Ryan Bates traded

[colin]

the 2025 savings matter, contracts and dead cap can be shifted there.

 

this is the quintessential getting younger and cheaper.  they are looking at places to avoid putting out contracts that don't get value.  the obvious ones are tre, miller, knox and to a much lesser extend milano (bad value last year, as he was hurt, and is often hurt, but is a legit stud ow).

 

but every little helps, and saving 5 sticks on a guy in 2025 who they think doesn't help the team more than the RFA they have on the roster now opens things up.

 

we are going to have to put some cap money into the dline.  maybe draft 2 or even more guys, but we have like 4 guys on the roster, and need 7 or 8 at a bare minimum.  we will not be having 2 and 3 rookies on the DL in games on a consistent basis, so either throw money at d'quan (i dunno, older and hurt might scare them off) or some other 1 tech, and we need another back up 1 tech, and a back up 3 tech, and at least 1 more DE too.  that money has to come from somewhere.

[NewEra]

25 minutes ago, Spiderweb said:

All to save a pitance? 1.4 mil? Garbage move.... 

all to save 1.4M and receive a 5th rd pick for a backup 

[Logic]

4 hours ago, DJB said:

Nothing wrong with having great depth especially at the OL spot though. 
 

If the OL is banged up this thread is getting bumped next season by someone for sure 

You're not wrong.

I just think that depth at OL is something Beane has been pretty good at over the years. He hasn't always been great at having quality players at the TOP of the depth chart at OL -- the guard spots have been on-and-off liabilities for years -- but there always seems to be a good group of depth guys.

I think that with Ryan VanDemark emerging at tackle and them liking Alec Anderson a lot at C/G, they've made a conscious decision to go young at OL behind the starters, which is a prudent move from both a money-saving and player development standpoint.

Between the deep OL draft this year and Beane's shrewdness over the years in finding young, overlooked guys in the second and third waves of free agency, I have faith that a Bates replacement will be found. I certainly understand the reticence of those who do not share my belief, though.

[Don Otreply]

12 hours ago, Green Lightning said:

One can hope. Or maybe bypass another solid center for another Boogie Bashem.

You are just a bundle of happiness aren’t you 😂

[HappyDays]

1 hour ago, MrEpsYtown said:

Do I think there is a chance the Bills release him? Sure because you save 8.5 million with just 3 million of dead cap and there are a ton of centers on the market. But I think there is a better chance they extend him as at his physical shape he can probably play another 4-5 years.

 

The reason you move on from Morse is it frees up cap space to fill holes at more important positions, namely EDGE and WR. $8.5M is significant.

[TheyCallMeAndy]

26 minutes ago, NewEra said:

all to save 1.4M and receive a 5th rd pick for a backup 

And open up a large chunk of cap room for next year, when we may ‘eat’ Allen’s dead cap. 

[DJB]

8 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

The reason you move on from Morse is it frees up cap space to fill holes at more important positions, namely EDGE and WR. $8.5M is significant.

Morse might be the most important piece on our OL.

 

It’s why the past 3 years some board members have been calling for him to be cut but it doesn’t happen. 
 

Unless we have a younger but obvious upgrade it makes no sense in releasing Morse 

[SCBills]

36 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

The reason you move on from Morse is it frees up cap space to fill holes at more important positions, namely EDGE and WR. $8.5M is significant.

 

It would be a bit difficult for me to stomach that if they don't trim the fat on Defense, i.e. cut/trade Rasul Douglas.  IMO, he's a similar player to Morse on the Defensive side of the ball.  Good, not elite.  Aging.  One year left on his deal.  We could certainly stand to get younger there.  And with him, we have a former RD1 pick behind him. 

 

And it might make perfect sense to cut Morse.. I don't really agree or disagree either way.  Just the idea that we need to make cap moves and (if they cut Morse and then extend Dawkins, restructure Allen and that's really it) we somehow managed to only clear cap by moving off Josh Allen's starting Center and backup utility G/C lol... again, it might make sense, but it's just another point-to-the-scoreboard moment of those of us who think they invest in Defense to the constant detriment of Josh Allen's help. 

[Westside]

1 hour ago, WhitewalkerInPhilly said:

If that 5th gets used to move up in the 1st or 2nd round to get a receiver this board is in love with, no one is going to care about Bates.

Unless our OL gets decimated with injuries, then you’ll wish we still had Bates.

[Big Blitz]

I think it’s also as simple as they like VanDemark and Anderson and probably are resigning Edwards.  
 

Get 1 or 2 other guys especially a backup center and I just don’t think it’s a big deal.  
 

I also think Morse probably has 2-3 seasons left in the tank which could mean we have options with salary.  
 

Have a plan B ready but Center is the absolute last thing I’m worried about.   

I like Morse more then others I know.  

Edited March 5 by Big Blitz

[MrEpsYtown]

1 hour ago, HappyDays said:

 

The reason you move on from Morse is it frees up cap space to fill holes at more important positions, namely EDGE and WR. $8.5M is significant.

 

I think it's a possibility. I would disagree with it to an extent, but the money savings is significant. I think they should run it back with the same offensive line, something that is very rare today. I would extend Morse and spread out the hit if I can. 

[pocoboy]

I think this is how you have to approach this year - try and pack in the hurt in 2024. Get lots of youth, try to develop some guys, but eat some dead cap on anyone you don't see in future plans. If it means we decline a bit this year, so be it, we have Allen who should cover a multitude of sins. If he's on a Mahomes level like so many of us want to believe, he's gotta start showing that huge salary is justified with less around him.

 

[HankBulloughMellencamp]

34 minutes ago, DJB said:

Morse might be the most important piece on our OL.

 

It’s why the past 3 years some board members have been calling for him to be cut but it doesn’t happen. 
 

Unless we have a younger but obvious upgrade it makes no sense in releasing Morse 

 

Agree wholeheartedly!

 

Let us remember the 🔥tire fire🔥 we had at center in 2018, Josh's first season, when we tried to just cheaply cover the departure of Eric Wood with an incumbent utilityman with limited starting experience at the position (Ryan Groy). Then we tellingly brought in Russell Bodine very late in the preseason, who was not much better.

 

BBB's first order of business after making rookie Josh scramble for his life was to bring in Morse, who has been rock solid since his arrival here in 2019.

 

I think we should extend Morse by a year or two to help our current cap situation. And based on last year, we should not in any way mess around with those five starters on that O line for any reason!

 

The trading away of "Rick" Bates, a potentially more economical replacement as a starting C, seems to indicate this is what BBB is probably planning to do.

[KOKBILLS]

The Bills have 11 picks now...

 

So...to me at least...Here's what this trade means.

 

Trading their 3rd round (comp) pick should get the Bills up to about 23rd overall.

Trading their 4th round pick should get the Bills up to about 26th overall. 

Trading both those picks and a little something from next year could get them into the 20th overall range. 

 

I think they are Brian Thomas hunting... We'll see... 

Edited March 5 by KOKBILLS

[BADOLBILZ]

1 hour ago, BuffaloBillyG said:

Let it play out. 

 

Moving on from him now saves $5.4M against the 2025 cap next year. Which means that Beane now has a tad more flexibility to sign an impactful player and add a void year with no net loss to dead cap next season. 

 

That could be the difference between signing a Leonard Floyd type player as opposed to a low level EDGE. 

 

 

Yeah, this is the point of trading Bates.

 

The cap room gained next season is just as valuable as it is now.   Getting under the cap before UFA isn't really going to be a challenge.    Bates is excellent depth but as they get deeper into cap debt they need to sacrifice experienced depth for youth.   Anderson and Van Demark represent the youth replacing Bates versatility as the C/swing tackle.   I think that's a better situation than relying on Eli Ankou as the depth at DT1T, for instance.      

[HappyDays]

1 hour ago, DJB said:

Morse might be the most important piece on our OL.

 

I don't agree with this at all. Dawkins is inarguably our most important OL. I think center is the least important position on the OL. As long as they are capable and can snap the ball reliably, and you have a vet QB that can set his own protections, I just don't see it as a difficult position to fill. I'd much rather have two stalwart guards than a stalwart center.

[Prospector]

28 minutes ago, Big Blitz said:

I think it’s also as simple as they like VanDemark and Anderson and probably are resigning Edwards.  
 

Get 1 or 2 other guys especially a backup center and I just don’t think it’s a big deal.  
 

I also think Morse probably had 2-3 seasons left in the tank which could mean we have options with salary.  
 

Have a plan B ready but Center is the absolute last thing I’m worried about.   

I like Morse then others I know.  

You like Morse, then after that, you like others that you know? I am pretty sure you can like multiple people at the same time.

 

Unless you meant that you like Morse more than others do... which would make morse sense now that I think about it.

[HappyDays]

46 minutes ago, SCBills said:

 

It would be a bit difficult for me to stomach that if they don't trim the fat on Defense, i.e. cut/trade Rasul Douglas.  IMO, he's a similar player to Morse on the Defensive side of the ball.  Good, not elite.  Aging.  One year left on his deal.  We could certainly stand to get younger there.  And with him, we have a former RD1 pick behind him. 

 

And it might make perfect sense to cut Morse.. I don't really agree or disagree either way.  Just the idea that we need to make cap moves and (if they cut Morse and then extend Dawkins, restructure Allen and that's really it) we somehow managed to only clear cap by moving off Josh Allen's starting Center and backup utility G/C lol... again, it might make sense, but it's just another point-to-the-scoreboard moment of those of us who think they invest in Defense to the constant detriment of Josh Allen's help. 

 

CB is a lot more important than center though. I've said elsewhere if they cut Douglas for the cap savings and force Elam onto the field I don't have a problem with it, but for me if it's a choice between Morse and Douglas I'm sticking with the more valuable and difficult to fill position. Offense vs defense only comes into my mind if we're talking about equal positional value, i.e. WR vs EDGE I would rather spend our resources on WR.

[Billl]

4 hours ago, DieHardBillsFan said:

That trade value is terrible. Only thing that makes sense is he is a cap casualty.

What do you think the going rate is for backup centers?  I think they did well to get anything more than a seventh rounder for him.

[HappyDays]

18 minutes ago, MrEpsYtown said:

I think they should run it back with the same offensive line, something that is very rare today.

 

So I think about NFL roster building like a game of whack-a-mole. It's impossible to solve every problem and often times solving one problem creates another problem elsewhere. So I accept that losing Morse creates a problem, namely in continuity like you say. But if we use his savings to solve a different problem at a more important position it is still a net gain for the team. I would rather lose IOL continuity to gain WR or EDGE talent than vice versa.