Why is Daryl Williams Still a Free Agent?

[st pete gogolak]

The reason I like Daryl Williams is that he ended the seemingly never-ending nightmare of Jordan Mills being our starting RT.  Granted he was not great last year and fully expected him to be a cap casualty but I'm surprised he is still on the market.  For the right price, I think he would be a nice fit as backup guard/tackle, especially with Spencer Brown missing some time.  What's the deal?  Is he out of shape?  No longer interested in playing football?  There's got to be a reason he is unsigned.  

[Big Turk]

he retired and started an OLine training school?

[Not at the table Karlos]

I thought he retired. 

[Sierra Foothills]

Legit question.

 

It was a bit mysterious that he had an excellent 2020 season at tackle, to the point the team gave him a 3 year contract.

 

Then he played poorly at tackle in 2021 but still salvaged the season by playing deccently at guard.

 

I have two theories... the Bills were unhappy with his physical condition after he signed the new contract and/or Aaron Kromer doesn't view him as a system fit.

 

[DrDawkinstein]

Just now, Sierra Foothills said:

Legit question.

 

It was a bit mysterious that he had an excellent 2020 season at tackle, to the point the team gave him a 3 year contract.

 

Then he played poorly at tackle in 2021 but still salvaged the season by playing deccently at guard.

 

I have two theories... the Bills were unhappy with his physical condition after he signed the new contract and/or Aaron Kromer doesn't view him as a system fit.

 

 

Little bit of both. Little bit of him probably being sick of being injured and already having decent money. It all adds up.

[Big Turk]

2 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

Little bit of both. Little bit of him probably being sick of being injured and already having decent money. It all adds up.

 

Nope, he retired and started an OLine training school. I wasn't joking when I posted it, that's the real answer.

[Matt_In_NH]

I wondered this too, not the best season but I would have thought someone would have grabbed him.   He evidently has retired.

 

https://heavy.com/sports/buffalo-bills/bills-tackle-daryl-williams-retires/

[BADOLBILZ]

11 minutes ago, st pete gogolak said:

The reason I like Daryl Williams is that he ended the seemingly never-ending nightmare of Jordan Mills being our starting RT.  Granted he was not great last year and fully expected him to be a cap casualty but I'm surprised he is still on the market.  For the right price, I think he would be a nice fit as backup guard/tackle, especially with Spencer Brown missing some time.  What's the deal?  Is he out of shape?  No longer interested in playing football?  There's got to be a reason he is unsigned.  

 

 

I suspect he's just not that into football.

 

There are lots and lots of players who just do it for the money and once they reach an earnings threshold they can't wait to quit.

 

The Bills lucked out because an injury in Carolina after an All-Pro season caused him to miss an earlier payday so they got his high level athletic talent on the cheap in 2020.

 

I thought it was a little bizarre that he signed so quickly and for less money than he could have gotten on the open market.............and then watching him clearly arrive and perform like he had senioritis made me feel like maybe he just had a retirement number in mind when he signed that deal and then returned a compromised performance and snuck out the back door with his bag.

 

I know this much...........the 2021 version of Williams at RG and Bates at LG would have been a lot better than what we've seen out there...........though Saffold played better than I expected in KC.   

 

 

[Buffalo_Stampede]

21 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

he retired and started an OLine training school?

But why hasn’t Beane signed him? Sleeping?

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

40 minutes ago, st pete gogolak said:

The reason I like Daryl Williams is that he ended the seemingly never-ending nightmare of Jordan Mills being our starting RT.  Granted he was not great last year and fully expected him to be a cap casualty but I'm surprised he is still on the market.  For the right price, I think he would be a nice fit as backup guard/tackle, especially with Spencer Brown missing some time.  What's the deal?  Is he out of shape?  No longer interested in playing football?  There's got to be a reason he is unsigned.  

 

I think his knee is an issue.  

[Freddie's Dead]

30 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

 

Nope, he retired and started an OLine training school. I wasn't joking when I posted it, that's the real answer.

 

You made that ***** up.

[YattaOkasan]

38 minutes ago, Sierra Foothills said:

Legit question.

 

It was a bit mysterious that he had an excellent 2020 season at tackle, to the point the team gave him a 3 year contract.

 

Then he played poorly at tackle in 2021 but still salvaged the season by playing deccently at guard.

 

I have two theories... the Bills were unhappy with his physical condition after he signed the new contract and/or Aaron Kromer doesn't view him as a system fit.

 

I thought he was not great at guard last year.  Conversely I am very happy with pass pro to this point.  Bills have the lowest pressure rate in the NFL (link below).  Just awesome.  I got grief before the season for saying the OL would be much better.  That poster then tried to say that Saffold was at best a wash for Williams.  Pretty happy with how that has turned out.

 

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2022/advanced.htm

Edited October 21, 2022 by YattaOkasan

[BearNorth]

Doubt he is a good fit for Kromer's pin and pull system which requires pretty athletic O-lineman.

 

Josh's mobility requires that the O-line needs to be able to move as well.

 

Relative Athletic Score for the Bills regular Olinemen are all in the high 8's and 9's, Williams is a 2.5.

[BADOLBILZ]

14 minutes ago, YattaOkasan said:

I thought he was not great at guard last year.  Conversely I am very happy with pass pro to this point.  Bills have the lowest pressure rate in the NFL (link below).  Just awesome.  I got grief before the season for saying the OL would be much better.  That poster then tried to say that Saffold was at best a wash for Williams.  Pretty happy with how that has turned out.

 

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2022/advanced.htm

 

 

Saffold has been pretty terrible this season.  

[MiltonWaddams]

53 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

 

Nope, he retired and started an OLine training school. I wasn't joking when I posted it, that's the real answer.

I searched online. There is absolutely zero reference to any of this anywhere. If even the Internet can’t tell me that lie, then you can’t either.

[DrDawkinstein]

54 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

 

Nope, he retired and started an OLine training school. I wasn't joking when I posted it, that's the real answer.

 

Right. I'm saying that's why he chose to retire and start the school.

[Big Turk]

20 minutes ago, YattaOkasan said:

I thought he was not great at guard last year.  Conversely I am very happy with pass pro to this point.  Bills have the lowest pressure rate in the NFL (link below).  Just awesome.  I got grief before the season for saying the OL would be much better.  That poster then tried to say that Saffold was at best a wash for Williams.  Pretty happy with how that has turned out.

 

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2022/advanced.htm

 

It's weird...the Bills pass pro has been great in terms of Allen having a clean pocket for the most part but the Bills are pretty much dead average for pass blocking win rate/pass blocking grades 

1 minute ago, MiltonWaddams said:

I searched online. There is absolutely zero reference to any of this anywhere. If even the Internet can’t tell me that lie, then you can’t either.

 

Hahaha...it was in one of the articles about him retiring.

[YattaOkasan]

29 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

Saffold has been pretty terrible this season.  

So terrible that we have the lowest pressure rate?  OL is consistently something thats described as only as strong as your weakest link.  Unless you disagree with that hes been fine.  I think your specific concerns for him coming into the season were injuries?  I think you have to agree those have not been realized.

 

From my perspective he hasnt been as good in the run game as I would have expected, but I think hes been much better than expected in the pass game.  

Edited October 21, 2022 by YattaOkasan

[BADOLBILZ]

1 minute ago, YattaOkasan said:

So terrible that we have the lowest pressure rate?  OL is consistently something thats described as only as strong as your weakest link.  Unless you disagree with that hes been fine.  I think your specific concerns for him coming into the season were injuries?  I think you have to agree those have not been realized.

 

From my perspective he hasnt been as good in the run game as I would have expected, but I think hes been much better than expected in the pass game.  

 

It's true that he has not been sidelined with injury and that was a concern with him replacing Williams who missed no snaps in 19 games in 2022.

 

But Saffold has been individually awful.........one of the worst graded starters in the league.

 

He seemed to take a modest step forward against KC IMO but let's remember that the standard for the Bills OL isn't the horrible Cody Ford infested OL of last season..........it's the one that finished the season last year playing excellent all around with Bates in the lineup and Williams as starters.   

 

This Bills OL is getting good pass pro numbers but horrendous run block numbers.    Realistically they are somewhere in between both of those, IMO.   Allen has taken his game to another level with regard to pocket awareness and is getting the ball out quicker to make the pass pro seem better.........while until last game..........they have played a style of offense that makes their OL look much worse at run blocking than they really are.   

[Sierra Foothills]

20 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

Allen has taken his game to another level with regard to pocket awareness and is getting the ball out quicker to make the pass pro seem better.........while until last game..........they have played a style of offense that makes their OL look much worse at run blocking than they really are.   

 

I think you're onto something.

 

I've noticed Josh makes his pass protection look better than it is. Not only is he getting the ball out more quickly than ever before, he also moves in ways that strengthen the pocket instead of weakening it like many unaware quarterbacks do.

 

Josh rarely moves into a sack and he has that "up and down the ladder" move which seems to help his blockers.