sven233

Man, I see a lot of complaining going on for a signing that doesn't mean a whole lot. Look, Tre's injuries got the best of him last year (as would be expected) and he wasn't near the same player he was with us prior to the injuries. I do think he was much better with the Ravens than he was with the Rams, but he was replacement level. That said, Beane does this every year. He signs aging, previously talented vets hoping they still have a little left in the tank to fill obvious holes so they don't have a glaring position of need that forces their hand in the draft. I'm not sure why people are upset with this. I am sure they worked him out and gave him a physical and have a good understanding of where he is physically. We don't have the exact contract details yet, but I am sure the numbers and guarantees don't promise him roster spot let alone a starting job or anything. He will probably have a chance to compete for a job and he can be an asset in the locker room all while mentoring the young guys in the room. And, like I said....that's if he even makes the team. There is no need to be upset here. This changes absolutely nothing in terms of the draft. If CB is the BPA, they will still take a CB at 30. All this does is make it so they don't have another Elam situation where everyone and their mothers knew we needed to take a CB with our first pick. this just gives us some flexibility that if there is another player at a different position we have ranked higher on the board, that we can take him instead of taking a CB we have ranked lower. Quite honestly, another year removed from his injuries, and already knowing the system is an added bonus if he has to be a stop gap until a young guy is ready to take the job. This is so much better than adding Dane Jackson, or Bradberry, or something like that. This was a move that was going to be made regardless of the player. The fact that we know this player so well is just a bonus if you ask me. So yeah......welcome back, Tre! Here's hoping you still have something left and can compete at a high level. If if doesn't work out, so be it, but I'm rooting for you. Can't wait until the draft!

Very instinctual player. Always well prepared. Willing tackler. Always seems to be in position. He's a solid CB prospect for sure. Him not wanting to run the 40 and a LB-like 3-cone time are concerning, though. There are reports that during training he was running in the high 4.5s and that's not great for a CB. If he didn't run because he was still a little worried about the injuries, that's one thing. If he didn't run because he was afraid to put up a 4.6, that's quite another, especially for a guy looking to be drafted in the top 10-15.

Harmon is my guy that is somewhat realistic in this draft. Now, I don't think there is a chance in the world that he is going to be there at 30. However, I was hoping that he could make it until the early 20s where we might have a shot at getting to. The closer we get to the draft, though, I am not sure that is going to be the case. He is now more likely to go in the middle of the round and will just be too expensive to go get. So, that said, I am honestly leaning more CB in Round 1 as we close in on the draft. I think a guy like Maxwell Hairston or Trey Amos would be great for us. Honestly, if we could go Hairston/Amos (or whatever CB they like), the DT of our choice, and then someone like Xavier Watts, I think the top of the draft would be pretty solid. What I would really like to be able to do, and of course it depends how the board falls would be able to trade down a few spots, make the same picks, while also getting a 3rd. Then, in the 3rd, find the speed at WR we desperately need.

I have seen him anywhere from the 3rd to the 5th on him (I have a 4th round grade on him, but I am not convinced he's going to make it that far). If we actually had a 3rd, I would probably be banging the drum to take him there even if it would be a bit of a reach. Just not sure he is going to be there in the 4th when we get to pick. Depending on how the draft falls in round 1, I would absolutely be interested in dropping back a couple picks to add a 3rd rounder. Obviously, if the guys we want are being scooped up, we may have to stick or even trade up, but if for some reason we get to 25-30 and there are 5-6 guys we can pick from, I'd absolutely be looking to drop into the early 2nd if I can (I am not dropping more than 4-5 spots, though) to add that 3rd to take him. CB, DT, S, WR. Knock them all off in rounds 2 and 3 and then just go BPA the rest of the way.

This is absolutely the kind of guy that you take a swing with in the mid rounds. Elite traits. You just don't see guys this big that can run that fast very often. Sure he has his issues, shortcomings, and is super raw, but if the kid is willing to learn and put the work in, and your coaching staff is as good as it should be, this is the kind of guy that you could mold into something special.

Ari Meirov @MySportsUpdate Developing: #Saints QB Derek Carr is dealing with a shoulder injury that could impact his availability for the 2025 season, per @RapSheet He’s currently weighing options, including surgery. New Orleans holds the No. 9 pick in the draft. I have been on this train for a couple months now and with this news coming down, I am absolutely calling the Saints to see if I can pry Olave out of there. Sure, there are risks with his injury history, but you can say that about a lot of guys. The fact is, when he's healthy, Olave is one of the best man coverage beaters in the league. He's fast and can challenge teams at every level of the field. Quite honestly, he's exactly the type of WR we are missing. So, what does it all mean? Not sure since we don't know if he is available to trade for. But I am making the call. Can we get him for one of our 2nds? I have been trying to figure out how to get a DT, CB, and game breaking WR with our first 3 picks. In the draft, I am not sure that's even possible because I don't see a WR there that I would feel 100% certain about with the skill set we are looking for. In my opinion, Olave is better than every WR in this draft. But yeah....injuries and an upcoming contract make it more challenging, but man....if we could figure it out, I'd be thrilled. He would absolutely fill the WR hole we have and we could use 30 on the best CB or DT available and our remaining 2nd to fill the position we don't take at 30 and I would love our draft no matter what happens the rest of the way. I mean, maybe this further pushes the Saints to draft a QB at 9 like Dart or someone else and they will want him to have an explosive weapon like Olave for him to throw to. I would completely understand that line of thinking. I would also understand if the Saints look at this as a chance to reset and want to add more ammo and picks in the draft. But, it is absolutely a call I am making to find out what they're thinking.

He was projected by many as a 4th rounder, 3rd maybe, but this really kills his stock. Obviously, teams are going to have a lot more information on this than we will, at least by draft time, so it will be up to them to make the final call. But, if this has any credibility, who knows what happens now. Does he get drafted at all? Does anyone sign him as a FA until this is completely settled? There are going to be a lot of eyes on this situation and if a team brings him in, it's going to be a distraction for sure.

Good player, but it seems like he has a questionable attitude. But hey.....that's why we have built the culture we have, though, right? So, on occasion you can bring in a guy like this and hope that some of that great culture rubs off on him and he becomes the best version of himself. I don't want to bring him in at any significant money, and I am not sure he would even be a starter by the end of camp, but I believe he is better than Dane and if he's boundary CB3, then so be it. And, if he screws up or has those same attitude issues, then he's not on the team. But I am very interested in bringing him in and letting him compete for a spot.

And I actually agree with this in theory. My issue is that I don't see this as a very star heavy draft. I think there are a few of them, but I am not sure I see enough major impact players that will make it into the middle of the round. I actually think there is a good chance you get the same player in terms of quality at 30 as you would at say 18 or 19. Just not sure it is worth all you will have to give up to get there. In other drafts, sure.....but I just don't see this one as a heavy star-laden draft. But that's just me. If Beane sees a guy in the late teens that he truly believes is one of the top players in the draft then, by all means, go get him. As I sit here today, I just don't know who that guy is that will be worth using a 2nd rounder plus probably another pick to go up and get. Now, if you want to move up a few spots by giving up a 4th or 5th, fine..... But I am not eager to part with a 2nd for 10 spots or so in this draft.

There are good arguments to be made both ways in terms of moving up or moving back depending on the round you are talking about. Personally, unless there is a guy that you 100% have in your top 10 players in the draft sitting there at like 17 or so, I am not sure I am ready to make that kind of a move. This is fairly unique draft where, outside of a couple top end talents, there are guys all over the first 3 rounds you can see being good players in the league. The value, in my opinion anyways, starts in the mid 20s and guys picked there could easily be just as good as the picks earlier in the draft. If anything, while I love having 2 seconds, I would love to move up and get an earlier pick there. Maybe you can swing our 2 seconds to move up and grab a 3rd in the process. There are solid players that can absolutely help this team into the 3rd round and it would be wise to try and get in there if you can, especially if you can move up substantially in the second round in the process. I don't expect to use all of our picks this year, that's for sure. But I want to be strategic about it so we still make enough picks, but really maximizing the value at the same time.

That's the point of doing it though. They want returns. They are trying to force teams to kick the ball in play rather than blasting it into the endzone every time. The league doesn't want teams to put the ball at the 35 at all. They want them to kick it inside the 5 and have the returns. This should help get them that result.

I don't know the stats here, but does McDermott and those wanting it gone have stats to back up their stance? I mean, I have never heard of anyone getting hurt on the play itself. Not saying it hasn't happened, but if it has, I haven't heard about it. Seems like if you are using player safety as the reason to ban it, you need the evidence to back up the claim. I am neutral on the issue. Whatever comes of it is fine. I suppose I will be a little disappointed that we can't do it anymore because, Chiefs game aside, we are very good at it and it is almost a guaranteed first down. But whatever. I know there's a lot of fans out there whining about the play because they just think it is cheap and boring. My argument against that, though, is that the offense has 1 job.....move the ball down the field and get 1st downs within the 4 downs they are given. Don't like the play? Find a way to stop it. I mean, the Chiefs did.....they lined up Offside and told the refs not to call it. But it worked for them. Anyway, I just kind of find this whole thing a bit funny. Of all the things you need to fix in the game, the focus is on a glorified QB sneak. Whatever.

Not expecting to see a Cook contract done anytime soon......maybe ever here. It's obvious (and I truly believe rightly so), that Beane and and front office doesn't believe in paying big money to the RB position. If Cook truly believes he is worth $15 million+, I don't think he is going to see that here. I think we run him a ton this season and get as much as we can out of him and then it is on to the next. And I do think that is the right way to do it. There are other more premium positions to allocate that money to that will have a much bigger impact on the team. I just don't think you would see a dramatic drop in production by going to Davis or another RB you draft this season. I'm fine with waiting it all out.

Maybe.... Nut he was pretty invisible in the Super Bowl and they dominated the Chiefs because they had a stout defense, a great O-Line and made a couple big plays down the field. He was great all season, but I think a lot of backs could have gotten them enough production to win.

And that's fine..... I wouldn't have paid him that money either. When I say I don't pay the position, I mean it. Doesn't matter who it is. He's a great player, but I would never pay him $20 million a year.

It's a nice deal on the surface for sure. What would make it even better is if there is an "out" after the next year or 2 just in case his concussion issue becomes a problem. I hate to have to think that way because the guy is a very good player and this contract seems like a bargain if he stays healthy, but we have seen it already with several guys that concussions are nothing to mess with and with him coming off 2 in back to back weeks to finish the season is just a bit concerning to me. Hopefully, though, it will never become an issue and we won't have to be overly concerned with it. Now I see a lot of people talking about Cook and getting him done. Look....I like Cook. I think he's a very good player that can make plays for us. But man.....I just don't value RBs the way I value other positions. It's not a slight at Cook, but rather the position in general. I am a firm believer that if you have a great line, any back with decent athleticism can produce for you and the drop off isn't as big as it might be with other positions. I firmly believe that if we went out and drafted another RB in the 3rd round that runs 4.4 or better that we can get explosive plays from them as well. I look at what Davis did as a rookie this year and he isn't near the athlete Cook is, but he always produced when called upon. I think is Cook were to be traded or whatever and not on this team that we would be just fine with Davis, Johnson, and a rookie behind the line we have. Cook is very good, but let's face it...... He played less than 50% of snaps and didn't play on 3rd down (and many times in crunch time) because the Bills rather have Johnson on the field in those situations. That doesn't sound like a guy that I want to tie $15 million, or even $10 million a year up in. Not sure what my ceiling would be because I just believe that money can be used on players at more premium positions. I get it. He's been very good for us. He's our guy. We drafted him and we want him on the team. But I just don't view RB as a position you need to pay big money to in order to win. I know that some will agree with me and some won't. I totally get it. But this is just my philosophy when it comes to roster construction. The guy I would rather sign next? Mcgovern.

No....it doesn't necessarily matter. What matters is that you are capable of doing it in the easiest way possible. Last year after the first few weeks of the season and the "Everybody Eats" offense got put on film and teams figured out that our offense couldn't beat anyone down the field, it got a lot tougher to score for a bit because teams were sneaking their safeties up and making it harder on offense to move the ball consistently. Hence the reason we had to bring in Cooper. Now, maybe the Cooper signing didn't work out entirely as planned, but early on, he made a couple of plays down the field and that loosened things up a bit and the offense got back on track. But now he's gone and we're back in the same situation we were last last season. A bunch of guys with no real star power and no game breaking speed. I fear that if we go into the season again without that speed and someone to threaten teams down the field, we will end up in the same spot with teams stacking the box and making the short to intermediate routes that much tougher to complete. If you go back and look at last year, the only big plays we really made were off script superhero stuff from Allen. You could count on one hand how many deep shots were actually completed on script within the design of the play. In fact, you may not need all of your fingers to count them. So, no, it doesn't matter how you do it. But you have to have the capability to do it. And, in my opinion, the best way to help that happen is to make sure defense respect the deep part of the field. We don't have anyone on the roster that any team will feel like they have to back off of and that does make me wonder if we will struggle to score consistently again, especially with an entire year's worth of our offense on film. Finally, while scoring is important for sure.....preventing playoff teams from rolling over your own defense and forcing us to score to much to have a chance to win is a huge problem as well. It's nice to have the ability to score 30+ a game, but when you are forced to do it week in and week out in the Playoffs because your defense can't stop real offenses, it changes the dynamic. So, I guess in the end what I am saying is we still need at least 1 more WR with speed, explosion, and the ability to beat man coverage. Find that and then load up on defense with the rest of our assets and let's kick the ball off!

Good for him. That's a lot of money for a guy on the wrong side of 30 coming off an injury. But, they have money to blow so if it doesn't work out, they'll be able to eat it.

This is pretty much how I go in thinking about the draft. It's about the premium positions in the 1st round. There are many reasons for it, but the obvious ones are that they are the most important positions on the field where you have to be good and the cost control of those premium assets. I know you are being general with this, but I am even stricter on QB. That is a top 10 type of pick only for me. Sure, you can hit on guys lower than that, but it is much more rare to get a superstar at that position outside that area. Jackson comes to mind for sure, but there are some that were arguing he could have been a top 10 pick at the time and I don't think anyone would have blinked if he had gone there. But yeah.....round 1 to me is to try and get that cost controlled superstar at a premium position. Outside of QB, that is EDGE, WR (preferably outside WRs), CB, and possibly OT depending on the guy. I do think you have a good chance of hitting on a solid to potentially great OT in rounds 2 and 3 if needed. But, if you really need one, round 1 is totally fine to do that in. When you get into the 2nd and 3rd round, I look at those premium positions first, but if there is nobody obvious to take, that is when I am looking at those positions I consider second tier in terms of impotence where I think if you wait to these rounds, you can still potentially get the best, or one of the best, at their positions in the draft. Safety, Guards, Centers, DTs, Slot WRs, an possibly LBs and RBs. Personally, I am Round 3 or later for LBs and RBs, but if you are pretty set at other positions and have a glaring need, Round 2 is acceptable. Then, when you hit the 4th round and later, I am exclusively BPA no matter what my roster looks like. I don't care if I think I have my top 5 WRs set. If WR is the best player on the board, I'm taking him. Same can be said for other positions. I am also looking for traits. I am focused on speed and size and the combination of the two. If there is an EDGE or LB there that runs say a 4.65 and is 6'4+ but for whatever reason hasn't had the production you would expect with those traits, I am ready to start taking chances on athletic freaks. Same with those guys that were great and projected to go in the first round but didn't for whatever reason. Maybe they had an injury. Maybe there is something in the medical you are concerned with, but it could be fine down the road......take the swing. Is it a character issue? What's the issue? Is it really that bad? Can you take a swing and afford to cut the guy if he is a trash person once you get him in the building? I'm fine with taking those chances to potentially hit a grand slam if it works out. Then when you get to the late rounds, I am focused on the guys that had a ton of production but it maybe it happened at a smaller school. The perfect example is Benford. Big CB. Maybe not the fastest, but fast enough. Played great at a small school, but because he wasn't in a major program, didn't get the attention other guys did. Beane is great at finding these guys and I think this is one part of the draft he has a great handle on. But yeah.....I definitely go into the draft with a plan and I stick to it especially in the first couple of rounds. I think having set positions and priorities can really help in building a team that has sustained success. Unless your team is absolutely stacked at premium positions, I don't stray from this plan. But even if you are stacked, all that means is that you will have contracts coming up that you will have to pay or move on from and replace that guy at the end of the season anyway, so I am still sticking with this plan regardless.

This is a discussion that isn't even worth having. The QBs playing today are redefining the position just as guys from Brady's era redefined the position from the Kelly, Marino, and Elway era. The rules, the athletic requirements, and skill set are completely different today than in these other eras and you can't compare them. Guys like Allen, Mahomes, Jackson, Burrow, etc. are going to shatter yardage and TD records by the time they are done. In fact, if Allen stays healthy and plays for another decade or so, may end up the all time leader in total yards, TDs, etc. He could hold a ton of NFL records by the time he's done. Heck, he owns a bunch of them now. And he may do this without ever having to be the most prolific pocket passer. You've already seen a steady decline in rushing attempts the last few years from him. But, what you do see is him making guys miss in the pocket and getting out of the pocket to make a big play down the field. As long as he never loses that ability to get away from the immediate threats and can get out of there, he will continue to be able to be successful for a very long time. That's why when you start talking about the "GOAT" in football, especially at the QB position, I kind of find it a bit odd. Sure, Brady is considered by many as the GOAT, but why? Is it just because of the number of rings or is it because he was the best/most talented to play the position? Because to me, in football, wins are not a QB stat. Never have been, never will be. They are a team stat. Yes, when talking about legacy, wins have a place......did you affect your team's performance? Did you make those around you better? Are you the primary reason your team is successful? Because there are so many examples of QBs winning Super Bowls that have little to do with the actual outcome of those games. But there are also many examples, heck, Allen might be the biggest example, of the QB being the best player on the field yet, in the end doesn't win an important game for reasons that are out of their control. So yeah......what makes you the GOAT? Because in 10 years, if Allen continues to play like he has been and only wins a Super Bowl or two.....or heck.....even if the Bills never win one but Allen still dominates every season and retires with the most total yards and TDs ever, maybe even by a lot with the trajectory he is on, I think there will be many that can make an argument that you would take Allen over any QB in history because he was the most talented, not because his team kept letting him down. Guys today may have to adapt their style a little bit, but the rules favor QBs not getting hit and allowing WRs to get open. That bodes well for this generation of QBs to be successful and put up big numbers for a very long time.

Here's the thing about Benford for me. I think he is really good. His numbers are great. The analytics are great. He has good size and plays physical. All that said, I watch him and I never see "Best in the League" out of him. No, I am not saying others view him as the best in the league by any measure, but I think that is my point. The numbers say he is in the conversation, but the eye test to me says I don't see a shut down CB deserving of top dollar like he is probably going to get. He is very good at covering guys down the sidelines and in zone. In fact, I will say he is elite at those things. But where my issue with him is when he is lined up against WRs that are great slant runners and when other teams get him running across the field on drag routes. I've seen him get abused on slants, drags, and crossers and it is because he is not a quick twitch guy and doesn't have top end speed to recover when he does get beat cleanly. I will say those routes are hard to cover no matter who you are, but there are those guys that just can throw a blanket over the entire field no matter who they are covering and what routes they are covering even when being asked to do it in mostly man situations. Our scheme plays to Benford's strengths, as it should, but because of that he is not asked to play primarily man coverage for most snaps like other teams ask some of these other top CBs to do against the top WRs in the league. He also very rarely has been asked to travel with a top WR and cover them for an entire game. The Bills primarily ask him to line up on his side and whoever the other team throws over there is the guy he covers. He's not being asked to find WR1 and just shadow him for entire games like the top shut down CBs many times do. Now I don't want this to look like I am bashing the guy. I am absolutely not doing that. I think Benford is a top CB in this league. Borderline top 5 even. I guess the only point I am trying to make is that I'm struggling to give him money like Stingley just got because I don't view him in the same class as he is. I think he's great and our scheme has played to his strengths which is obviously important. I guess the question I have is if you swapped Benford for a guy like Stingley on a different team if he would have the same success in a different system. If he was forced to be a true lockdown CB in a man to man system, could he do it consistently? I'm just not sure he could. But, I know Stingley would still be a shut down CB here. Finally, how can you not think about his health. Two concussions to close out the year last season and he has missed other important games because of injury as well. I'm not a doctor and obviously we don't have access to his medical records, but these things are hard to ignore. I have no doubt that the Bills are going to pay him at some point because he is a very good player, but I am not sure I would be in a hurry to do so. He's not going to reset the market like Stingley did. At this point, I think no matter how good he plays next season, we know there the CB market ceiling is at. So, even if he has the best season of his career next season, and I hope he does, the difference might be in paying him $23-$24 million next season compared to $20-$22 million this season. I think making sure he can play with the concussions and injury history to see if he can play a full season before you drop a huge contract on him might be worth that extra couple of million he gets next season by waiting.

Absolutely concerns, but I would also add a 1 tech DT to that list as well. We still don't have that young, monster space eater in the middle of the defense to help stop the run. But you're right.....we still don't have that fast, explosive WR on the roster that will strike fear in defenses vertically and we have nobody of starting lever calibur at CB2 either. Sure, we have plugged up some holes in FA, but there are still glaring holes on this team that need to be addressed by trade and in the draft.

Maybe it's me just being old school, but I miss LB numbers in the 50's. I know you still see them, but they are not nearly as popular as they once were with players. I mean, 8 will be fine for him, but I am still one of the few that like to see LBs in the 50s, WRs in the 80s, OL in the 60s, DL in the 90s, and CB in the 20s. I will say I don't mind WRs and RBs in the single digits, but it's nice to see a throwback once in a while as well. Like Hoecht taking 55.....perfect.

So they knew this was happening with Hoecht and signed him anyway. They found out that it was happening with Ogunjobi before he signed and they still signed him anyway. Obviously, they really like both players, but this really leaves us short handed for the first 6 games as of now. I think many of us though these signings would keep us away from Edge and DT in the first round anyway, but that isn't the case anymore. I definitely think it is back to being BPA at DT, Edge, and CB. I do wonder if this affects the contracts in any way, especially Ogunjobi who they just found out about.

I'm not going to pretend I have ever seen a snap this guy has played, but the numbers are terrible...... Not sure what this one is about. Our line and even our depth is good and it seems like there are guys on the street that we could bring in as camp bodies that are just as good as this guy. But hey.....whatever. As long as we didn't give him any type of real contract.