finn

Bottom line: We need a CB far more desperately than a DT, DE., or WR You could even make an argument for two of the first three picks going to the secondary, it's that thin. Rapp is a placeholder, Bishop is a hope (a good one, I think), and the rest are JAGs. Only Benford is a proven player. Last year's pass rush would have gotten home if we had a stellar secondary. With Hamlin and Douglas? And Elam as CB depth? Even the bawds of euphony would cry out sharply.

That third-round pick would have been more than enough to move up for Cooper DeJean in the second round. Just sayin'.

To be fair, who was available and not too expensive? I guess Beane could have signed Gilmore or Douglas, but I wouldn't have been too happy with either, unless it's too give time for an early-round CB to develop or recover from injury. No, I'm guessing Beane is planning to draft two CBs, one early and one mid-round; plus, he might sign another Dane Jackson type for depth. The big CB question is Benford. Do you really want to make him the highest-paid player on the team outside of Allen? Maybe that's just the market, but Cook isn't going to be happy if that happens, especially if he doesn't get close to the $15 million he has his heart set on. (And that number might have gone up with the new Barkley contract.) Best-case scenario: Beane does it all, with a stud CB and a (rich) Benford joining Bishop, Taron and Rapp, and several quality depth players to complement a pass rush revitalized by Bosa and a stud DE. And on offense, a big fast WR project making just enough of a contribution that, combined with improved play by Coleman, makes the offense still better.

Needless to say, he would not have fit into the Bills culture. I wonder if that was the deal breaker for Beane, especially after just getting rid of Diva Diggs.

You talking about Diggs? 😇

Shades of Thurman Thomas revenge-signing with Miami. Sad.

Still, he's only 25. I guess the hope is that a change of scenery will coincide with or bring out his potential. I wish I could cite precedents, but none come to mind.

People his age, especially men, are often surprisingly immature. They look like adults but have the mind of a 14-year old. Best advice for him would be to keep his mouth shut and let his agent do the talking. Beane said it all when he remarked, "I love James. I know he means well." Translation: "The guy is an idiot, but I'll try not to hold it against him."

The Diggs and Miller moves were both bold, but they didn't take much imagination or shrewdness, which I think Beane lacks, much like McDermott. It would have been bold AND imaginative to move up for Verse, Bowers, or Brian Thomas (finding trade partners aside). I would happily trade Coleman, Bishop, and Carter for any one of these players, just like I would happily trade Kincaid (who also cost a fourth-rounder) and Torrence, two solid players, for Christian Gonzalez, a star. The Bills have one--one!--star. Even if that one star is a supernova, he can't do it all. Beane has ten picks and four pressing needs. If he holds to his past patterns, he'll come away with three or four good players, a few more pretty good ones, and zero blue-chip players. Better to draft one absolute blue-chipper, one very good player, and a few prospects that McDermott can coach up.

If he's as good as people are saying--young, good potential, separation, etc.--why did the Chargers let him go, especially with their thin WR room and this affordable price?

I prefer drafting a WR1. This lineup is heavy on hopes, light on production.

His scouting report suggests he's more of a strong safety, much like Bishops. Rapp, too, is better close to the line of scrimmage. No true free safety on the roster yet. (I'm not going to mention Hamlin, who played so far back he should have been paid as a parking-lot attendant.) Nice depth, if nothing else. I've gotten my hopes up too many times to be more excited than this, most recently with the Mike Edwards and Lewis Cine.

I like the idea of drafting Shavon Revel. He's coming off a September ACL, but he would have been a top-15 pick if healthy. Sign a veteran like Gilmore in case he needs a bit more time to fully recover, and you have a shutdown corner for five years plus. Small risk for a high reward.

It's always a bummer that ending the season with a loss causes us to focus on the negative, because otherwise there were some terrific plays in that game we'd still be talking about, like Cook's TD and Allen's dime to Hollins and the crazy pass to Kincaid with four rushers immediately in his face. Anyway, by now my narrative has hardened into two conclusions: 1. Elam coming in for Benford was a disaster, akin to replacing Bernard with A.J. Klein in the playoff game last year; and 2. the Bills got outcoached, again, by KC on both sides of the ball. Brady deserves a lot of heat for stubbornly sticking the tush push after it was obvious KC had prepared for it all week. Even one play action pass on fourth down may have saved the game. And McDermott was exposed, again, as inadequate. He is just not good enough to compete with his top peers, not when it matters most. What's awful is that replacing McDermott would be extremely risky. It's safer to keep him and what he does well (culture, player development) and build a team strong enough to compensate for his deer-in-the-headlights act in the playoffs. Win despite the head coach, in other words, because you're certainly not going to win because of him. Either that or tell him to step aside in the playoffs and give full control--ALL of it--to his coordinators and game managers.

I'm in the minority here, but I favor picking CB in round one, maybe even moving up to snag the best prospect we can. The Bills may not be able to afford Benford at $30 million/year after this year; plus, one more concussion and his value drops a lot. Consider your starting CBs play every down, while the DTs and DEs rotate, playing 70% of the snaps at the most. Still need quality on the line, but in a deep draft, Beane should pick up good players in the second round. If all goes well, the team will have two shut-down corners this year (and next, if they extend Benford) to go with a rising Bishop, an adequate Rapp, and an Pro-Bowl Taron.