John from Riverside Posted May 15, 2016 Posted May 15, 2016 I'm from Cleveland and live in Buffalo so I root for both the Browns and Bills. I've seen Dray play for the Browns. He's serviceable, but that's pretty much it. The OP is correct. The TE position is very, very thin after Clay and it is something to be worried about - especially since the WR corps is so thin after Watkins and Woods. I'm not sure who the 4th WR/TE option is after those three. And what percentage of time do you want a FB on the field where you wouldn't need one? There's got to be someone else you can depend on and I don't know who that's going to be. I'm not even getting into the situation the Bills would be in if, God forbid, one of Watkins/Woods/Clay were to down with injury. I'm really hoping they get some help somehow, someway before the season starts. We went into last season with the EXACT same problem Guys got hurt at offensive positions We did not have depth at certain positions The offense still improved For some reason people just cant seem to understand that your not going to be 3 deep at every position on a football team i really wanted hunter henry. most ncaa TE's take 2-3 years to catch on to the nfl level. he would have been perfect as clay was on the backend of his career with buffalo. Too bad he went in the 2nd round and we needed linebackers
sodbuster Posted May 15, 2016 Posted May 15, 2016 I'm hoping Gragg shows just a little more improvement. He has had a couple of nice plays so far, so he might become an adequate TE. If Dray makes any sort of plays this year whatsoever, there is a ton of potential with "Dr. Dray" references.Does he even have his PhD?
The Big Cat Posted May 16, 2016 Posted May 16, 2016 Why would any of this be cause for concern? What is an achievable state that we're falling short of?
Kirby Jackson Posted May 16, 2016 Posted May 16, 2016 We have a really good TE. He's quite possibly the best TE that the Bills have ever had. The tallest midget if you will. With that being said, they are extremely thin behind him. If Clay ever gets hurt I really don't know what the plan will be.
The Big Cat Posted May 16, 2016 Posted May 16, 2016 We have a really good TE. He's quite possibly the best TE that the Bills have ever had. The tallest midget if you will. With that being said, they are extremely thin behind him. If Clay ever gets hurt I really don't know what the plan will be. And what I want to know is how many of the 31 other teams have the luxury of a lateral move from a TE like Clay to whomever their backup is.
#34fan Posted May 16, 2016 Posted May 16, 2016 (edited) Why would any of this be cause for concern? What is an achievable state that we're falling short of? You'd think we'd learn after how many years of being CLOBBERED by the same QB-TE combo... This is a weapon we need ito develop in order to stay competitive within our division... It's not negotiable. Edited May 16, 2016 by #34fan
Kirby Jackson Posted May 16, 2016 Posted May 16, 2016 And what I want to know is how many of the 31 other teams have the luxury of a lateral move from a TE like Clay to whomever their backup is. There are a lot of teams that have a better 2nd tight end than the Bills. There are not a lot of offensive schemes where the TE as is important as it is in Roman's scheme.
Augie Posted May 16, 2016 Posted May 16, 2016 I hope O'Leary makes a big jump. I enjoyed him at FSU, but last year honestly confused me.
Dorkington Posted May 16, 2016 Posted May 16, 2016 I think it's unrealistic to expect depth players to be starting caliber across the board. We're going to have a couple weak depth spots. If we go out and get a second stud TE, that means we have to give something up elsewhere, imo.
Augie Posted May 16, 2016 Posted May 16, 2016 I think it's unrealistic to expect depth players to be starting caliber across the board. We're going to have a couple weak depth spots. If we go out and get a second stud TE, that means we have to give something up elsewhere, imo. Which considers both roster spots and salary cap. I don't expect 2 kickers this year. I think the Bucs took the FSU kicker crazy high as he's great at popping a kickoff up just outside the goal line. (He seemed to regress a little each year, I'm told.) The new KO rules make that an interesting consideration.
ndirish1978 Posted May 16, 2016 Posted May 16, 2016 I think it's unrealistic to expect depth players to be starting caliber across the board. We're going to have a couple weak depth spots. If we go out and get a second stud TE, that means we have to give something up elsewhere, imo. This. I understand that we're in trouble if Clay goes down, but you can pretty much say that about half the positions on the roster should the starter go down: LT, QB, WR, CB, S
BarleyNY Posted May 16, 2016 Posted May 16, 2016 We went into last season with the EXACT same problem Guys got hurt at offensive positions We did not have depth at certain positions The offense still improved For some reason people just cant seem to understand that your not going to be 3 deep at every position on a football team Too bad he went in the 2nd round and we needed linebackers At least the Bills tried with Harvin last season. I hated the choice of him, but it was at least an attempt to address the receiving corps. Watkins, Harvin, Woods and Clay with Shady in the backfield and Hogan as a 4th WR sounds a lot better than Watkins, Woods, Lewis/Hankerson?, Clay and Shady with Lewis/Hankerson as the 4th. Plus there's the whole "guys get hurt" thing. I can't reasonably see where the offense got better from last year to this. It's the same group except for a worse WR corps. They've had a year's experience in the system, but they've got less offensive talent now than at this point last season. 3 deep at every position? Please. The 3rd WR is usually considered a starter (and certainly sees more playing time than a FB these days). The Bills are deficient there. Their OL will start 3 quality players plus two guys that shouldn't be in a starting lineup going into training camp. The Bills had injuries last season, but Glenn, Incognito and Wood stayed healthy. What happens if one of them goes down this season? How's that OL going to look then? An OL with five starting level players can weather some injuries. An OL with three quality players can't afford to lose even one of them. This isn't about unrealistic depth, it's about fielding starting level players. A weak receiving corps and weak right side of the OL is particularly concerning at a time when the Bills are trying to find out what they have in Taylor. I have my reservations about him, but I don't like sending him out at such a disadvantage. It isn't going to help his development or help him succeed. The first game is still months away so I haven't given up hope that the team can add some help. It sure needs to at WR/TE and OL.
Green Lightning Posted May 16, 2016 Posted May 16, 2016 I'd feel better if our or QB would occasionally throw a pass over the middle to whatever TE is playing. I'm more concerned about that,
Augie Posted May 16, 2016 Posted May 16, 2016 I'd feel better if our or QB would occasionally throw a pass over the middle to whatever TE is playing. I'm more concerned about that, I fully expect that to happen with a year under the belt and full time reps, but time will tell. I agree, we need to attack all parts of the field.
ndirish1978 Posted May 16, 2016 Posted May 16, 2016 I'd feel better if our or QB would occasionally throw a pass over the middle to whatever TE is playing. I'm more concerned about that, I'm sorry, but if the Seahawks can be a top team with Russell Wilson throwing primarily outside to a bunch of nobodies then we can too. Our defense will be solid and we will rely on the power rushing game. I don't understand this obsession with where we throw the ball, as long as we throw it to open up some rushing lanes.
Dragonborn10 Posted May 16, 2016 Posted May 16, 2016 (edited) It's fair to say Clay might be a top 15 TE. The backups would be hard pressed to make most if not all other rosters. OP's point is well taken. But RT, LB, and S are still bigger concerns to me. Edited May 16, 2016 by Dragonborn10
Saxum Posted May 16, 2016 Posted May 16, 2016 I was really sorry to see MarQueis Gray released, and subsequently taken by Miami. I know he did next to nothing last season, having broken his arm, but I thought he had a lot of potential-- football smarts, athletic, versatile, and prototypical size for the position. I guess we'll se how he does in Miami... I always felt that Chandler played like he was afraid of getting hurt. I though Gray was a good prospect better than all of the other secondary TEs the Bills had last year but evidently coaches did not see enough to keep him after he went on IR; maybe he was uninterested in paying attention in meeting rooms when he was on IR like some players are. And I never thought Chandler never played like he was made of glass but he had limited movement skills. I'd feel better if our or QB would occasionally throw a pass over the middle to whatever TE is playing. I'm more concerned about that, Gragg is only good if EJ plays. EJ has more strength than Tyrod over the middle and if Gragg wants more catches he will need to be able to be in EJ's strike zones.
machine gun kelly Posted May 16, 2016 Posted May 16, 2016 Roman came here with a history of a heavy dose of TE's in the past. I'm assuming they couldn't find the right value the last two years in the draft. It just makes sense a 6'1" QB would love a pass catching 6'7" TE. I know they don't grow on trees, and it's not Madden. You can't have everything you want. We have addressed a lot of needs and received nice value the last two drafts. We can only hope maybe an older TE is still available in training camp and pick him up. I'm not sure what's still out there. If anyone has a list of previously successful TE's out there because over 30, I'd have an interest in seeing the list.
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