Sammy Watkins' Rib

As much as I love Jack Campbell's highlights, I can't see Beane going LB in the first. He just drafted Bernard in the third last year knowing he would likely need an Edmunds replacement in one year. What a blunder that would be.

Bernard is likely the answer. Beane is not a dummy. He used a third round pick on him last year knowing full well there was a very real chance Edmunds would walk the following year, leaving a gaping hole at the position.

Right. But it's funny because fans of those teams will say " but the cap is going up so we are good !" as if it helps and matters.

Free Agent WR???

Among many other picks, I think the Bernard selection will weigh heavy on his success as a GM. It's also why I suspect there is a decent chance that Bernard is the answer, like it or not, to the Edmunds question. Spending a day two pick at LB when at the time of the selection you have to be thinking there is a very real chance you will have a void at MLB the following draft, that player has to be in the plans for starting in year 2.

Everyone always says this. But my view has always been different. It goes up for all teams. Not just the Bills. Meaning no matter how much higher it goes up we maintain the same percentage of available cap space compared to all other teams. Players cost more and Bills get out bid for the ones they can't afford. The agents know the cap goes up so they are going to get more money for their clients.

Josh Allen needs to start throwing to the RB's more. That will really be the element that has him using his legs less. In that regard, I question how many snaps Harris will get in our offense. He's never been a high-volume target back. Is that because he just wasn't given the opportunity or because he doesn't have the skill set? The Patriots always deferred to other backs like Bolden and Stevenson, in the passing game. Singeltary of course was a back that did both for the Bills. Leading the team in rushing attempts and targets from the position. The signing of Harris possibly means a shift into another direction where the Bills will no longer have that bell cow back that leads the team in both rushes and targets. But more likely, it means Cook is the lead back in 2023, being that back who can lead in both rushing attempts and targets while being able to be on the field for all three downs. Harris will be the primary back at the goal line, short yardage sets and two back looks.

I think GB will settle for a 1st this year and two more picks. Some combination of maybe two 3rds. One this year and one next year that becomes a second rounder if Rodgers plays in 2024. Jets really have no choice but to pay whatever GB asks for. I just thinking the asking price from GB comes down eventually. GB is definitely getting a 1st and 3rd at minimum, I think. No rush on GB's part though so might as well as continue to ask for two firsts at least up to the draft. Agreed! Would rather get Sauce Gardner and a 3rd rounder over two 1st rounders bacck from the Jets.

Jack Campbell feels like a lock for the Steelers organization. Would love to make him a Bill though.

Just an epic failure to go RB in back-to-back years in second round and first round. They couldn't pull the trigger on him even if they did love him. They would at minimum have to work out a trade for Cook somehow. I see this first round pick being a WR, LB, or o-lineman with an outside shot of a TE.

More likely that they do not value the position in the first round. I hope that is the case. They just used a second-round pick on James Cook last year. Would be moronic to use a first-round pick on a RB the very next year.

This is an exciting signing? It's a good and fairly expected signing, a back of his size and skill, but I'd be hard pressed to say it's exciting or really moves the needle.

Lol. wow! He looks way smaller on film.

His highlights are incredible. He looks a little small for MLB. As long as he can pass a PED test I think I wouldn't mind taking him at #27.

People that say McKenzie, are you talking as of last Thursday when the OP posted this or the start of last season? I think you have to be using 20/20 hindsight if you think McKenzie should not have been on the 2022 roster. Going into the 2022 season, McKenzie had the following going for him: 1. In very limited reps had stepped up big time in the starting slot receiver role in back-to-back seasons against Miami in 2020 and the Patriots in 2021. Basically, every time he was called on to contribute meaningful snaps, he had passed the test. 2. He was still young and cheap. 3. All reports out of the 2022 training camp were that he was having a great camp. McKenzie, Davis and Knox were all three major breakout candidates going into the 2022 season. None of them broke out unfortunately. To me the big miss last year was keeping Kumerow over Hodges. To make matters worse, I believe Hodges was still on our practice squad when Kumerow went down on IR and we still somehow let Hodges get picked off our practice squad. And this was when we already knew we had lost Crowder for the season and neither Shakir or McKenzie were setting the world on fire. I'm curious who we were protecting over Hodges at that point of the season when both Kumerow and Crowder were out? I'm guessing we were stacking an extra safety or corner over Hodges due to the injuries to Hyde and White?

I agree on your assessment that the Bills are a top team still. The troubling thing is that the number of top teams in increasing exponentially. At the start of the 2021 season, you could say the top teams were the Bills and the Chiefs. That's only two teams. The Bengals improved enough that year that by the end of the 2021 season they had won the conference and also staked claim as one of now three top teams in the AFC. So, to start the 2022 season, we had three top teams. Fast forward to this upcoming season and I think we will end up with 4 or 5 top teams in the conference. Jags, Jets and Dolphins all look like teams fully capable of taking the next step up in 2023. You also have the Chargers who are still talented but still may Charger it up. But if just two of these four teams do take the full step up then we have 5 top teams in the conference. This is why it feels like the Bills have blown their window to make it to the Super Bowl. They still can but the road is getting much more difficult with each passing year. The biggest reason I am down on the Bills is that for two straight seasons they were at one point the conference favorites to make it to the super bowl, held the 1 seed around Halloween and had beaten the Chiefs in KC each of those two seasons. Yet, they managed to not finish the season as the one seed and managed to go backwards in playoff success each of those two seasons. As Bills fans, how are we supposed to take early season success next year if we once again beat KC at KC and have the one seed six or 8 games into the season? On the one hand it would be nice because I am sure there will be more than a few predicting the Bills to not even win the division. But on the other hand, wake me up when the playoffs start and let's see how the team does. Feels like McDermott and Beane's long-term future in Buffalo hinges on what happens in the postseason next year. I also agree that the Bengals are just a bad match up. Bills would have fared better against the Chiefs and I still expect that to be a continued trend. It matters depending on where you are trying to place the blame. Offense, defense or special teams. The WC game against Miami was a lot like the first game against Miami this last season. The defense was put in terrible spots by the offense, but the defense did a good job overall. The offense moved the ball with ease most of the game but made too many critical errors. In all three games last year against the Dolphins you could say the offense moved the ball with ease in all three of them but made too many critical errors in 2 out of the three games. While the defense played well in two out of the three games.

I don't know why but I don't even remember seeing him on the field at all. But I don't doubt that he wasn't ready. The guy I do remember is Jaquan Johnson. Boy did he look bad. Especially in the first Jets game.

I think the OP is more right then wrong. Being a 3rd round pick going into his second year, Bernard simply must get on the field in some capacity. You don't use day two picks on special team only players. As for a decent veteran, I agree but we probably disagree on who fits that description. I'm not seeing a Bobby Wagner or Lavonte David. It's going to be a veteran LB that I have likely never heard of.

While i agree with OP. I think many of us, myself included would be fine with Singletary coming back if the price is right. The problem is the RB position has been devalued so much it just doesn't make sense to pay more than the minimum you can get away with at the position. Singletary deserves to try and get as much as he can while he can on the open market. Even if it is "only" a couple million more than the Bills would offer on a two- or three-year contract, that's still $2 million more at a position that really doesn't make 10's of millions anymore. Got to get what you can when you can.

Lol we appear to be in cap Hell now. for some reason, everyone’s okay with our OC and quarterback, just playing hero ball all the time. let’s run a real offense and utilize all the skill position players. It’s worked pretty well for K.C.

If we end up getting a receiver that can't finish the season and is broken down at the age of 32 while giving up day one or two draft picks.

Or get the RB's and TE's involved in the passing game like a competent OC/QB combo would do. No need for a 1B WR. Knock on wood one of those guys doesn't go down. If we build a passing attack to spread the ball around more, we can manage better through any potential injuries that could come up.

I think it is clear we need to change the X's and O's though. Look at the Chiefs model. They get everyone involved in the passing game. We need to open it up. The Rb's and Knox most importantly need a lot more targets. That will naturally bring Gabe's target percentage down. It will make the Bills a more well rounded team. Everyone is talking about personnel but not talking about how we need to use the personnel. It's like they just want two #1 Wr's and to go target heavy to those guys.

The Packers absolutely have the Jets by the balls. The Jets made the mistake of getting their entire organization and fans amped up for the 2023 season with Aaron Rodgers as their QB. The fact that there are literally no other teams even interested in Rodgers makes it even worst. They can't fall back on, "well we tried but ultimately he wanted be with that other team". Jets have no choice but to trade whatever GB asks for. Their other option is going into the season with that 16 year old kid at QB, or setting themselves even further back by giving up 2 firsts and 200+ million guaranteed to Lamar Jackson and hope he lasts an entire season at least once out of the 5 years they have him.

I don't think they do. I've said it before. Change the X's and O's and not just the Jimmy's and Joe's. Spread the ball around more. Gabe can work as the #2 on the outside. But he should not be 25+ targets ahead of the player with the 3rd most targets on the team. Ideally, Gabe as the starting outside WR will be 3rd or 4th on the team in targets. Knox needs considerably more targets, maybe second on the team. And Shakir should be right around whatever number of targets Gabe gets give or take a few targets. And the RB's need to get a ton more targets in the passing game. Also, I think Shakir is a WR that can split time between both slot and outside if needed. I don't think he is strictly a slot receiver. It might be where he is best suited on our team but he can fill in outside I think.