Forget Diggs! These 4 Free Agents need to produce!

[LB48]

Diggs is a given!  No doubt he'll help the team.

 

These 4 new Free Agents  all fall within the top 12 of the Bills 2020 salary cap.  They total $30 mil for the season.

 

1. Mario Addison, DE, $10 mil

2. Vernon Butler, DT, $7 mil

3. Quinton Jefferson, DT, $7 mil

4. A.J. Klein, OLB, $6mil

 

Can they help push this team to a deep run in the play-offs???   Comments?

 

 

[GunnerBill]

The best player among those 4 is the one who didn't play for Carolina. 

[BornAgainBillsFan]

The Bills are loaded on the DL with solid to very good players. None are superstars, although Oliver is on his way. If Addison, Butler and Jefferson are among the final 8-9 left standing after the final cuts, I think they'll hold up well in a platoon system that sees all playing 40-60% of the snaps.

 

Klein should start at weak side LB. Unless Joseph comes on strong and beats him out. Either way, Klein should be a solid contributor.

 

I'm not worried about their cap hits. Beane and his cap gurus have a handle on all of that.

Edited August 8, 2020 by BornAgainBillsFan

[Richard Noggin]

47 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

The best player among those 4 is the one who didn't play for Carolina. 

I like to think so, too. Might be poised for a breakout season rotating all along the Bills D-line. Love those lengthy tweeners on the line. 

 

Then again, Star's sudden absence probably shines a light on Butler now, right? I was thinking of the signing as a moderately expensive roll of the dice on a young, talented, but thus far underwhelming, DT. Like a house money kind of signing to a team with depth at the position. It worked with Jordan Phillips (albeit at a lower price tag). But now that the D-line rotation is missing one "starter," Butler's role has been elevated by default. 

[billsbackto81]

1 hour ago, GunnerBill said:

The best player among those 4 is the one who didn't play for Carolina. 

I too have high expectations for Jefferson as I feel IMO he is really under rated. Overall solid player who makes everyone on the D-Line better.

[Wizard]

Agree these four need to contribute, but I am not concerned about any of them in particular. All seem to have solid character and these are players with starting or frequent rotation experience adding depth and consistency to an already solid defense. None of these players are JAGS. Solid contributors who bend but don't break.

 

None of these players are signed to cost-prohibitive contracts, so the young drafted core players that Beane and Co. want can be signed.

 

Cap and overall depth is in good shape. Yes, I would like a more solid backup QB, a more experienced 4th linebacker, and a belief that Norman will be the solid #2 CB he can be, but every roster has some holes and flaws.

 

Addison, Jefferson, Klein, and Butler are good adds. 

Edited August 8, 2020 by Wizard

[Utah John]

30 minutes ago, Wizard said:

Cap and overall depth is in good shape. Yes, I would like a more solid backup QB, a more experienced 4th linebacker, and a belief that Norman will be the solid #2 CB he can be, but every roster has some holes and flaws.

 

This is a key point.  When your list of holes is a more solid backup QB, a more experienced 4th LB, and which of the good players fighting to be the #2 CB will be the guy -- you're in better shape than almost any team in the NFL.

 

I love that McBeane haven't gone out and grabbed the most expensive FAs.  They have a team of very good players, all across the board, with good depth. Very few of them are the best at their position in the NFL.  The players might care about that, but I don't.  The Lombardi Trophy goes to the team that wins the SB, not the team with the most Pro Bowl picks.

[Ethan in Cleveland]

I've said it since the Houston game. The defense collapsed. The OP is dead on.  This team needs a pass rush and these four need to replace some decent players that left.  

 

But let's get real.  This season is about one player. Josh Allen. He has to show he is a franchise QB.  

[Ethan in Cleveland]

23 minutes ago, Utah John said:

This is a key point.  When your list of holes is a more solid backup QB, a more experienced 4th LB, and which of the good players fighting to be the #2 CB will be the guy -- you're in better shape than almost any team in the NFL.

 

I love that McBeane haven't gone out and grabbed the most expensive FAs.  They have a team of very good players, all across the board, with good depth. Very few of them are the best at their position in the NFL.  The players might care about that, but I don't.  The Lombardi Trophy goes to the team that wins the SB, not the team with the most Pro Bowl picks.

I agree with your assessment of the team.  They have been built much like Belichik built the Patriots - a solid mix of veterans on defense with good middle of the road free agents that were scheme versatile.  The guys Beane signed can play anywhere on the line and their corners can hold up in man coverage enough that they don;t have to exclusively play zone.   

 

All that said though, the trophy usually goes to the team that has one of the best QBs.  There are exceptions like Seattle and Denver recently.  They had truly elite defenses.  Without an improved pass rush, I don't think this defense can win a championship if Allen doesn't get significantly better.  They gave up 19 points in 24 minutes and blew a 16 point lead.  

 

2020 is all on Allen

[Doc Brown]

I'm pry the minority in this thread but Diggs is still pretty important.

[HOUSE]

I refuse to forget Diggs

[1ManRaid]

"Players expected to play well and produce need to play well and produce."

 

Brilliant insight.  Also, "Comments?" is as annoying and redundant as "Thoughts?"  People on a discussion forum don't need permission or prodding to participate in a public parlay parlor.

 

Yes I'm feeling a bit grumpy this morning.

[machine gun kelly]

2 hours ago, HOUSE said:

I refuse to forget Diggs

As the indomitable “The Jerk” says, I dig Diggs, ya dig.

 

All kidding aside, I have high hopes for Jefferson inside.  He was solid in Seattle.  In addition, all of this talk about Clowney, but Addison had almost twice the amount of sacks as Clowney over the same period of time in five years.  He has shown pers his stats he hasn’t fallen off at all last year.  Klein’s a hammerhead, so should do well and provide some nastiness to our LB’s, amd Butler is decent depth.  I love how Beane finds good players, but doesn’t overpay and get enamored with a name.  Diggs is not a name.  He is true #1 WR, and if I remember correctly ranked the best in contested catches in the NFL up there with Michael Thomas.

[Bangarang]

I already know I’m not going to like Butler. 

[GunnerBill]

35 minutes ago, machine gun kelly said:

As the indomitable “The Jerk” says, I dig Diggs, ya dig.

 

All kidding aside, I have high hopes for Jefferson inside.  He was solid in Seattle.  In addition, all of this talk about Clowney, but Addison had almost twice the amount of sacks as Clowney over the same period of time in five years.  He has shown pers his stats he hasn’t fallen off at all last year.  Klein’s a hammerhead, so should do well and provide some nastiness to our LB’s, amd Butler is decent depth.  I love how Beane finds good players, but doesn’t overpay and get enamored with a name.  Diggs is not a name.  He is true #1 WR, and if I remember correctly ranked the best in contested catches in the NFL up there with Michael Thomas.

 

The advanced stats do show a drop off with Addison and the tape did too. The raw sack numbers were there... but he was winning his assignments considerably less often. I am not sure the sack numbers are sustainable with such a low rush win % but we will have to see. 

[machine gun kelly]

GB, don’t forget on a bad team.  Fair points though.

[GunnerBill]

1 minute ago, machine gun kelly said:

GB, don’t forget on a bad team.  Fair points though.

 

Yep and without the beast that is Kawann Short healthy and playing inside him at the 3tech. Put him next to Ed Oliver and maybe that win % shoots back up. 

[DCbillsfan]

4 hours ago, Ethan in Portland said:

I've said it since the Houston game. The defense collapsed. The OP is dead on.  This team needs a pass rush and these four need to replace some decent players that left.  

 

But let's get real.  This season is about one player. Josh Allen. He has to show he is a franchise QB.  

I'm looking at the offense in general has to improve.  They need to score more points.  There's not much margin for error for the defense.  The defense needs a better pass rush (hopefully that has been fixed) but to me the offense is holding this team back.  Getting Diggs should help but Allen, Knox, Ford, and Singletary need to crank up their game.

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

7 hours ago, LB48 said:

Diggs is a given!  No doubt he'll help the team.

 

These 4 new Free Agents  all fall within the top 12 of the Bills 2020 salary cap.  They total $30 mil for the season.

 

1. Mario Addison, DE, $10 mil

2. Vernon Butler, DT, $7 mil

3. Quinton Jefferson, DT, $7 mil

4. A.J. Klein, OLB, $6mil

 

Can they help push this team to a deep run in the play-offs???   Comments?

 

 

 

Not shocking at all.  I'd be very surprised if newly signed FA aren't going to be at the top of a teams salary cap, it's pretty much a given for anyone signed near the beginning phase of free agency as new contracts will always far exceed older ones.  Guys signed in April or May time frame, they are in a position to take whatever they can get.  As has been pointed out too they are all on contracts that the Bills can easily walk away from after this season.

[ganesh]

3 hours ago, Doc Brown said:

I'm pry the minority in this thread but Diggs is still pretty important.

+1