Pre-Draft Roster Locks, Maybes and Open Spots

[CommonCents]

16 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Retired during camp because he is 103. 

This a young man’s game Shady, 

[Paup 1995MVP]

8 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

I disagree totally on Yeldon. If he is your #2 back you are in trouble. Unless seeing running backs bury their faces into the backsides of offensive linemen is your thing.... and that is too freaky even for my tastes. Whereas DiMarco is a solid special teams contributor at least - though I think he is overpaid for what he does.

 

I'm closer to you on Singletary if I am honest. I think he is a 12-15 carry back which means the chances are he never amasses those huge numbers.... but lots think his ceiling is higher than that so I throw him into that mix. And if Yeldon is our #2 we will need him to take basically all the carries. Agree on Knox, if he makes just some of the easier catches he dropped his rookie numbers would have been right there with if not beyond those of Noah Fant who was the pick of the rookie tight ends.

I am not saying Yeldon has to be a fixture as the #2 RB.  I think he should be in the mix for touches.  He does have good hands.  Made some nice catches I believe in the preseason game at Detroit last year.  He is too talented to be inactive if not injured.  But I still feel we need to draft a big time RB to add to the mix.  RB's get nicked up all the time.  You need 3 talented guys to carry the rock over a season.  Yeldon can be number 3.  But he should still dress and be part of the game plan every week.  

 

Dimarco gives us nothing even on Special teams.  That is an urban legend that he makes plays on special teams.  He is too slow and has no explosiveness.  He is expendable.

8 hours ago, freester said:

I want Demarco gone but I think they bring in a RB in 3rd or 4th round to compete with Yeldon for all of Gores touches.

That is fine Freester.  Do you think we move up in the 2nd round if we have a chance at Dobbins or Taylor?  

 

As I just told Gunner.  You need 3 solid RB's in the NFL to get thru a season.  

[Paup 1995MVP]

5 hours ago, RyanC883 said:

 

Agree with this, and some of the issue is the play calling, IMO, esp. in regards to Knox and Singletary's/Yeldon's usage.  

I was very frustrated last season when Sweeney Duke Williams and Yeldon were inactive almost every week, and the offense was plodding along with the likes of Lee Smith Patrick Dimarco and Robert Foster all playing (yes he is fast, but he caught THREE balls last year!).

[WideRightRevenge]

15 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Kroft isn't easily terminable. The revised deal they did with him makes him pretty much a lock I think and equally an almost certainty to be gone after this year. The voided the final year and moved guarantees to this year so he saves them $400,000 if cut but counts $5m dead money on the cap. 

 

I agree with the OP on tight end. It is Knox and Kroft then a battle for 1 or 2 remaining spots.

 

Gunner ... answer me this .. I know not your call but why carry 4 TE's on roster ... I get 3 TE sets but damn .. can't we line up a G or something in that set vs. carrying a TE .. I don't recall Smith as a Special Teams ace last year and believe he had more penalties than catches..  It just befuddles me as to why we carry 4 when we can backfill other positions and run a bigger jumbo package .... or put TE #4 on the practice squad.

[GunnerBill]

21 minutes ago, Paup 1995MVP said:

I am not saying Yeldon has to be a fixture as the #2 RB.  I think he should be in the mix for touches.  He does have good hands.  Made some nice catches I believe in the preseason game at Detroit last year.  He is too talented to be inactive if not injured.  But I still feel we need to draft a big time RB to add to the mix.  RB's get nicked up all the time.  You need 3 talented guys to carry the rock over a season.  Yeldon can be number 3.  But he should still dress and be part of the game plan every week.  

 

Dimarco gives us nothing even on Special teams.  That is an urban legend that he makes plays on special teams.  He is too slow and has no explosiveness.  He is expendable.

That is fine Freester.  Do you think we move up in the 2nd round if we have a chance at Dobbins or Taylor?  

 

As I just told Gunner.  You need 3 solid RB's in the NFL to get thru a season.  

 

You are wrong on Di Marco. He does a very good job on teams. If you are expecting him to be downfield making tackles you are looking for the wrong thing. His main role in kick coverage is to stay in his line prevent cutback opportunities and funnel the return to where the Bills have designed for their gunners to be. On our kick return teams - which were pretty good last year - he is the protector - the bodyguard if you like - infront of our returner. DiMarco has a role on this team and he will be here. 

 

17 minutes ago, WideRightRevenge said:

 

Gunner ... answer me this .. I know not your call but why carry 4 TE's on roster ... I get 3 TE sets but damn .. can't we line up a G or something in that set vs. carrying a TE .. I don't recall Smith as a Special Teams ace last year and believe he had more penalties than catches..  It just befuddles me as to why we carry 4 when we can backfill other positions and run a bigger jumbo package .... or put TE #4 on the practice squad.

 

I don't have an answer. I wouldn't carry 4 tight ends unless I had 4 good ones and the Bills barely have 2. 

[BuffaloHokie13]

Just now, GunnerBill said:

 

You are wrong on Di Marco. He does a very good job on teams. If you are expecting him to be downfield making tackles you are looking for the wrong thing. His main role in kick coverage is to stay in his line prevent cutback opportunities and funnel the return to where the Bills have designed for their gunners to be. On our kick return teams - which were pretty good last year - he is the protector - the bodyguard if you like - infront of our returner. DiMarco has a role on this team and he will be here. 

 

He's getting replaced by Dalton Keene. ?

[GunnerBill]

19 minutes ago, BuffaloHokie13 said:

He's getting replaced by Dalton Keene. ?

 

So I can see them looking to draft a hybrid FB/TE on day 3 with the intention being in the long term you don't need a full back and a blocking tight end and you save a roster spot. I'd be surprised if said person took DiMarco's job in 2020 though. He is a FA next year so I suspect they want to groom someone to replace from 2021. 

[BuffaloHokie13]

Just now, GunnerBill said:

 

So I can see them looking to draft a hybrid FB/TE on day 3 with the intention being in the long term you don't need a full back and a blocking tight end and you save a roster spot. I'd be surprised if said person took DiMarco's job in 2020 though. He is a FA next year so I suspect they want to groom someone to replace from 2021. 

If there was going to be a typical offseason I'd expect Keene to make DiMarco expendable. He's going to be a ST ace and h-back. Great kid. With the virtual, maybe you're right.

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

16 hours ago, machine gun kelly said:

Sweeney will probably make the team, but as another stated several people are not locks and could get cut.  We won’t know until after the draft and camp if there is one.

 

I think Sweeney will have improved enough as a blocker that Smith gets cut assuming no injuries to anyone.

[Paup 1995MVP]

2 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

You are wrong on Di Marco. He does a very good job on teams. If you are expecting him to be downfield making tackles you are looking for the wrong thing. His main role in kick coverage is to stay in his line prevent cutback opportunities and funnel the return to where the Bills have designed for their gunners to be. On our kick return teams - which were pretty good last year - he is the protector - the bodyguard if you like - infront of our returner. DiMarco has a role on this team and he will be here. 

 

 

I don't have an answer. I wouldn't carry 4 tight ends unless I had 4 good ones and the Bills barely have 2. 

Very good explanation.  You must be a special teams coach at some level of football.  That being said.  That so called skill does not warrant a roster spot in my estimation for a guy that brings virtually nothing to the offense.   

[Hardhatharry]

3 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

You are wrong on Di Marco. He does a very good job on teams.

We could lose DiMarco and not one person would ever notice he was gone 

[Cash]

2 hours ago, Ed_Formerly_of_Roch said:

 

I think Sweeney will have improved enough as a blocker that Smith gets cut assuming no injuries to anyone.

I think Smith is a near lock because of McD’s stated desire to have a vet in every positional room. I don’t think he sees Kroft as that vet. I’d be really surprised if we don’t carry the same 4 TEs as last year, although maybe I’m too confident in Sweeney. 
 

For the same reason, I think we sign a vet RB post draft, whether we draft one or not. Depending on how the draft goes, that could be a bargain bin guy like Lamar Miller or Carlos Hyde, or someone more expensive like Devonta Freeman or maybe even Fournette. If we need someone to take a lot of carries it’ll be the latter, but if we get a guy in the 3rd round or whatever it’ll just be a no-ego guy to provide leadership and be an injury failsafe. 

[freester]

4 hours ago, Paup 1995MVP said:

I am not saying Yeldon has to be a fixture as the #2 RB.  I think he should be in the mix for touches.  He does have good hands.  Made some nice catches I believe in the preseason game at Detroit last year.  He is too talented to be inactive if not injured.  But I still feel we need to draft a big time RB to add to the mix.  RB's get nicked up all the time.  You need 3 talented guys to carry the rock over a season.  Yeldon can be number 3.  But he should still dress and be part of the game plan every week.  

 

Dimarco gives us nothing even on Special teams.  That is an urban legend that he makes plays on special teams.  He is too slow and has no explosiveness.  He is expendable.

That is fine Freester.  Do you think we move up in the 2nd round if we have a chance at Dobbins or Taylor?  

 

As I just told Gunner.  You need 3 solid RB's in the NFL to get thru a season.  

I don’t think we trade up in the 2nd for anyone other than Espenesa.  If Dobbins or Taylor falls to us at 54 than we may take them. 

[LABILLBACKER]

5 hours ago, John from Riverside said:

Sweeney is making it

Sweeney is making this team. I could care less about Smith or Croom. Barkley will have someone to push or even overtake him. And there's absolutely no way they don't draft a wr & rb friday.

[purple haze]

17 hours ago, Paup 1995MVP said:

Singletary is a solid player, but do you think he has the potential to have monster 1,400 plus seasons?   

Yes.  He had 775 yards - and missed 3 games with injury and was intentionally rested a fourth game.  That, and he rarely got as many carries as he should during games he played in.  All he does is find yards and find them in chunks too.   I don't get why you and some others think he can't put up numbers.  Health permitting, if they give him the rock he will do what he does.  He's also underutilized in the passing game.   He doesn't need to be a "homerun hitter" to dominate games or have monster seasons.

Edited April 23, 2020 by purple haze

[GunnerBill]

5 hours ago, Paup 1995MVP said:

Very good explanation.  You must be a special teams coach at some level of football.  That being said.  That so called skill does not warrant a roster spot in my estimation for a guy that brings virtually nothing to the offense.   

 

I get the point that he doesn't bring much to the offense but the Bills are going to carry a full back while Daboll is here I believe. The Pats always have even in some games they barely use him. So unless there is a guy who can fulfill that role and bring the value DiMarco does on teams then the chances are it is DiMarco. My good news for you is he is a FA after 2020 and the contract tweak they made earlier this year did not extend that deal so I think both parties likely see 2020 as his final season as a Bill - which is why as I said to Hokie a hybrid FB/TE late on day 3 or as a priority UDFA is something to watch for. 

[Mountain Man]

On 4/22/2020 at 8:51 AM, elijah said:

I’m not saying that these guys will get cut.. But it’s a bit early in the process to call Barkley, Dimarco, Taiwan Jones, Tyler Kroft, Ty Nsehke, Roberts, Haushka or Norman as locks. 

 

All have good chances of making the team, but they’re all also very easily terminable and not core pieces 

Roberts is a lock. He is a top 3 returner in the league and has been for a number of years

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

16 hours ago, Cash said:

I think Smith is a near lock because of McD’s stated desire to have a vet in every positional room. I don’t think he sees Kroft as that vet. I’d be really surprised if we don’t carry the same 4 TEs as last year, although maybe I’m too confident in Sweeney. 
 

For the same reason, I think we sign a vet RB post draft, whether we draft one or not. Depending on how the draft goes, that could be a bargain bin guy like Lamar Miller or Carlos Hyde, or someone more expensive like Devonta Freeman or maybe even Fournette. If we need someone to take a lot of carries it’ll be the latter, but if we get a guy in the 3rd round or whatever it’ll just be a no-ego guy to provide leadership and be an injury failsafe. 

 

At a certain point, the new guys become the vets.  There was post yesterday commenting how Allan doesn't necessarily need Barkley for the vet presence, so could see that here too and not sure he doesn't view Kroft as that guy either.  If Sweeney can come closer to Smith in blocking I'd prefer seeing Smith gone and keep Croom as the 4th TE as he brings something different to the field, more of a WR like TE

[Cash]

4 hours ago, Ed_Formerly_of_Roch said:

 

At a certain point, the new guys become the vets.  There was post yesterday commenting how Allan doesn't necessarily need Barkley for the vet presence, so could see that here too and not sure he doesn't view Kroft as that guy either.  If Sweeney can come closer to Smith in blocking I'd prefer seeing Smith gone and keep Croom as the 4th TE as he brings something different to the field, more of a WR like TE

Fair enough, but I don’t think 3rd year (Allen) or 2nd year (Singletary) fits that bill. And Kroft is going into his 6th year I think, but has basically only played like 2 years because of injuries. I could be wrong, but I don’t think that’s the kind of vet presence they want.