Rocky Landing Posted February 14, 2015 Posted February 14, 2015 Who will be our tight ends for 2015? I have read several posters comment that we should be going after some of the free agency stand-outs: Gresham, Cameron, Thomas. But, do we need a significant upgrade at this position? Scott Chandler. What is it about this guy? He seems like such a quintessential Bill. Chandler's YAC seem to be predicated by which direction he falls over. A girl scout could tackle him. But, he led the team in receiving yards in EJ's first year, beating out Stevie Johnson. And, at 6'7", he remains a (relatively, by Bills' standards) consistent red zone target, and short yardage target. Just don't throw to him behind the line of scrimmage. Lee Smith. As a FA this year, I have to believe he will walk. Marqueis Gray. Like a lot of people, when he showed up late in the season, I had no idea who he was. But, with the few touches that he had, and considering the limited experience with the team, he had an immediate impact. I suspect that we will see a lot of him in 2015. My hope/prediction: We keep Chandler, and Gray. Gray becomes our go-to TE. We pick up a third in FA with good market value, and prototypical size. Anthony McCoy from Seattle? Matt Spaeth from Pittsburg? I'm very interested in TBD's opinions on this.
Kirby Jackson Posted February 14, 2015 Posted February 14, 2015 Greg Roman said in his press conference that you would see the Bills put a big emphasis on the TE position this offseason (don't remember the exact quote). They wanted to upgrade last year but couldn't. Chandler and fake Sammy will be on the roster but there will be a new #1. If I had to guess I would guess Jordan Cameron but the kid from Minnesota is another possibility.
San-O Posted February 14, 2015 Posted February 14, 2015 47 receptions and 3 TD? Definite upgrade time. http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/stats/_/id/10572/scott-chandler
Captain_Quint Posted February 14, 2015 Posted February 14, 2015 My guess is Gresham if they really want to upgrade the position. He's the most well rounded in the top tier of FA TE's, in my opinion. He's a solid blocker in the run game (which will be important to this coaching staff) and runs decent routes for a big man.
Rocky Landing Posted February 14, 2015 Author Posted February 14, 2015 47 receptions and 3 TD? Definite upgrade time. http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/stats/_/id/10572/scott-chandler My guess is Gresham if they really want to upgrade the position. He's the most well rounded in the top tier of FA TE's, in my opinion. He's a solid blocker in the run game (which will be important to this coaching staff) and runs decent routes for a big man. My belief is that we have already upgraded with Marqueis Gray. I think he's going to be a stud. Maybe that's just wishful thinking, but I don't think we need to go after top talent at this position. If we do, I would think that Gresham should be the first choice. Greg Roman said in his press conference that you would see the Bills put a big emphasis on the TE position this offseason (don't remember the exact quote). They wanted to upgrade last year but couldn't. Chandler and fake Sammy will be on the roster but there will be a new #1. If I had to guess I would guess Jordan Cameron but the kid from Minnesota is another possibility. Did that quote exclude the possibility that we would focus on the talent that we have? Was he suggesting that we would reach outside of the organization, or could he have been talking about scheme? I feel like we could inject a lot more Gray into the playbook. Maybe it's just me, but I saw a lot of potential in the few touches he had at the end of the season.
YoloinOhio Posted February 14, 2015 Posted February 14, 2015 (edited) I'm not being a homer really but if Williams is gone, I would wait until the 5th and pick up Huermann from OSU. He has virtually no stats from 2014 due to injury and Urban's offense but I think he will be a really good pro and a steal late if he drops that far, which I think he could. He's a great blocker, great size, athleticism, and hands and super clean off field. Edited February 14, 2015 by YoloinOhio
Dragonborn10 Posted February 14, 2015 Posted February 14, 2015 1. Jordan Cameron 2. Juluis Thomas Give either lots of money. Chandler is below average but serviceable. I think they will keep an extra OT and play him at TE in a three tackle formation like the Pats did.
Rocky Landing Posted February 14, 2015 Author Posted February 14, 2015 1. Jordan Cameron 2. Juluis Thomas Give either lots of money. Chandler is below average but serviceable. I think they will keep an extra OT and play him at TE in a three tackle formation like the Pats did. I'm not convinced Thomas is worth the money he will attract. I think he benefitted greatly from being a Bronco under Manning, and he is certainly getting a lot of press as a result. I think a lot of teams are going to pursue him, and whoever gets him will likely have overpaid, IMO. I don't think he would be as big an upgrade over what we already have for what he will cost. Didn't he drop a lot of passes?
Uffalo Ills Posted February 14, 2015 Posted February 14, 2015 Jordan Cameron is my choice. Dont Draft a TE, the draft has some good options, but we have a limited number of picks which could be better spent on things we cant solve as well through free agency
NoSaint Posted February 14, 2015 Posted February 14, 2015 My belief is that we have already upgraded with Marqueis Gray. I think he's going to be a stud. Maybe that's just wishful thinking, but I don't think we need to go after top talent at this position. If we do, I would think that Gresham should be the first choice. Did that quote exclude the possibility that we would focus on the talent that we have? Was he suggesting that we would reach outside of the organization, or could he have been talking about scheme? I feel like we could inject a lot more Gray into the playbook. Maybe it's just me, but I saw a lot of potential in the few touches he had at the end of the season. Outside 2 well designed plays what did he show you as far as being "the guy"?
Rocky Landing Posted February 14, 2015 Author Posted February 14, 2015 Outside 2 well designed plays what did he show you as far as being "the guy"? It's really just intuitive (wishful thinking?) on my part. But, it seemed to me at the time, having been so new to the team, and in such a dysfunctional offense with a mediocre QB, and crappy O-line, that Gray performed remarkably well in his situation. Good hands, strong, fast, good blocking, caught passes in stride without taking his eyes off the ball, and fought for extra yards. And, if I remember some of those "well designed plays," (I feel like I do), he ran precise routes, and turned at exactly the right time, and got himself wide open-- made it look easy, as they say. A well designed play only looks well-designed when it is executed properly. I also like his story. He's played a lot of different positions in his short career, including WR, FB, and QB. In my opinion, TE is something of an all-purpose position, with blocking, running, and receiving, and therefore requires a high degree of "football intelligence." Forgive me for using a punditry cliche', but I think it applies to him. But, it seems that with his career in Buffalo being so short up until now, that he has been all but forgotten in conversations here in the offseason. And, at the moment, Chandler is "the guy." From the little we've seen, Gray appears to be head and shoulders above Chandler, albeit three inches shorter.
#34fan Posted February 15, 2015 Posted February 15, 2015 Don't sleep on Virgil Green. Always wanted him to be a Bill.... Good Blocker.... Great hands.... Would LOVE to have him, Kaepernick, and Rishard Matthews together again... A Nevada wolfpack reunion!
Miyagi-Do Karate Posted February 15, 2015 Posted February 15, 2015 Greg Roman said in his press conference that you would see the Bills put a big emphasis on the TE position this offseason (don't remember the exact quote). They wanted to upgrade last year but couldn't. Chandler and fake Sammy will be on the roster but there will be a new #1. If I had to guess I would guess Jordan Cameron but the kid from Minnesota is another possibility. I prefer to call him "big Sammy" rather than "fake Sammy"-- but both are acceptable.
....lybob Posted February 15, 2015 Posted February 15, 2015 Always wanted him to be a Bill.... Good Blocker.... Great hands.... Would LOVE to have him, Kaepernick, and Rishard Matthews together again... A Nevada wolfpack reunion! The key thing is he has become a good blocker much better than Chandler, which is funny because out of college he was a pass catcher with good speed and considered a blocking liability
#34fan Posted February 15, 2015 Posted February 15, 2015 The key thing is he has become a good blocker much better than Chandler, which is funny because out of college he was a pass catcher with good speed and considered a blocking liability I've seen him stick people real good for Manning... maybe too much firepower on that offense for him to be worked in.
Maury Ballstein Posted February 15, 2015 Posted February 15, 2015 Don't sleep on Virgil Green 1 TD in 4 years ? Who isn't sleeping on Virgil Green ?
Buffalo Barbarian Posted February 15, 2015 Posted February 15, 2015 Who will be our tight ends for 2015? I have read several posters comment that we should be going after some of the free agency stand-outs: Gresham, Cameron, Thomas. But, do we need a significant upgrade at this position? Scott Chandler. What is it about this guy? He seems like such a quintessential Bill. Chandler's YAC seem to be predicated by which direction he falls over. A girl scout could tackle him. But, he led the team in receiving yards in EJ's first year, beating out Stevie Johnson. And, at 6'7", he remains a (relatively, by Bills' standards) consistent red zone target, and short yardage target. Just don't throw to him behind the line of scrimmage. Lee Smith. As a FA this year, I have to believe he will walk. Marqueis Gray. Like a lot of people, when he showed up late in the season, I had no idea who he was. But, with the few touches that he had, and considering the limited experience with the team, he had an immediate impact. I suspect that we will see a lot of him in 2015. My hope/prediction: We keep Chandler, and Gray. Gray becomes our go-to TE. We pick up a third in FA with good market value, and prototypical size. Anthony McCoy from Seattle? Matt Spaeth from Pittsburg? I'm very interested in TBD's opinions on this. Lee Smith!!!! Chandler Gray Cameron
NastyNateSoldiers Posted February 15, 2015 Posted February 15, 2015 I can see Marquise Gray sticking with the Bills and Greg Roman using him in the Delanie Walker role. Gray is a Walker clone they both have the same body type and speed. Look to see MG lined up everywhere in the bkfield, Slot and on the LOS. MG was a great pick up at the end of last yr and I'm thinking he's gonna flourish in Romans scheme. Look for the Bills to still add another TE in the draft and free agency and maybe via trade Vernon Davis is in the last yr of his deal maybe the 9ers will entertain a trade scenario. Looking forward I would like to see the Bills take a TE in the 3rd round maybe Walford or Funchness and add a guy like Gresham or Lance Kendricks via free agency. Over paying for injury prone players like JC or JT might not be the best move considering the money there looking for and the fact that these guys have both missed a lot of time recently due to injury.
Nanker Posted February 15, 2015 Posted February 15, 2015 http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/free-agents/tight-end/ According to that source these are the TEs available this year that are under 30 yrs old and don't play for The Bills. Except as noted on the list, they are UFAs. Jermaine Gresham Jacob Tamme Robert Housler Jordan Cameron Charles Clay Anthony McCoy Lance Kendricks Luke Stocker Julius Thomas Niles Paul Virgil Green Davis Ausberry Ed Dickson Garrett Celek * RFA Bear Pascoe Michael Palmer Larry Donnell * ERFA Chase Coffman Brian Leonhardt * ERFA Demetrius Harris * ERFA Andre Smith * RFA Fendi Onobun Tony Moeaki Brett Brackett Richard Gordon Kellen Davis Phillip Supernaw * ERFA Brian Linthicum * RFA Aron White * RFA Collin Franklin * RFA
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