Possible McKenzie Replacement Bills sign Deonte Harty (formally Deonte Harris)

[Dunkirk Donski]

1 minute ago, PBF81 said:

 

Which college, mind my asking?  

 

I mean it's the Northeast 10, again, hardly the SEC.  Tanner Gentry with Josh at Wyoming posted much better numbers.  So did Zay Jones.  

 

It doesn't seem to have translated to the NFL.  His biggest plays/TDs are in meaninless moments.  

 

In four seasons he's averaged fewer than 20 ypg and has 4 total TDs.  I'm simply not getting the optimism here.  LOL  This isn't the Northeast 10.  

 

 

Ha!  Lets just say we're almost always at the bottom of NE10, so my opinion may be skewed, but we couldn't cover that guy on kickoffs or as a wideout.  He stood out every single time he was on the field.  

[Saxum]

30 minutes ago, PBF81 said:

 

Seems like a typical Beane reach to me.  Again, I'm guessing he's trying to redeem himself for letting Hodgins go and thinks he found the Hodgins equivalent in NO.  

 

 

He is not all like Hodgins at all.  Hodgins showed nothing first few years and in the opportunities he got he did very little.

For Jiants he performed better because he was target on team with few targets and different offense game plan.

 

Strike out on Beane bashing.

[Beck Water]

24 minutes ago, ColoradoBills said:

 

It's the biggest risk of this signing.  Beane rolling the dice for $3.7M is the bottom line.  Personally, I believe McKenzie won't make the 53.

So, replacing McKenzie with Harty is a $1M or so gamble.  It has a chance to pay off pretty big if he can stay healthy.

 

I think it's quite possible McKenzie doesn't make the 53 man roster, but the Bills bring him into camp to compete with this guy and others.  JMO.  If this guy wins out, McKenzie will pocket $350,000 in new money (roster and workout bonus), the Bills will use his $1.87M salary and per-game roster bonuses to cover the expansion from 51 to 53 + PS

 

McKenzie may then retire and plan his wedding and run his restaurant, and this board will look for a new whipping boy.  OTOH, if Hardy gets injured in camp or doesn't work out as they wish, the Bills will take their lumps like they did with OJ Howard and keep McKenzie, like they kept Morris and Sweeney.

That scenario sees it as a $2M-$5M gamble.  Viewed that way, it's entirely consistent with Beane's MO: Corey Coleman for $3.5M in 2018 when we needed better OLmen desperately, OJ Howard for $3.5M in 2022, now this.

 

 

Edited March 15, 2023 by Beck Water

[PBF81]

7 minutes ago, Beck Water said:

 

I'm really struggling with this.  Hodgins is a very very different type of WR.

 

Also, I'm kind of missing the slowly part here?

 

I was going by the comments here that were praising Beane for signing a guy that would replace McKenzie, who's a classic slot WR.  I know little of this superstar burgeoning WR named Harty.  LOL  

 

Slowly?  Well, if you think it's more rapidly, so be it.  My point, Beane didn't do himself a favor with this signing.  Yes, I realize that the forum's gaga over it, that's the entertaining part about it.  We'll sign a few dumpster diving players, probably more OL-men, and the optimism will be through the roof there too.  LOL  Just pointing it out.  

 

I mean seriously, look back historically at all the signings that everyone claimed would help us, Hines for example offensively, he was supposed to be that short option that Allen missed.  LOL, he had 5 catches here last season.  OK, so he only played half a season.  He had 25 catches, five times as many, in one fewer games in Indy last season.  We can double that to 10 for the full season.  He averaged 47 in five seasons in Indy.  

 

Do with it what you will.   

 

 

[brianthomas]

i'm taken back by his name change. Is he Deonte Harris or Deonte Harty?

And what are the implications of a player who cant even decide on what last name to use?

What hope do we have on the field when he's deciding on which way to run?
Not a good look lol

 

i joke around but after seeing Beane attempt to address the slot position MULTIPLE times last year... i hope he's finally found "the one" this time.

I do think a taller wr would be a better match for Josh but lets see how it looks on the field before its an issue.

GO BILLS

[Bangarang]

34 minutes ago, PBF81 said:

 

Agree with you on WR2.  But honestly, everyone was just talking about Kumerow replacing McKenzie.  

 

Seems like a lot of money for what he could bring but hasn't shown the ability to in the NFL in four seasons to date.  So he was injured last season, but in his third, not rookie or second season, in his third season he had 36 catches for 570 and 3 TDs, on a team absolutely starving for WR-ing talent.  Of his three TDs, one was a garbage-time TD in a loss and another the fifth TD in a 38-3 blowout.  Doesn't exactly spell out Mr. Clutch here.  LOL 

 

Even if he matches that here, it seems like a whole lot of money.  He did next to nothing in his first two seasons.  

 

Seems like a typical Beane reach to me.  Again, I'm guessing he's trying to redeem himself for letting Hodgins go and thinks he found the Hodgins equivalent in NO.  

 

Like everything, we'll see.  ....  LOL  

 

 

 

What on earth are you even talking about comparing this signing to Hodgins? 

[Allen2D̶i̶g̶g̶s̶TBD]

I think he will be out gadget guy on end arounds, punt returner, #4 wr and deep threat. We still need a true slot receiver to move the chains and McKenzie isn't that guy.

[Success]

1 minute ago, PBF81 said:

 

I was going by the comments here that were praising Beane for signing a guy that would replace McKenzie, who's a classic slot WR.  I know little of this superstar burgeoning WR named Harty.  LOL  

 

Slowly?  Well, if you think it's more rapidly, so be it.  My point, Beane didn't do himself a favor with this signing.  Yes, I realize that the forum's gaga over it, that's the entertaining part about it.  We'll sign a few dumpster diving players, probably more OL-men, and the optimism will be through the roof there too.  LOL  Just pointing it out.  

 

I mean seriously, look back historically at all the signings that everyone claimed would help us, Hines for example offensively, he was supposed to be that short option that Allen missed.  LOL, he had 5 catches here last season.  OK, so he only played half a season.  He had 25 catches, five times as many, in one fewer games in Indy last season.  We can double that to 10 for the full season.  He averaged 47 in five seasons in Indy.  

 

Do with it what you will.   

 

 

 

So, you're saying that you know very little about this guy - and yet are characterizing it as "dumpster diving" and criticizing the move.  

 

Checks out for the board.

 

[Straight Hucklebuck]

This signing is almost not worth talking about to me. 

 

He is more of the same from Beane. 

 

This delusion of Swiss Army Knife players that can take dump offs to the house. 

 

Once McDermott gets a sniff of his Special Teams abilities, he'll get permanently stuck there.

[newcam2012]

1 hour ago, PBF81 said:

 

I read up in the thread someone said that Harty's a slot WR.  Not true?  

 

I'll be honest, I don't know much about him, but what's down isn't in the least impressive.  

 

If he's not slot, like Hodgins, then I see him getting even fewer targets.  

 

We'll see.  Again, the overreactions here to a guy that hasn't even average 20 ypg in three-plus seasons is ridiculous.  

 

We need a slot WR more than anything.  People were talking about Harty replacing McKenzie.  Not true?  I'm just going by what people have said, here, in this thread.  I don't see him being anymore than a 5WR, and that's a lot of bucks for that.  

 

What is a an indisputable fact is that Harty/Harris, whatever, was on a team entirely bereft of #1 caliber WRs.  If he were that good, I suspect he'd have done better.  

 

 

Pretty pricey pick up for what looks to be a gadet WR. He adds speed but this pick up seems like a reach. 

 

I'll be in wait and see mode. Amazes me how others here think he's a godsend. As you've stated based on his past peformance it hard to get excited.

 

Likely another Beane miss than a hit?

Edited March 15, 2023 by newcam2012

[Einstein]

Wow. Some of the Saints fans (his former team) are obliterating this signing.

 

 

Here are the comments from the Saints forum:

 

 

"Unfortunately, it seems Deontay’s small body may not be able to consistently endure full seasons at the pro level. He also seemed zoned out last season." - breesgirl

 

 

"Already missed 23 games in 4 years due to injury and 3 to suspension. Not to mention the 9 fumbles in the games he did play. Buffalo did us a favor, we will break a table for em." - 44slayer

 

 

"My gosh, you can’t make these contracts up. The money teams are throwing at former Saints players is ridiculous. He basically won the lottery. I don’t think any other team except for the Bills were going to offer him that kind of money. He is an injury waiting to happen just because of his small stature." - dvdman

 

 

"Expensive guy for the rehab room" - dataussie

 

 

"He will probably fit in really well there. He always seemed to have some potential that wasn't fully unlocked here and Shaheed just made him expendable. Wish him well" - t-rex23

 

 

"Massive overpay" - Beerbaron

 

 

"They can have him" - Rajincajun83

 

 

"Won't miss this guy." Que Que 6

 

 

"Small school KR/PR guys are a dime a dozen as UDFAs, next." - Seafog

 

 

"The Bills overpaid for Harty just like the Saints did for Peat" - fishing4food

 

 

"He wasn't playing even when healthy last year was he? I don't get the big money on this one." - Elvis

 

 

"That is an expensive addition to their Tub Club. Glad we moved on from him, we dont need inactive all stars." - 44slayer

 

 

"He showed up in the 2019 and 2020 playoffs. But as the TB game showed in 2020, he could be a big asset when healthy (although he looked shaky last year even before he got hurt) but he was prone to injuries." - lordpoopington

 

 

"Loved him whole here and made a lot of plays for us. I wish him well" - tim martin

 

 

"Agreed. I know players are worth whatever anyone is willing to pay them, but this seems like a massive overpay for someone that's barely on the field and when he is, the impact is minimal outside of a VERY small handful of highlight plays." - saintaholic

 

 

"They must really need a PR/KR/WR4 type. That’s a ridiculous amount for him. Glad he got paid. Even happier my Saints didn’t write that check. Good luck to him, though." - breesgirl

 

 

"Shame, he was great here and has been my favourite return man by far as a Saint. Crazy to see how many guys are signing away from us for big money!" - Cowtownsaint

 

 

"If he can stay healthy in Buffalo, it's a great offense for him to be in. A ton of speed and QB with an absolute cannon in Allen." - belowzero

 

 

"I wish him well, but players of his stature rarely have long careers in the NFL…." - sfidc3

 

 

"Hes gonna check out on them too." - shortfuzed9

 

 

"Allen has an arm. He will hit Harty with some deep shots and he will be their returner. If he's healthy and his head is in a good place, this will be a good fit for him." - MV2

 

 

"Nice for him ,that's a lot of $ But i'd rather keep Shaheed than Harty" - killerdescore

 

 

"We have a bigger and cheaper and younger version of him in Shaheed... So he was never coming back here anyway... I wish him well in Buffalo... He was a good player here." - infoman

link

 

Edited March 15, 2023 by Einstein

[PBF81]

8 minutes ago, Success said:

Has he played w/ an elite QB?

 

I'm excited to see what he does w/ Allen.  I keep reading that he has elite separation skills, and is also good at forcing missed tackles.   We do not have anyone on the roster who can stretch the field, and he fits that bill.

 

I can see Allen bringing out the best in him, and a few deep balls where Harty is 10 yards past the defender....

 

Meh.  He played with QBs that lofted 29 TDs.  He caught 3 of them.  Twice in meaningless situations.  

 

Marquez Callaway posted a notably better season with the same QBs.  He had over 100 more yards and twice the TDs.  If we had signed him would you have been excited?  If Harty's so good, how come he couldn't have outperformed a depth-caliber WR?  

 

 

[NewEra]

23 minutes ago, Rico said:

You said he always impressed you, I’m just saying I was not impressed. 

Cool.  You weren’t impressed that day…. with Trevor Simian under center and Tony Jones Jr as the RB.

 

Thanks for sharing.

[PBF81]

1 minute ago, Einstein said:

Wow. Some of the Saints fans (his former team) are obliterating this signing. I know that Saints fans probably watched their own player less than @NewEra, but they have their opinions too.

 

Here are the comments from the Saints forum:

 

"Unfortunately, it seems Deontay’s small body may not be able to consistently endure full seasons at the pro level. He also seemed zoned out last season." - breesgirl

 

"Already missed 23 games in 4 years due to injury and 3 to suspension. Not to mention the 9 fumbles in the games he did play. Buffalo did us a favor, we will break a table for em." - 44slayer

 

"Expensive guy for the rehab room" - dataussie

 

"He will probably fit in really well there. He always seemed to have some potential that wasn't fully unlocked here and Shaheed just made him expendable. Wish him well" - t-rex23

 

"My gosh, you can’t make these contracts up. The money teams are throwing at former Saints players is ridiculous. He basically won the lottery. I don’t think any other team except for the Bills were going to offer him that kind of money. He is an injury waiting to happen just because of his small stature." - dvdman

 

"Small school KR/PR guys are a dime a dozen as UDFAs, next." - Seafog

 

"The Bills overpaid for Harty just like the Saints did for Peat" - fishing4food

 

 

"He wasn't playing even when healthy last year was he? I don't get the big money on this one." - Elvis

 

"That is an expensive addition to their Tub Club. Glad we moved on from him, we dont need inactive all stars." - 44slayer

 

"He showed up in the 2019 and 2020 playoffs. But as the TB game showed in 2020, he could be a big asset when healthy (although he looked shaky last year even before he got hurt) but he was prone to injuries." - lordpoopington

 

"Massive overpay" - Beerbaron

 

"They can have him" - Rajincajun83

 

"Won't miss this guy." Que Que 6

 

"Loved him whole here and made a lot of plays for us. I wish him well" - tim martin

 

"Agreed. I know players are worth whatever anyone is willing to pay them, but this seems like a massive overpay for someone that's barely on the field and when he is, the impact is minimal outside of a VERY small handful of highlight plays." - saintaholic

 

"They must really need a PR/KR/WR4 type. That’s a ridiculous amount for him. Glad he got paid. Even happier my Saints didn’t write that check. Good luck to him, though." - breesgirl

 

"Shame, he was great here and has been my favourite return man by far as a Saint. Crazy to see how many guys are signing away from us for big money!" - Cowtownsaint

 

"If he can stay healthy in Buffalo, it's a great offense for him to be in. A ton of speed and QB with an absolute cannon in Allen." - belowzero

 

"I wish him well, but players of his stature rarely have long careers in the NFL…." - sfidc3

 

"Nice for him ,that's a lot of $ But i'd rather keep Shaheed than Harty" - killerdescore

 

"We have a bigger and cheaper and younger version of him in Shaheed... So he was never coming back here anyway... I wish him well in Buffalo... He was a good player here." - infoman

link

 

 

Ahhh, what do they know!  LOL 

 

 

 

[mjt328]

This is the type of signing where I used to just trust the front office.  But after last year, I just don't know...

 

So far in his career, it seems like Deonte Harty/Harris has been mostly a return specialist.  Which would we great if we didn't have Nyheim Hines on the roster.  But we do, so it seems somewhat redundant.

Maybe this signals that Harty (or Hines) will be more involved in the offense.  But that would assume Ken Dorsey has a master plan.  And last year it certainly didn't seem like he knew how to get these kinds of players the ball.  Hines had a whopping 11 touches (rushing + receiving) in his nine games with us.  Gadget plays for Isaiah McKenzie were nowhere to be found.

 

There seems to be a growing disconnect between our General Manager and the coaching staff.  Hopefully this doesn't turn into another wasted signing.

 

[First Round Bust]

Beane has to be creative this FA season...

 

teaser: 

impressive aspect of Harty’s game is his mere 5.3% career drop rate. On 97 career targets in the regular season, he’s only dropped four balls. On top of being a big play waiting to happen, he’s reliable. And the yards after catch stat is just the icing on the cake for him.

 

A Tyreek "Horizontal" Hill catch and run and score:

https://twitter.com/Saints/status/1466626187640381440?ref_src=twsrc^tfw|twcamp^tweetembed|twterm^1466626187640381440|twgr^1a20c72f3e256451f3942777be57d588bcf777d1|twcon^s1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.canalstreetchronicles.com%2F2022%2F1%2F20%2F22892464%2F2021-was-just-a-taste-of-the-impact-deonte-harty-can-have-for-the-saints

 

Below link to 2021 review some + stats

 

2022 was a waste and perhaps our gain ???

 

https://www.canalstreetchronicles.com/2022/1/20/22892464/2021-was-just-a-taste-of-the-impact-deonte-harty-can-have-for-the-saints

Edited March 15, 2023 by First Round Bust
teaser

[PBF81]

10 minutes ago, Unsavory Peterman said:

Ha!  Lets just say we're almost always at the bottom of NE10, so my opinion may be skewed, but we couldn't cover that guy on kickoffs or as a wideout.  He stood out every single time he was on the field.  

 

Well, per your own words.  Zay Jones tore up the FCS.  

 

Again, it's not the SEC.  BTW, I love watching football in some of those minor conferences, FWIW.  I wish we had one closer to where I lived.  

 

[Process]

McKenzie has a $250K roster bonus due 3/17. Wouldn't be surprised if he is cut today or tomorrow. 

[Rico]

3 minutes ago, NewEra said:

Cool.  You weren’t impressed that day…. with Trevor Simian under center and Tony Jones Jr as the RB.

 

Thanks for sharing.

You’re welcome.

[PBF81]

9 minutes ago, Limeaid said:

Strike out on Beane bashing.

 

LOL, Beane doesn't need an assist from me.  Just sayin'.  He's doin' fine all by himself.  

 

If things don't change/improve rapidly, watching the comments here at the end of or even during the season will be funny.  Keep in mind, mine won't change much, but the swing by those insisting that he's doing great are going to be the most hilarious as they typically are.