Logic

Between his injury, Kincaid being integrated into the offense, and the change in OCs, I'm willing to give Knox the benefit of the doubt a bit, especially after he had put up back to back 500+ yard seasons. His average receiving yardage over his five year career, including last year, is 393 yards per season. If you take out last season, which seemed like a bit of an anomaly, you get 445 yards per season. So split the difference between those and you get about 420 yards. I think that, say, 300-400 yards and 5 TDs as the TE2 would be a reasonable expectation, and one that would certainly help the offense. Yes, Kincaid will eat into his targets and production, but then again, a lot of targets were vacated by Diggs and Davis, so it probably evens out. I will leave it for other people to debate whether 300-400 yards and 5 TDs, quality blocking, and valuable depth are worth the money Knox is getting paid. I'm not really interested in that discussion. It's not my money, the guy already took a paycut, and the Bills are allocating relatively little to the position overall in 2024.

With the dearth of quality receivers on this roster, I sure hope the answer to the question of "what will happen with Knox?" is "he'll play a lot and be a productive target for Josh Allen". To quote the inimitable Brandon Beane: "Let's don't forget we can throw it to tight ends and running backs, too".

Oh. See, for me, that's the only redeeming quality of the matchup. Do I want to look at Andy Reid's walrus mustache? Pat Mahomes' dumb brother? Tony Romo? A bunch of Chiefs fans chopping at the air like a racist cartoon? No. No I do not. I should BE so lucky as to be shown a beautiful smiling pop star instead.

I'll be rooting for a 0-0 tie and a lackluster food catering service for both teams.

Thanks for that post. From the perspective of the scouting report "strengths" and "weaknesses" and the overall comparison of their physical traits, I definitely see where you're coming from. The one thing I'd caution with that comparison is that Mike Evans was A LOT more productive in college. Mike Evans posted 1,105 yards and 5 TDs as a freshman (!), then followed it up with 1,394 yards and 12 TDs as a sophomore. Coleman, meanwhile, posted 50 yards and 1 TD as a freshman, then followed it up with 798 yards and 7 TDs as a sophomore. He never topped 798 yards in a college season. So a big part of the thing that makes me nervous about Coleman is that he never really proved he could be truly dominant at the college level. It's hard, therefore, for me to predict that he'll be able to do it in the pros, where the level of competition goes up significantly. Evans, meanwhile, dominated his entire college career. Obviously, the job of NFL scouts is to find projectable traits and to look into the future a bit. Also, clearly, Beane and his crew feel confident in their ability to take physically gifted guys with limited college production and coach them up. Josh Allen says hi. Still...given Coleman's relative lack of college production, it's hard for me to bite particularly hard on that comparison.

Some people just like to be up on the cross, bitchin and a'moanin', no matter what.

The technology being used to upscale old videos these days is pretty cool. That's why this video looks so clear. I've seen some old concert footage from the 60s and 70s put through the same kind of process, and it comes out looking remarkably good. Kind of boggles the mind to think that you can actually improve the visuals of an already-filmed thing from 40+ years ago. Like...how do you just MAKE something be higher definition? It's wild.

He already did.

I believe the Bills are the first team to hire a former NFL official in this capacity. Interesting. Maybe it'll start a trend.

Sure, but it also seemed reasonable to suspect that Beane was going to use his bevy of 2024 draft picks to move up the board a few times, and it didn't happen. In fact, I'd say most would've agreed that it seemed MORE likely that Beane would use those extra picks to trade up than it was that he'd stand pat and use all the picks, but stand pat he did. It's possible Beane just acquired the 2025 picks because he sees that the team needs to get younger and cheaper, and draft picks are the best way to do that. It's possible that it's just that simple, and that the thought "I'll use these as trade ammunition!" is not part of his thinking.

The crazy thing is that it seemed like everyone was in agreement at the end of last season that the Bills needed to put more weapons around Josh Allen. Fans, play-by-play guys, analysts, Bills beat reporters, national reporters, everyone. We could all see that "Josh is asked to do too much" had been an ongoing problem for two seasons. Even those of us who were slowest and most hesitant to reach this conclusion (a group in which I somewhat include myself) could finally see and agree with what seemed obvious: the Bills needed to get better at WR and surround Josh Allen with more talent. And then what happened? Diggs got traded, Davis walked, and the Bills did nothing but add an average wide receiver and a bunch of also-ran JAGs in free agency and draft a guy in round two. That's it. They didn't double down on receiver in a loaded class, they didn't trade for one of the many veterans available, they didn't trade up for a slam dunk WR1 type. And at the end of the day, they appear to be entering 2024 with LESS talent around Josh Allen. They not only didn't IMPROVE the talent level around him, they actively got WORSE! And yet somehow, invariably, many Bills fans seem okay with it. They seem to have developed amnesia about the conclusion (Josh needs weapons) with which we all agreed when the offseason began. They seem pathologically unwilling and/or unable to admit that the Bills seem to ONCE AGAIN be planning to ask Josh to carry the team on his back with a below average WR corps. It is deja vu all over again. It's like this front office never learns. It's absolutely maddening.

Since...always? I'm not talking about what I would LIKE to see happen. I've already state 7 billion times I want another receiver. I'm talking about what I think WILL happen. Beane's a pretty honest guy. If a trade was realistically on the table, he'd give his usual vague "look, I won't rule anything out, if it improves the Bills, I'll do it". But he didn't even say THAT. He said "there is no trade for a receiver coming" and "we're happy with the WR room, we feel we're in good shape there". I know that when things Beane says don't match with what people WANT to see happen, the first reaction is to say "It's a smokescreen! GMs lie!", but...Beane has proven to be a pretty honest, pretty straight shooting guy. The reason we all have a lingering feeling of wanting the Bills to trade for a WR is because we can see that they haven't done enough at the position. Unfortunately, I don't think they agree, and I don't think it's gonna happen. I'll be thrilled to be wrong, but I doubt I am.

To be fair...I wanted Franklin or Baker (or literally any other receiver) over a depth DT, too....but I still don't see where a John McCargo comparison comes into play for DeWayne Carter.

In the sense that they both play defensive tackle, sure. In every other conceivable way....not so much. May I ask what it is about him that reminds you of John McCargo? I'm very curious.

Except for Beane saying "there is no trade for a receiver forthcoming" and "We like our room. We're in good shape there". They drafted a wide receiver, signed five of them, then added two more in UDFA. To me, all signs point to them being done adding to the WR unit for 2024.

Yep. Adding a viable number one would make the whole WR corps look much better. Coleman looks more capable of being a quality WR2 than he does of being THE GUY. Shakir looks to be a viable slot WR and third option. Samuel would be an amazing WR4, move player, and depth at all three of the top spots. Mack Hollins WR5 and primarily special teams. The WR corps is actually set up quite well to be the supporting unit to a legitimate WR1 -- the Bills just don't appear to have one on the roster.

The issue with is that I think the Bills went young and cheap at WR on purpose. I'm not so sure they're eager to turn around and hand out the type of contract that an Aiyuk or Metcalf will command. Furthermore, I don't think the 49ers will actually move Aiyuk, or that the Seahawks will actually move Metcalf. I find it much more likely that those teams move Samuel and Lockett, respectively, and then re-sign the younger guys. A cheaper veteran stopgap like Lockett or Hopkins seem more likely for me as something the Bills would pursue. Ultimately, I don't think a bigger WR investment will come until NEXT offseason, at which time I can see them being more willing (and able) to pay up for a dynamic WR or two.

If the compensation required is not too high, I'd say DeAndre Hopkins. He can be the immediate starting X, allowing Coleman to work in more gradually without needing to be THE GUY from day one. It would also allow Coleman to play more of the move/big slot position that he seems better suited for. You can still bring Coleman along at X behind Hopkins, but also still get him on the field in other ways. Hopkins would be an excellent example for Coleman to learn from, in terms of how to win in the NFL as a bigger bodied guy without elite speed. That said, my top choice would still be "buy a time machine, go back and trade for Diontae Johnson or Jerry Jeudy, and/or go back to the draft, and take Franklin, Walker, Baker, or Washington in the middle rounds". Time machine preference not withstanding, the Bills still need help at WR.

Frank Gore Jr is a small human being. I mean, he's not really, I guess. 5'10" 201 lbs is fine for a running back. He sure LOOKS small out there for some reason though. I refuse to completely write off anyone with those bloodlines, however.

It seems to me like they took the guy most well suited to be a starting running back in the NFL. The most well rounded skillset. Whereas Jaylen Wright or Isaac Guerendo may have offered more explosiveness, Will Shipley or Dylan Laube may have offered more in the passing game, Braelon Allen or Audric Estime may have offered more power, etc....Davis seemed to have the best blend of vision, speed, quicks, power, receiving ability, etc. I realize the Bills don't actually need a starting running back, but Davis seems to have the ability to be one. On top of all that, I think his leadership, maturity, and the edge he plays with were all big selling points for Beane. He mentions specifically in the Embedded video that they were looking to add "leadership and dogs with edge", something like that. That's Ray Davis. I think he'll be a good 1B to Cook's 1A. And if he winds up being a better pass blocker than Cook (a low bar to clear)....look out.

What Buffalo_Stampede said. Especially the injury part. Elam had one bad wheel all of last season. Torn ligament in his foot. Hard to play corner effectively with that type of injury. I think the fact that the Bills didn't spend a draft pick on a corner (other than the returner they took in round 6) or bring in a viable free agent tells us that they're gonna give Elam one more season to make a go of it. He came on well at the end of his rookie season, then was having a good camp until he tore his ligament. From a distance, I can see why someone would already have written Elam off, but I don't believe the Bills have done so.

I would not trade Elam for Burks, but I WOULD trade a late round pick for Burks. I'm not ready to give up on Elam. I would be more than happy to take a flyer on the talent that made Burks a 1st round pick. I think the Titans set him up to fail, to some degree, plus he's struggled with health. If he's fully healthy, I think he could benefit from a fresh start, and I could see him thriving here if used situationally as a big slot and with some schemed up looks like he had in college. No to the Elam trade, Yes to Burks.

Seeing Pearl Jam on Friday night. It'll be about my 10th time seeing them. I have General Admission Pit tickets, and I will be getting in line for the show early enough in the day to hopefully be in the front row. I was in the front row for a Pearl Jam show only once before, and on that occasion, Eddie Vedder poured some of his wine into my cup during a solo break on the song Porch, and I got one of Mike McCready's guitar picks. It's gonna be hard to top that experience, but...I can't wait for this show. Absolutely can't wait. PJ always, always, always puts on an excellent show.

I can only speak for myself here, and say that I think the dropoff in talent level from 4th round running backs to 5th through 7th running back talent seems minimal. So if you're not taking a running back until day three anyway, I'd rather wait until that cluster of later picks we had, and instead use the 4th on a position that doesn't have the same kind of last-few-rounds success that RB seems to potentially offer. So as it relates to the 2024 draft, there were guys left in the 4th that I felt would've presented better positional value. CB TJ Tampa S Jaden Hicks (potentially a starting level player) WR Malik Washington WR Jacob Cowing ...to name a few. RBs like Kimani Vidal and Dylan Laube were still available into the 6th round. Basically, I feel the chance at finding a good safety or WR in the 4th and then still being able to find a capable RB2 in the 6th seems better than the chances of being able to find a good safety or WR in the 6th because we spent our 4th on a running back. Obviously, the Bills disagreed. Beane has used a 2nd, two 3rds, and a 4th on running backs in the past few seasons. Clearly he values the position more than me.

I think you're kind of overlooking the vast amount of experience and leadership and production they lost. Jordan Poyer, Micah Hyde, and Stefon Diggs were each All-Pros. You don't typically lose three All-Pros and not miss a beat, even if two of them were a bit past their prime. Mitch Morse was a very good center and a leader on this team, and he's gone, too. The Bills' leading sack producer from last season, Leonard Floyd, is gone. Between Diggs and Davis leaving, over 250 targets in the passing game were vacated. I'm really not sure how anyone can say with a straight face that the Bills are in a better position -- or, as you say "much better" position -- than they were last year. If you go position group for position group and ask whether they're better, worse, or the same, you won't come up with many (any?) "betters", but you'll find a few "worses". I'm just not sure how anyone can say they look to have improved as things stand now. COULD they be better? Sure. But on paper, it sure doesn't look that way.