BigAl2526

I think Josh Allen's golf game is about where his football game was when he arrived in Wyoming. Lots of raw talent, not much polish.

I don't think the regime that drafted Watkins placed as much emphasis on attitude, football intelligence etc. as McBeane does. They looked for physical talent that Watkins has in abundance. I don't wish ill for Watkins now. Hopefully, he has gained some in the mental aspect of the game and can salvage what's left of his career. With Aaron Rodgers as his QB in Green Bay, he has a chance to do some good things this year. At 29, he could have some good years left in him.

Tanner Owen is the other UDFA offensive lineman that I like. Kerstetter had more reps in the bench press, (225 lbs,) but Owen has longer arms. He's tough and durable. Like Kerstetter, he won't make the 53 man roster, but if the Bills think highly enough of him they could stick him on the PS. I think the difference between Owen and Kerstetter is that Owen's best spot on the line might be at tackle, specifically left tackle where he mostly played in college. Kerstetter has played right tackle, but I think he's a little more natural on the inside, maybe center, eventually.

Tommy Doyle will compete to be a swing tackle. He's taken some snaps on the interior of the line, but at 6'8" not too many people think his future is anywhere but at tackle. He's got some athleticism in addition to his size, but he'll be competing against experience in Quessenberry. I think he make the roster, but he may not be the first guy in if Dawkins or Brown gets hurt.

We all know his story. Undrafted free agent out of Penn State who stuck on Buffalo's practice squad because of his athleticism and versatility until he developed, finally gaining a starting guard job later in the season last year and improving the offensive line by his presence. Buffalo looks for players like that, young free agents with athleticism, potential and great attitude that they can develop for the future. The reason is obvious. You can't draft enough players to fill every role you need filled, and quality veteran free agents are too expensive to sign more than a limited number. The Bills have signed a young undrafted free agent who may be able to follow a similar path to the one Ryan Bates has followed. He is Derek Kerstetter, an offensive lineman out of Texas. He played every position on the offensive line at Texas except left tackle, starting a decent number of games. He tested well at his pro day with good strength and athleticism. He's tall enough at 6'5" and has long enough arms for the tackle position but he's not so tall that it's hard for him to get low on the inside. He's got deficiencies in his game that will keep him from winning a roster spot this season, but there is some potential to develop. Nice article in Buffalo Rumblings https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2022/7/9/23196554/90-buffalo-bills-players-in-90-days-tackle-derek-kerstetter

Fortunately, Josh Allen does not seem like the kind of player to let those kinds of accolades go to his head. He seems to understand that his skill set and measurables only matter if they translate to what he does on the field. To get better takes hard work whether you're the most talented player in league or you're just average.

I like the addition of Kair Elam to the Bills' defensive backfield. He has the best speed and length of all the Bills' defensive backs, except maybe Nick McCloud. He's had some lapses in his on field work at Florida, but Buffalo is good at coaching up their young DBs. If Elam can develop to his potential, they Bills might be better able to match up with big athletic receivers like DK Metcalf than they have in the past. That has been a hole in the Bills' defense for a while. But, of course, that's why they drafted him.

I don't have near the issue with Tremaine Edmunds that many poster/Bills fans do. No, he's not the super linebacker that Luke Keukly was for Sean McDermott in Carolina's defense. Still, he provides excellent pass coverage in the short zone, and with him in the middle, the Bills were statistically the top defense in the league last season. I think with the improvements that Buffalo has made on the defensive line, Edmunds will be benefited in other areas of his game.

This. Time away from football has to play a huge role in Kaepernick's current lack of readiness to play. I doubt any team is going to want to carry him for the year or three it could take to get him ready to play.

Josh, Fitzpatrick and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) I think she would fit well with Josh.

Please let training camp start tomorrow!

I agree that Rob Johnson was a traits guy, but I also think that his development was poorly handled by the Buffalo coaching staff at the time. There is no way to know whether or not he might have developed into something more. At this point inn history, it's water long under the bridge. I don't worry about it any more.

Nothing can change the fact that it is also the most boring month of the season for fans. No practices that media can observe and report on. Few if any high profile free agents that teams are likely to sign. As you note, Chandler, most of the small potential for news in this four weeks is for bad news: driving while impaired, assault, domestic violence, substance abuse. And as you also note, that potential is especially small for the high character Bills.

Agreed. Buffalo has explosive players all over the offense, and there's just no way Shakir is going to get enough touches to get 1200 or more yards. It's the established star veterans like Diggs, Davis, Knox are the guys Allen is going to look to first. Diggs and Davis are going to get much bigger numbers than Shakir. Even Knox as a tight end might have more. As you note, a maturing Josh Allen, who can read defenses quickly will have more options to find the open receiver when he has more weapons who can consistently get open, but the established guys already do a pretty good job of getting open.

If that's what happens, I hope they decide early on who they are going to keep. If it is Araiza, he's going to need as much practice as he can get on his holding.

I think the writer may mean "different" from what other running backs for the Bills have displayed in similar situations.

I wouldn't rule it out. Robinson is a consensus first round pick, unlike Achane. Some observers think he's a top 10 pick. If Robinson lasts 'til the end of the first round, it would be hard to argue against him as the BPA.

A couple sources rate him a first round pick. Most rate him going in the second or third round. He's fast but undersized. He's likely to fill the same role as James Cook is projected to fill. He's a little faster than Cook, but Cook has enough speed to stay ahead of most DBs once he gets deep. Cook is rated a good blocker and has elite receiving skills. Achane is regarded as a poor blocker. NFLDraftBuzz projects Achane to run a 4.4 40. Cook ran a 4.42 at the combine. He's two inches taller and 5 lbs heavier. If the Bills draft any RB in the 2023 draft, it's far more likely to be a day three pick that weighs 215 or better and is known for short yardage power.

Well, I did say "may not" and not "won't." A lot depends on training camp. Obviously, Morse is entrenched as the starter at center. Most of us assume that Ryan Bates and Saffold are the most likely starters. There are a bunch of potential backups. Boettger and Ford both have started at guard for the Bills. As you mentioned, there is Mancz, who can swing to center too. I won't name the other guard prospect(s) who are long shots to make the team. Quessenberry is another issue. Doyle is the youngster, but I think he grew up a lot last season. He has further to go, but his youth and reasonable contract are in his favor. I don't think Quessenberry is a lock to be the swing tackle. If Doyle ends up being the guy, Quessenberry could shift to an interior backup who can also play tackle. If hypothetically neither Mancz nor Van Roten stick, the Bills have dealt with a situation like that before. Feliciano for a time started at guard and backed up Morse, shifting inside when needed. I will assume the starters end up being Dawkins, Saffold, Morse, Bates and Brown. I think most likely the Bills will carry four more offensive linemen. I think Quessenberry is close to a lock. I think the Bills like Doyle enough to keep him. I think the Bills will likely keep one of the younger possibilities, either Ford or Boettger. Who knows if Ford might turn the corner and thrive under Kromer. Both Mancz and Van Roten are 30+ versus 25 and 27 for Ford and Boettger. Maybe the Bills will favor experience over youth and favorable contract for both their interior backups. I'm just guessing they might want a little of each.

Improves depth at the bottom of the roster. He may not make the roster and he almost certainly will never see the field, but in the case of a disaster of multiple injuries, he's better than Ulmer, whose roster spot he fills.

This might be a case of a kid with some upside who never gets a chance on his first team because there are too many guys ahead of him who are more proven and developed. Or he may just not have "it." This year is probably make or break for him with the Bills, and there are lots of quality players in front of him. My guess is he'll probably not make the team and will try to get on another team's practice squad that is thinner at WR than the Bills, Then he'll hope for an injury to give him a chance to show what he can do on game day.

It would be difficult for James Cook to be recognized as top ten in the league. He's on the light side to ever be considered a bell cow back. His skill set is such that he's likely always to be considered a rotational back who is normally on the field in obvious passing situations.

Obviously, he tested terribly. I think I recall reading something to the effect that he was under the weather when he tested. If that's true, maybe he's not as bad as he looks athletically, but unless he's a whole lot better, he probably doesn't have much of a chance to make the roster, and he's certainly not going to beat out OJ Howard, to say nothing of Dawson Knox.

He was a fringe player given little chance of even making the practice squad. Whether it was Ulmer who saw the handwriting on the wall or the Bills, it was a given that it was only a matter of time before he was gone anyway.

People have an enormous capacity to see reality and then skew it in their own minds so it means whatever they want it to mean. Self awareness and the ability to appreciate reality for what it is is a rare commodity. The New England Patriots were dominant in the division for a long time, coinciding with Tom Brady's tenure as QB. We can imagine all we want what it might be like to face the Patriots now with the current Tom Brady still starting, but nobody can actually know what the result would be, Patriot fan or Bills fan. What we do know is that last season, Buffalo was dominant against New England and New England's defense could not stop a Josh Allen led Bills offense. There is no particular reason to think that this season will be a whole lot different. The Bills are the current betting favorite to win the Super Bowl. I sort of think that makes them relevant in the world of American football at least. Meanwhile, Patriot fans are left with wondering what if.