GASabresIUFan

He had 100+ carries last year. That isn't a small sample size and considering he did it with the same O Line, running the same playbook, it's a pretty fair comparison.

I like Ty Johnson, but he isn't as good as Cook or Davis. If he was he'd be the starter. He also returned to Buffalo as the 3rd back, instead of getting a better opportunity elsewhere in free agency. Love having Ty on the team, but he isn't Fred Jackson.

He isn’t. His average yards per carry was a yard less than Cook. He also isn’t as fast. He might be a starter on a below average team. He also is the same age as Cook and has less tread on the tire after significantly more carries in college.

I fully agree. Read my earlier post. Jackson’s PFF grade was 33 last season which was 214th of 222 graded CBs. Ingram was better at 58, but that isn’t a starting CB ever. Douglas was 59 I think. Not good either. There has to be someone available in trade or FA that is a better option even if it’s 34 year old Gilmore.

He is the current roster player with the best metrics.

I don’t understand Beane offseason game plan in light of the suspensions. His biggest priority of the offseason should have been finding a starting CB. With Douglas gone and little depth at the position besides a failed 1st rd pick (since traded) and an UDFA (Ingram), the position clearly needed an overhaul after getting demolished in the playoffs. Instead Beane prioritized an injury prone DE, two suspended DL and another middling WR. The only help at CB so far was the return of a former Bill (Jackson) who was awful in Carolina last season. So we are back to hoping a rookie draftee can somehow start with zero depth behind him if it doesn’t work. If (when?) it fails, Beane will find himself again trying to acquire an in season band-aid to fix a hole in his lineup that should have been addressed properly in the offseason for the 3rd season (Douglas and Cooper) in a row. As things currently stand the Bills defense will enter the season arguably in worse shape than it finished last season. I’m not a Beane hater, but his plan and execution this offseason so far have been off the mark. There is still a chance to find a reasonable fix to this mess. It obviously now a priority to draft 2 CBs in April. Regardless of who he drafts, he is going to have to take a chance on a veteran former starter like Gilmore as insurance and mentor.

maybe this means we'll finally get a starting CB

....and his 33 PFF grade (214th out of 222 CBs) last year? By comparison - Gilmore 63.9, Douglas 5.91 (82.2 in 2023), Slay 67.6 (signed a 1 year 10 mill contract with the Steelers), Hilton 75.9. Ingram's grade was 58.6.

As to our current WR room, meh is the description but with upside. I’d like Shakir to run deeper patterns. His air is about 2 yards per catch and that forces him to pick up 1st downs through YAC only. I also think Coleman will be better in year 2. Coleman reminds me of Pittman and he broke out in year 2. I like Palmer and he does get separation. It will be interesting to watch how Brady utilizes him. The one player that still doesn’t fit is Samuel. He has excellent speed, but has been used primarily as a slot receiver. I’d like to see Brady try him as a deep threat in bunch formations. Let’s see if we can something from his contract. Kincaid is much too talented to not have a bounce back year and I expect continued excellent production from the backs. I’d be surprised if the passing game isn’t better this coming season than last.

I posted this list on the Diggs thread, but it also belongs here as the Bills need speed on that outside. I think all these guys will be available to the Bills during the draft. Felton and Williams are ranked way too low imho. Isaiah Bond - 4.39 -- ranked 6th, 2024 production 33-532-5, 5'11 180 Tai Felton - 4.37 -- ranked 18th, 2024 production 96-1124-9, 6'1 183 Kyle Williams - 4.40 -- ranked 21st, 2024 production 70-1198-14, 5'11 190 Arian Smith - 4.36 -- ranked 22nd, 2024 production 48-817-4, 6' 179 Rankings from WalterFootball.com

I have been drafting 2 in every mock draft. The Bills need a starter and depth. If they can get two potential starters so much the better. Remember the depth behind Benford is UDFA Ingram and Dane Jackson who had a PFF grade of 33 (214th of 222 cb) last season.

Apparently their cap hits are only $1 each because of 40 void years.

One week into free agency, I have to say I'm disappointed in Beane off-season so far. I am a fan of the work Beane has done in general, but the re-signing of Dane Jackson and the two PED suspensions have diminished my "grade" for Beane so far. We entered the off-season needing starters at DE, CB, boundary WR and possibly safety. We also needed added depth at S, CB, DT and WR. So were do we stand? 1) Josh Palmer WR - I like Palmer. I think he actually has 800 ytd potential, but he's basically averaged 580 yards the last two season and failed to step up when the opportunity presented itself the last 2 years. He needs to better than he was with the LAC for this to be worth while. Considering the failure with Samuels last season, if Palmer fails to produce Beane is going to rightly get criticized. 2) Joey Bosa DE - This is either going to be a great 1 year signing or a complete bust. Given he has only played 28 of a possible 50 games the last 3 years, there is legit reason to worry. The Hoecht suspension puts even more pressure on this signing to work. Bosa was the Bills best hope to get a FA impact DE without sacrificing the future. 3) Hoecht DE - 6 game suspension for PEDs is a huge blow to our beginning of the season rotation. Beane admitted signing him knowing about the suspension and he gave him a 3 year deal. 4) Ogunjobi DT - key signing to bolster the depth behind Oliver and Jones and he to is suspended for 6 games. Beane again signed him anyway as the available alternatives had dried up. Beane failed on this one. What good is signing a guys for 11 games? By the time he gets to play, Carter and a rookie may have already taken the job. 5) Starting CB - don't have one. Dane Jackson is a depth CB at best. 6) Dane Jackson CB - Jackson returns to do what exactly? He is a huge step down from Douglas and if he ends up starting, Beane has made a vulnerability worse. Jackson's best usage is as a depth CB and injury starter. He wasn't good last season for the worst secondary in football in Carolina. His PFF grade last season was an abysmal 33.8 (214th of 222 CBs). 7) Darrick Forrest S - Another player like Hamlin and Rapp. A sometimes starter, but probably better off being used in a depth role. The return of Hamlin and the Forrest signing basically means the Bills are starting Rapp and then throwing Hamlin, Bishop and Forrest against the wall and see who sticks. For this area to be better Rapp has to stay healthy and Bishop needs to take a big step forward. Forrest's PFF grade was a decent 66.2 compared to Hamlin's 60.2, Rapp's 59 and Bishops' 49.6. The two areas where the Bills defense failed last season were the D Line and secondary and it's hard to argue that either area is improved net of the suspensions to start the season. S is marginally deeper, CB is worse and lacks a legit starter, DE is probably better assuming Bosa can stay healthy, but the DT depth is worse as Ogunjobi had a chance now gone of becoming a starter. Honestly Beane I'm not impressed. Failing so far to secure a reasonable starter at CB is a gapping hole on team hoping to make a Super Bowl run. Maybe has some trick up his sleeve to fix this hole, maybe!

Isaiah Bond - 4.39 -- ranked 6th, 2024 production 33-532-5, 5'11 180 Tai Felton - 4.37 -- ranked 18th, 2024 production 96-1124-9, 6'1 183 Kyle Williams - 4.40 -- ranked 21st, 2024 production 70-1198-14, 5'11 190 Arian Smith - 4.36 -- ranked 22nd, 2024 production 48-817-4, 6' 179 Rankings from WalterFootball.com

I made two trades down and then one trade up. I went from 30 to 32 then to 34, picking picks 96 & 99. I used lower picks to try to balance the trades and limit the number of picks I made to 7. I then traded 56 and 99 to move up to 41. Pick 34 - Derrick Harmon DT Pick 41 - Maxwell Hairston CB Pick 62 - JT Tuimoloau Edge Pick 96 - Isaiah Bond WR Pick 161 - Cobee Bryant CB Pick 169 - Sebastian Castro S Pick 177 - Jamon Dumas-Johnson LB Added talent on all levels of the defense including a CB with great speed who could push to start. Bond fell to 96 (which is unlikely to happen in a real draft but...) and had to be chosen.