HappyDays

If Brady proves he is close to the offensive genius that is Kyle Shanahan, I agree the group of weapons inherently looks a lot better, especially since we have Allen not Purdy. I'm just not convinced Brady is close to that level. I'll say this though, I have more confidence that Brady - with a full offseason to install his own offense and coming off a couple years of NFL OC experience - will raise his coaching prowess substantially, than I do that say Mack Hollins will suddenly turn into a starting caliber outside WR. But like I said above we are talking about a LOT of best case scenario outcomes that need to come true for this offense to be at a championship level. Something like Brady proves he is a top 5 coach, Kincaid proves capable of being a #1 target, Coleman hits the ground running, Shakir proves he can take on like a 60% increase in his target share with a much smaller relative decrease to his target efficiency, and everyone on the OL stays healthy and plays the best football of their careers. I wish that instead of betting on several best case scenarios we had instead made it the priority of the offseason to over-invest in the offense because throwing a lot of talent at the problem would have been the easiest route to success. As it stands I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a post-6/1 or trade deadline addition of a legit talent. Otherwise the most likely outcome is that the offense is a bit of slog this year, we perform even worse in the playoffs than usual, and we enter 2025 still needing one major investment to take the offense to a championship level.

I'll keep repeating this point until it sinks in - The Chiefs offense was shut out in the 2nd half of the AFCCG and the 1st half of the Super Bowl. This is not something for the Bills to aspire to. We don't have the defensive coaching or personnel to turn that kind of offensive production into a Super Bowl win.

What is happening on this board? Does anyone remember that we had these exact conversations almost word for word last year, when the Bills WRs corps undeniably looked better than it does today? And now we're just going to trudge along pretending those discussions didn't happen and were definitively proven correct on the side of those that thought the group wasn't good enough? Allow me to re-enact the discussion. D̶e̶a̶n̶d̶r̶e̶ H̶o̶p̶k̶i̶n̶s̶ OBJ is washed and we don't need him. T̶r̶e̶n̶t̶ S̶h̶e̶r̶f̶i̶e̶l̶d̶ Mack Hollins is a better WR than people think. D̶e̶o̶n̶t̶e̶ H̶a̶r̶t̶y̶ KJ Hamler is an X-factor if healthy and focused. A̶n̶d̶y̶ I̶s̶a̶b̶e̶l̶l̶a̶ Chase Claypool has been stuck with bad QBs, we can unlock his talent. And don't forget about J̶u̶s̶t̶i̶n̶ S̶h̶o̶r̶t̶e̶r̶ Justin Shorter. And this year we don't even have a true #1 WR we can fall back on. Several best case scenarios regarding player development would have to come to fruition for this offense to even match the talent we had last year, let alone surpass it. The group that wasn't good enough last year is undeniably even worse this year, and the same people that defended it last year are repeating the same arguments from a worse position. Make it stop. Our one hope is that Beane executes a trade for a legitimate outside WR after June 1 or perhaps at the trade deadline. Maybe that's the plan all along. If instead the plan is to re-tool and coast through the year with lowered expectations, they should have at least added two WRs high in the draft. Watching two young studs grow on the field with Allen would have made a down year still exciting to watch, and given us something to really look forward to in 2025. Instead I fear that the regime has learned nothing and will continue surrounding their franchise QB with a just-not-quite-good-enough (or worse) supporting cast.

He wouldn't be behind any of those players IMO. And why did he go to Miami to play behind Hill and Waddle if that's his concern?

Not sure why everyone thinks he is totally washed. It's upsetting that Beane didn't think this type of talent was worth Deonte Harty money when our outside WR depth chart is the worst in the league. I just don't get it.

You thought literally any WR is what people were hoping for? We need a baseline outside starter. Claypool is a longshot reclamation project. He is closer to #90 on the roster than #53. This signing doesn't change anything about our needs, and I think you know that.

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Well the goal isn't to control time of possession in the first half. The goal is to win the game. I'm not convinced the investments this regime has made on offense this offseason are enough to meet that goal. Maybe there is still something coming after June 1. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Not really. We threaded the ball control needle perfectly for a while there but it all fell apart on the final few drives and it required Allen to create magic several times just to keep us in the game. That offense we showed against the Chiefs is not close to a sustainable championship caliber offense.

We have Josh Allen, and the plan is to design an offense built for JJ McCarthy? If that's the plan I don't support it. Build a dominant passing offense capable of steamrolling teams.

The first Miami game last year is a good example of how this team should be built to win. Miami scored two quick TDs to start the game. But we just kept running up the score and eventually their offense becamse one dimensional and couldn't keep up. That's how this team with Josh Allen should be built to win - overwhelm the opponent with explosive offense and let the defense play from a favorable position. Of course in recent years that style of winning has been rare because we haven't had enough offensive talent to steamroll teams like that.

Yes OBJ even at this stage of his career is a better outside WR than anyone on our roster other than maybe Coleman depending on how quickly he gets up to speed. He is the exact type of signing I wanted to see, a baseline floor. Not worried about Miami at all. Their already garbage defense is going to be even worse and Tua is still Tua.

We've had opportunities to add solid veteran outside WR talent this offseason but we've punted on it. Hopefully one of our upside bets pays off and Coleman hits the ground running.

I don't think you bring in Hamler and Claypool if the plan is to say trade for DK Metcalf after June 1. Those aren't just camp bodies IMO, they're bets on upside. Not that I agree with the strategy but that's my guess.

Hmm this is something at least. My worry is that it means the Bills are done with the WR room though. They are seemingly betting on one of Hamler or Claypool to restore their careers here with no backup plan in place.

Unfortunately that is Brandon Beane's fault unless he makes a move after June 1. I'm not going to hold it against Coleman. I don't expect him to be a #1 outside WR on day one. If he is forced into that role we will have to hope he develops quickly. If he has an Eric Moulds or Davante Adams career path no one will be unhappy with that outcome but we won't see the fruits until year three in that scenario.

One option off the board... OBJ is still out there. Maybe a blockbuster trade for Aiyuk or Metcalf. Mack Hollins will not be the #2 outside WR. Mack Hollins will not be the #2 outside WR.

Brandon Beane wakes up in a cold sweat every night thinking about AJ Klein covering Travis Kelce. He can't fall back asleep until he's added another LB to the roster. That's the only explanation.

I'm curious about your thoughts on the Michigan State tape. His contested catch percentage was much better there than it was at FSU. I don't think Coleman regressed so that leads me to believe it was a difference in QB that caused the substantial dip in contested catch percentage. I thought Jordan Travis had very poor ball placement and timing on a lot of those opportunities. In any case I don't like Coleman because of what he's done. I like him because of what I think he will be after NFL coaching and seasoning. All the tools are there, he just needs to learn how to use that size and body control to dominate CBs at the next level.

He can play outside some, just not full time. He is a better outside WR than Shakir for example. But anyways Samuel isn't going to be a traditional WR in our offense, those are the exact words Beane used to decribe him. He's the plus plus version of McKenzie/Harty. And I really liked that signing, I think he gives us a reliable X-factor that we've never had in the Josh Allen era. I'm just not looking at him as more than what he is.

He was a healthy scratch for like five consecutive games last year. I'm struggling to think of a single WR that went from that kind of resume in their 3rd season to finding success elsewhere. I would put him in the same caliber as Justin Shorter. Sure bring him to training camp for a swap of 7th rounders but there would be zero expectation of him giving meaningful contributions to the team. I don't worry about any WR "taking snaps" from someone else on the roster. I just want a good depth chart with a solid floor heading into the season. The snaps and targets will figure themselves out.

Coleman is the one WR I was referring to. He's the only one on the roster that I believe you can plant outside full time and make it work, and depending on who you ask a lot of people don't even think that's true. Samuel is not a full time outside WR. That's what I'm talking about. You need a minimum of two WRs on the roster that can be planted outside full time if for no other reason than to protect against injury if the #1 outside WR gets injured. So right now our only possible starting caliber full time outside WR is a raw rookie, and that's assuming he's immediately good enough to start and not better in the slot like some analysts believe. It's a terrible situation to enter the season with. It's in fact so terrible that I'm going to assume there is a post-6/1 plan in place. There's just no way Mack Hollins is the plan. I won't believe that.

I see this idea a lot but honestly I don't want low probability upside, I want a known floor. Chark or OBJ would suit our needs better IMO. Marshall is someone that a non-contending team should take a shot on.

I hope so. I don't want to believe Mack Hollins/Justin Shorter is the plan. We literally don't have two starting caliber outside WRs on the roster. It feels like DJ Chark or OBJ have to be a post-6/1 signing just so we have a capable starting roster heading into training camp.

Last year it was "we'll have a #2 by committee!" Now it's "we'll have a #1 by committee!" We've gone backwards from an already less than ideal position. So yeah the passing offense is pretty clearly going to take a step back this year. Are we going to produce an elite run game to make up even part of that step back? Is our less experienced defense going to carry the offense the way the Chiefs defense did last season? I just don't see it happening this year. Not unless several best case scenarios regarding player development come to fruition and/or the coaching staff performs a lot better than they have.