot. I'm higher than the consensus I think. But for the Bills he is so reminiscent of Ed Oliver I struggle how you get them both on the field.

He has to be under the cap now. Once the league year has begun you have to be under the cap at all times.

I just don't know if we are committed to this offense if he is ever going to be as good of a fit in it as Dawson Knox. I realise he will not be traded. And it makes 2025 make or break for him. If he makes, great. If he breaks, his value might be lower next offseason. But I understand Beane not wanting to give up on consecutive first round picks in the same offseason. That would not look good on his resume.

Are there possible weapons in this class? Yes. But the stock is thinner than in recent years and whether one reaches the Bills at a spot that is workable I don't know. I don't get the sunk cost idea though. What sunk cost? One second round pick (Keon) and two mid vet FA deals on career WR3s? That is about the lowest sunk cost in football on outside receivers. The Bills still have a very significant need for upgrades at boundary receiver. Whether the team admits that or not. That said, the strenght of this class is the defensive line and if the Bills came away with two DL from their first three picks I'd understand it. I just would then question why they targeted the spot for two of their 3 reasonably big FA moves this offseaon - even more so given that they botched it and ended up with two guys who can't play until week 7. My view since January has been the strength of this class is DL so look at secondary and receiver in FA/trade market UNLESS you could swing a trade for an elite level pass rusher because elite talent is more of a hole on this team than any single position.

In a word, unconvincing. The Bills are still the best roster in the AFC East. They still have very few outright holes, but they have precisely one star too. Concerning to me that one of the contracts that hasn't got done is with the guy the closest I think they have to being a breakout star in Benford. I understand why you might wait on that deal, don't get me wrong, but he is a guy I could easily see becoming an elite NFL corner over the next 3 years and the Bills risk him doing that on another team.