Kumerow and the WR Glut

[Buftex]

You can't keep everyone.  McKenzie seems to be making a strong case for himself to be a bigger part of the offense.  However, he is still not showing his hands to be reliable on kick receiving.  Stevenson is a 2021 draft-pick...he looks to be a legit return threat, and has shown some receiving ability as well.  Everyone loves Kumerow, but he may be the odd man out, if they only keep six.  I didn't realize Kumerow was 29 already...I say, see if Green Bay will give you a 4th or 5th rounder for him...

[Rubes]

I think Kumerow has shown great value to the team, enough to keep him. I'd also consider that, as one of the top pass-happy teams in the league, it would be wise to keep more WR than usual in case guys go down—as was the case last year.

 

[Paup 1995MVP]

6 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

No I think if Stevenson is healthy then Kumerow is one of the obvious people whose roster spot he could take. He isn't the only guy... they could cut Taiwan Jones and use Kumerow full time as a gunner as I think many fans would like (though the continued sitting of Jones alongside players assured of their roster spot makes me think this is very unlikely). They could also go with only two frontline tight ends - Knox and Hollister - given that they have Gilliam who can do that job too, Sweeney is hurt again and they have nobody else on the squad at tight end worth rostering. They could cut Matt Brieda, go with Singletary and Moss and then both Gilliam and Jones as break glass in case of emergency backs. Or they could save a spot on defense cutting from the DL or the linebacking unit... but those are two really strong, deep positions on the roster as well and so you end up robbing Peter to pay Paul. 

 

It's tough because Kumerow is the 6th best receiver on the team right now. But Stevenson as a developmental guy both as a receiver and a returner is unlikely to make it through waivers with what he put on film on Saturday. Are they willing to risk that for a 29 year old journeyman with the numbers you quoted above? Not sure they are.

Can't get rid of Stevenson.  Guy has top end speed.  Those guys are tough to come by.  Kumerow is solid and will probably contribute in spots.  And Hollister looks like a solid NFL player as well.  We have a lot of talent on offense.  But you can never have too much.  Not sure why a guy like Duke Williams is even in camp.  He is slow has no explosion and marginal hands.  No need to keep a guy like that on the practice squad.  The Duke Williams experiment needs to end..  It should be very interesting getting down to the final 53.  Go Bills.  

[ColoradoBills]

As of now I see Kumerow as having shown he deserves to WR6 slot especially with his PS worth.

The question for me is Stevenson.  It is looking like the Bills may want to keep him as a WR7 instead of risking a team picking him

up on waivers.  It's looking like his value will rise so I say keep him on the 53 roster and find another to cut.

Sanders, McKenzie and Kumerow are all FAs next year so Stevenson under contract probably is a good move.

 

Hodgins, Gentry, Williams, Lenoir and Powell are a good group to have one or two easily survive to sign on the PS.

[Solomon Grundy]

Kumerow is the big, tall receiver that many fans have been yearning for. He’s made plays in the league. He’s been one of Josh’s favorite receivers in camp. He stays!

[maryland-bills-fan]

I think we should keep Kumerow.

 

None of the posters who are saying to unload him have every played quarterback in the NFL.

 

The Green Bay Packers are a top 10 or top 5 team in the NFL.  Their QB likes Kumerow and calls him the 2nd best WR on his team. Somehow I will favor his evaluation more.

 

 

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2021/05/05/aaron-rodgers-remains-upset-the-packers-cut-jake-kumerow/

 

 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

7 hours ago, Ray Stonada said:

We have an embarrassment of riches at receiver. I've read lots of great posts about our final 53, debating whether we should carry 7 WRs. However, it seems to be assumed that Kumerow should be on the 53. For a while, I assumed that too. But then I thought about it and wondered, why am I so high on Kumerow? 

 

Yes, I loved seeing his hair swoop and felt great for Touchdown Jesus as he made his only catch last season, in the blowout of the Broncos. But he has played four seasons and his career stats are 21 catches for 344 yards and 3 TDs. He is 6'4" but pretty light at 210 pounds, so he isn't going to outmuscle cornerbacks. At the same time, he's no burner and never seems to get wide open. Nor does he have exceptional route-running or quickness. And lately he's been dropping balls that look pretty catchable, which if you aren't a separation receiver, is not gonna work. Okay, Aaron Rodgers once said he likes him, but that's not really enough, is it? 

 

There seems to be a kind of groupthink love for Kumerow which has developed. I was part of it too. But I don't see it borne out by his performance.  Trying to look at it objectively, it makes more sense to carry 6 wide receivers but keep Stevenson, who can also take over if McKenzie keeps muffing punts, and serves as a deep threat. 

 

Am I missing something here? 

 

So a couple things.

 

First off, it has to be recognized that coaches and FO are probably not able to overcome their unconscious biases: they will be pre-disposed to perceive more positives in highly drafted players vs late round picks, and players who were drafted at all over UDFA.  There was a study of basketball playing time that found one of the highest predictors of a player's playing time after scoring was....not any metrics about defense or anything else posited as important...Draft position...and this bias persisted for years.  So frankly, for an undrafted guy from a DIII school to even stick around on various practice squads year after year, says something strong about the abilities he shows.  It's also not unusual for late round/UDFA who eventually make it in the NFL, to take 3-4 years to make it to a roster and start getting looks.  Kumerow came out in 2015 and first got game time snaps in 2018.

 

Second, I haven't watched the Chicago game yet, but the reports out of both Packers AND Bills camp is that his routerunning and quickness ARE exceptional, especially for a big WR.  No, he won't blow past someone, but he can fake them out.  And I'm puzzled by the idea that a 210 lb 6'4" WR can't outmuscle, say, a 5'10" 190 lb cornerback.  It's not just the sheer muscle mass or static strength that matter, it's power.  I'm not saying he has it, I'm just saying you can't tell whether or not he does, just by his height and weight.

 

Third, it has to be recognized that when you get to the back of the roster, the WRs MUST play special teams and they must have other skills - blocking, at least downfield.  Kumerow is apparently a sound blocker both downfield and in the backfield - he got a shout-out for springing  Singletary vs Chicago, I saw him hit a nice downfield block against the Lions, and I've seen video of him blocking in the backfield for GB, quite capably.  He apparently has the right fearless, abandoned, but in control (just) attitude that makes a good STer.

 

The hands do worry me.  The primary thing a WR on any team has to do is...Catch the Ball.

[Da webster guy]

2 hours ago, maryland-bills-fan said:

I think we should keep Kumerow.

 

None of the posters who are saying to unload him have every played quarterback in the NFL.

 

The Green Bay Packers are a top 10 or top 5 team in the NFL.  Their QB likes Kumerow and calls him the 2nd best WR on his team. Somehow I will favor his evaluation more.

 

 

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2021/05/05/aaron-rodgers-remains-upset-the-packers-cut-jake-kumerow/

 

 

 

Thats great, but he just dropped two passes in live action.   That's a flag to me.  Could be an anomaly, and every receiver drops passes, but two in one game is concerning.  And they arent Josh bullets either.

[ColoradoBills]

1 minute ago, Da webster guy said:

 

Thats great, but he just dropped two passes in live action.   That's a flag to me.  Could be an anomaly, and every receiver drops passes, but two in one game is concerning.  And they arent Josh bullets either.

 

Maybe that's the problem.  

[The Jokeman]

5 hours ago, dneveu said:

 

At the end of the day - they said all of the same things about duke williams in previous camps as they say about kumerow.  He played some snaps for buffalo and still ended up on the practice squad.  28 year old journeymen struggle at that position though, there are usually like 30-40 new WRs every season.  A few retire, but mostly the journeymen are continually pushed out by new 20-22 year old kids who have draft pedigree and or some super plus traits (size, speed, hands, polish, etc).

 

A lot of worry is going into who the 6th WR is - when they'll probably end up with 8 between the active roster and PS.  

The difference is Kumerow can play ST whereas Duke doesn't. Kumerow is a tough cut and the idea that we use him instead of Taiwan instead of gunner is intriguing yet one has to think the latter as better hence him making the team last season. Yet he hasn't had any regular snaps during the preseason whereas Kumerow and Siran Neal have which may mean we may looking for more flexibility since our roster getting better. 

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

They are going to trade Kumerow to GB. I don’t think he is that good and the overhype is probably meant to generate a little leverage. 

[ngbills]

I think fans tend to overvalue fringe guys. Though I do think Kumerow and McK would get picked up quickly if cut. I would keep McK and if we can get anything in return for Kumerow would do it in a heartbeat. 

 

But would still be #4 or #5 type WR's on another team. Guys like Duke, Gentry, Powell are JAG's. 

[Ray Stonada]

1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Second, I haven't watched the Chicago game yet, but the reports out of both Packers AND Bills camp is that his routerunning and quickness ARE exceptional, especially for a big WR.  No, he won't blow past someone, but he can fake them out.  And I'm puzzled by the idea that a 210 lb 6'4" WR can't outmuscle, say, a 5'10" 190 lb cornerback.  It's not just the sheer muscle mass or static strength that matter, it's power.  I'm not saying he has it, I'm just saying you can't tell whether or not he does, just by his height and weight.

 

Third, it has to be recognized that when you get to the back of the roster, the WRs MUST play special teams and they must have other skills - blocking, at least downfield.  Kumerow is apparently a sound blocker both downfield and in the backfield - he got a shout-out for springing  Singletary vs Chicago, I saw him hit a nice downfield block against the Lions, and I've seen video of him blocking in the backfield for GB, quite capably.  He apparently has the right fearless, abandoned, but in control (just) attitude that makes a good STer.

 

The hands do worry me.  The primary thing a WR on any team has to do is...Catch the Ball.

 

 

Very comprehensive response, much appreciated, Hapless. I take all your points.

 

I guess my response was based on watching him play against Chicago, where I didn't think he looked particularly special at WR or on teams. Your point about draft position is really fascinating and I gotta think about that more, certainly makes Kumerow's lack of playing time thus far more explicable. Maybe we're gonna keep him and he will bail us out in some tough moments this season! That said, I also feel like if they only go with 6 WR I would still keep Stevenson, who fills a need (returner, given Roberts leaving and McKenzie being kinda muff-prone). If they go with 7WR, I would be fine with keeping Kumerow too.

 

Kinda crazy how many pass-catchers we could have on opening day: Diggs, Sanders, Beasley, Davis, McKenzie, Stevenson, Kumerow, Hollister, Knox, Singletary, Moss, Brieda, Gilliam, plus any O linemen reporting eligible. That record for number of different receivers with a TD that we tied last season might be toast.

 

  

[Logic]

All I'll say is that I wish Stevenson would somehow suffer a mysterious "injury" that no one ever actually sees happen but the Bills insist is real, so that they could stash him on IR for the year. Hodgins apparently actually DID sustain an injury, so ditto for him.

An ideal scenario for me would be Kumerow making the 53 this year, but Stevenson and Hodgins somehow being safely stashed for next year.

Put on your wizard hat, Beane.



Well...not quite like that, but...

Edited August 23, 2021 by Logic

[Hapless Bills Fan]

19 minutes ago, Logic said:

All I'll say is that I wish Stevenson would somehow suffer a mysterious "injury" that no one ever actually sees happen but the Bills insist is real, so that they could stash him on IR for the year. Hodgins apparently actually DID sustain an injury, so ditto for him.

An ideal scenario for me would be Kumerow making the 53 this year, but Stevenson and Hodgins somehow being safely stashed for next year.

Put on your wizard hat, Beane.



Well...not quite like that, but...

 

Given that Stevenson hurt his ankle, went hobbling off with 2 trainers, then later was seen on the sideline in a walking boot and didn't return to the game, there isn't a need for much "mystery" there.  The thing is, he needs much development, so I don't like the notion of stashing him on IR for the season, which has to happen unless he starts the year on the 53.

[Jerome007]

That tip toe catch on the sidelines was pretty high level stuff. But it's that he plays special teams that will make him a lock. Unless they can trade him to GB ha ha

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

55 minutes ago, The Jokeman said:

The difference is Kumerow can play ST whereas Duke doesn't. Kumerow is a tough cut and the idea that we use him instead of Taiwan instead of gunner is intriguing yet one has to think the latter as better hence him making the team last season. Yet he hasn't had any regular snaps during the preseason whereas Kumerow and Siran Neal have which may mean we may looking for more flexibility since our roster getting better. 

 

Could also be looked at like Jones role is secure.

[Back2Buff]

I was pretty unimpressed with Kumerow on Sat.  He made some plays, but he needs to make all the plays.  He's not going to get opportunities like he did on Sat.  He needs to be counted on for the 1 or 2 throws he gets thrown his way.

 

I would take Stevenson over him and Hodgins should easily go on PS.  You can call up Hodgins if you want a tall WR.

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

27 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Given that Stevenson hurt his ankle, went hobbling off with 2 trainers, then later was seen on the sideline in a walking boot and didn't return to the game, there isn't a need for much "mystery" there.  The thing is, he needs much development, so I don't like the notion of stashing him on IR for the season, which has to happen unless he starts the year on the 53.

 

They can always do what they did last year and "release" players with no cap ramifications just to bring them back.  

[TBBills]

I want him on the 53 just so Rodgers doesn't have any satisfaction.