Should Bills go after FA TE Demetrius Harris

[3rdand12]

23 hours ago, LSHMEAB said:

Definitely still got a lot of upside, but could see us easily outbidding the Ravens considering they drafted Hurst in the first round last year. It does probably mean they're not sold on Williams, but it would be a good value signing IMO. That's what free agency is all about. Teams are gonna keep their top guys so you have to look for players their respective team may undervalue.

exactly

5 hours ago, Rico said:

Don’t really want any Chiefs on this team.

just a bunch of Indians ?

11 minutes ago, Call_Of_Ktulu said:

I would just start over at the TE position. Sign a TE in FA, draft a TE and the 3rd TE should be for goal line and pass protection purposes.

I think you keep Croom.

 but basically ?
yes

Edited January 14, 2019 by 3rdand12

[CEN-CAL17]

The Bills gotta let Clay go.

 

That being said they should sign another vet TE. 

 

I too think the Bills should Draft a TE in the first 4 rounds.

 

i thinks Harris would be a good addition. I’d take him over Clay, that’s for sure.

 

Id love it if the Bills traded back into the first and grabbed TJ Hockenson.

 

[Call_Of_Ktulu]

14 hours ago, 3rdand12 said:

exactly

just a bunch of Indians ?

I think you keep Croom.

 but basically ?
yes

Croom can't block, can't run routes, takes too long to get into his routes, gets jammed at the LOS, has ball security issues, has average hands at best and should be on a practice squad somewhere but not here. If released I would be amazed if he signed with another team. Failed WR's that convert to TE rarely make it at either position.

[3rdand12]

8 hours ago, Call_Of_Ktulu said:

Croom can't block, can't run routes, takes too long to get into his routes, gets jammed at the LOS, has ball security issues, has average hands at best and should be on a practice squad somewhere but not here. If released I would be amazed if he signed with another team. Failed WR's that convert to TE rarely make it at either position.

I think you might be too harsh.
 would give him another season. he started out rough and improved , albeit incrementally. and you may be correct.
I am of the opinion Bills are looking for a ! and # 2 capable via both or either FA and the draft.

 Ideally they grab two bonafide starters who will start day one .

 

 But you might be quite correct 

 : )

[The Jokeman]

On 1/11/2019 at 6:48 PM, LABILLBACKER said:

4/$16 No. Very little production his first 4 years in the league. 

Sign Eifert. #1

Draft Caleb Wilson (UCLA) #2 TE

Croom #3 TE

Say goodbye to Clay & Thomas

Eifert is made of glass, I'd rather go after 

C.J. Uzomah whose put up good numbers when given a chance to play.

[racketmaster]

Draft Hockenson

[buffaloboyinATL]

On 1/11/2019 at 6:52 PM, LSHMEAB said:

Sign him! Wait, who is he?

 

And I've been throwing out Maxx Williams name quite a bit. He's on the outs with the drafting of Hayden Hurst and I don't think he's reached his potential in Baltimore. He wouldn't be the ultimate solution at the position, but he'd be nice depth. We likely have to add multiple guys anyway.

 

Saying he hasn't reached his potential is an understatement. Wasn't he the #1 TE prospect when he came out? I definitely haven't seen any indication of that potential since.

[Captain Murica]

I’d prefer C.J. Uzomah as a FA signing then drafting Caleb Wilson, Irv Smith, or Jace Sternberger (if he declares).

Edited January 16, 2019 by Captain Murica

[ctk232]

22 hours ago, 3rdand12 said:

I think you might be too harsh.
 would give him another season. he started out rough and improved , albeit incrementally. and you may be correct.
I am of the opinion Bills are looking for a ! and # 2 capable via both or either FA and the draft.

 Ideally they grab two bonafide starters who will start day one .

 

 But you might be quite correct 

 : )

Would really love to see Croom take the next step in all honesty. Kid showed flashes of pass catching ability, but would certainly give him the next season. I'd have to go back for his blocking ability though, as I think that's where he drew the most criticism outside of his situational fumble plays. 

 

To the OP - I would much rather prefer drafting one this year given the pool available. Would likely prove the wiser investment in the long run as well if we could land a guy like Wilson or Hockenson. I doubt we find two solid TE replacements this year in total, and it's more likely that we end up with one and one depth guy to push Clay/Croom if anyone else at all.

[3rdand12]

2 hours ago, ctk232 said:

Would really love to see Croom take the next step in all honesty. Kid showed flashes of pass catching ability, but would certainly give him the next season. I'd have to go back for his blocking ability though, as I think that's where he drew the most criticism outside of his situational fumble plays. 

 

To the OP - I would much rather prefer drafting one this year given the pool available. Would likely prove the wiser investment in the long run as well if we could land a guy like Wilson or Hockenson. I doubt we find two solid TE replacements this year in total, and it's more likely that we end up with one and one depth guy to push Clay/Croom if anyone else at all.

I struggle to see Clay still on the team. I feel his injuries are just too much to overcome.

He might be considering retiring ?
need to pick up one FA TE who can start and one to challenge via draft perhaps. and hope that someone moves decisively ahead of Thomas and can push Croom for #3. wishful i suppose

 : )

[ctk232]

1 hour ago, 3rdand12 said:

I struggle to see Clay still on the team. I feel his injuries are just too much to overcome.

He might be considering retiring ?
need to pick up one FA TE who can start and one to challenge via draft perhaps. and hope that someone moves decisively ahead of Thomas and can push Croom for #3. wishful i suppose

 : )

I wondered if Clay would retire as well - especially after Wood even commented about it in his article how his blocking role has taken a huge toll on him physically, and has potentially impacted his pass catching game as well. Either way I'm anticipating he's there this year barring retirement, or at least until a potential replacement is found and tested through camp.

 

While certainly desirable, I do think it's still wishful to hope we pick up 2 TEs over the course of FA and in the draft just purely based on chances. I think it's more likely to happen if we land one in FA as I can see a couple TEs becoming BPA in rounds 2 and 3, but overall it may not be as big of a priority in FA for the FO to really pursue what players are available while being "judicious" with contracts, as Beane would say.

[3rdand12]

22 hours ago, ctk232 said:

I wondered if Clay would retire as well - especially after Wood even commented about it in his article how his blocking role has taken a huge toll on him physically, and has potentially impacted his pass catching game as well. Either way I'm anticipating he's there this year barring retirement, or at least until a potential replacement is found and tested through camp.

 

While certainly desirable, I do think it's still wishful to hope we pick up 2 TEs over the course of FA and in the draft just purely based on chances. I think it's more likely to happen if we land one in FA as I can see a couple TEs becoming BPA in rounds 2 and 3, but overall it may not be as big of a priority in FA for the FO to really pursue what players are available while being "judicious" with contracts, as Beane would say.

If you were a Daboll and wanted to give his Playbook a jumpstart ; )

 Where and what players would you consider the best investment this season.

 O line not withstanding    : )
 I was thinking  UDFA TEs or sixth rounders depending on what FA found Us for ball catchers .

[ctk232]

45 minutes ago, 3rdand12 said:

If you were a Daboll and wanted to give his Playbook a jumpstart ; )

 Where and what players would you consider the best investment this season.

 O line not withstanding    : )
 I was thinking  UDFA TEs or sixth rounders depending on what FA found Us for ball catchers .

That's the million dollar question isn't it - specific to offense here? I'm always of the opinion that to jumpstart any offensive playbook, you start with the OL, but particularly the Center. I get having a quality LT is key to protecting the QB, but if you have a line without an anchor calling out adjustments and recognizing stunts/blitzes/etc., you have to wonder what you are hoping to stop. 

 

OL notwithstanding, and given the current FA and draft pools and assuming there might be some pass catchers rumored to be available for trade - it's hard to speculate, as most of my answers depend on how FA shakes out. Given the percentage of deep throws from Allen, assuming these are mostly if not all playcalls specific to his deep ball, I would want to get him another deep threat beyond Foster, who would likely be more physical. If Duke is somehow that guy, that opens this conversation up a bit. If we're looking to the WR FA pool, I'm more keen to offer either Funchess or Tyrell Williams as options. I know a few people are high on Humphries but after watching the bucs and hearing my buddies give bills fans a run for their money, there are a lot of question marks regarding his hands as well as ability to get separation, especially for what the cost to get them might be. Even Funchess and Tyrell would be stretches for what it would likely take to get either here, in my mind.

 

But with a decently deep WR pool in the draft, I actually like the FA TE pool better in terms of options. And upgrading this position would certainly open Daboll's playbook for his hank concepts. Given the added speed at WR toward the end of the season, I would love to open up the hank/mesh concepts more and hope that Allen's accuracy can improve on delivery here. Short quick crossing routes with McKenzie and Foster or Zay, coupled with dual TE seam and hook routes or zone coverage beating routes could be a deadly combo.

 

Maxx Williams could be a potential upgrade over Thomas as a primary blocking TE with some pass catching ability - young and otherwise under-utilized in the Ravens offense, might be worth a depth consideration. Wouldn't mind us offering Jesse James, and could entertain a nod to Geoff Swaim or AJ Derby for a potentially cheap, young pick up to fuel camp competition if nothing else. The interesting one that I find myself in conflict with would be to go after Jared Cook. I'm not usually about overpaying 30+ FA guys already making a decent premium for the position, especially coming off a good year in Oakland. But if he's looking to get out from under Gruden, I could see throwing our hat in the ring there. 

 

All that said, I still find it likely that we only sign one of the above TE in FA, if we are able to land any at all. But I feel like our biggest impacts could potentially come from the draft. Depending on if anyone reaches for WRs in the first, there's potential that Okwuegbunam, Fant, Irv, or Nelson become BPA in the second and may likely provide that two-pass TE look that Allen could thrive within. I like Ok's speed for his size and red zone mismatch; Fant is more the pure pass catcher and I could see as interchangeable with drafting a WR here in the second; loooove Irv's route running and hands for a TE, again lending itself more to the pass catching role - especially where route running is a premium need amongst our corps; some people are high on Nelson though I don't see much of his upside beyond YAC potential. The late round pickup here that might be around? Gentry - more the pure blocker with his size, he could also be a mismatch on short yardage situations and wouldn't mind seeing him picked up in the 5th or 6th if he falls. That kind of late round pick to get us a true blocking TE with pass catching threat (to avoid defenses scheming against one-dimensional players), is something we desperately lacked in our offense this past year, and OL notwithstanding, our run game desperately needed efficient TE blocking. 

 

So novel aside we know it's entirely dependent on how FA plays out, but if we're looking for names that's where I've tended to fall in the little research I can get to. As far as guys that might go UDFA, can't honestly say any names with certainty there - but I hope we continue our late round luck, even if it does happen on the defensive side of the ball.

Edited January 17, 2019 by ctk232

[C.Biscuit97]

Honestly asking: how many quality TEs actually available in free agency?  Why don’t we just draft a stud for once?  NE, the best team of our generation, constantly is drafting tight ends.  But why would you copy a successful team?