Brandon Beane’s Tenure by Letter Grade—Poll is Up!

[Chaos]

6 hours ago, NoHuddleKelly12 said:

The issue I respectfully have with your proposed fix, is that it places fault for any coaching failures on the GM’s doorstep as well, and that’s a bridge too far imho. Note: it says “put us in a position to…”; he has no part of actual game day coaching decisions over his roster. I think we can agree that the quality he’s put out there under the right circumstances is more than capable of deep playoff runs, yes? 

If the Bills organization does not trust him with the head coaching decison, he can’t be considered a top GM, only a top player personnel manager.  The top GMs are given control over the organization.  

[Alphadawg7]

9 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Hmm interesting thought exercise. Here is my take:

 

Position	Draft	FA + Trades	Notes
Quarterback	A	C+	Josh obvious stud. Think he has done a reasonably well with the vet backups he has landed in recent FA rounds
Running Back	B	D	Singletary and Cook have been good starters from day 2 of the draft. However, a third day two pick at the position (Moss) washed out. And if you are investing day 1 or 2 capital at a low value position like RB they have to hit. FA role players have generally been no more than JAGS.
O Line	C	B-	Miss on his highest drafted OL (Ford) who he traded up for hurts. Brown seems to have turned it around and Cybo was a decent rookie. Mixed bag in FA but more good (Williams, Morse, McGovern, Spain - for a bit) than bad though Saffold was an obvious mistake that could have been avoided IMO.
Tight End	B+	E	Dawson Knox is a good all around tight end who was one of the most productive redzone tight ends in football in 2021 and 2022, Kincaid had a top 10 all time rookie tight end season. His biggest FA shot was Tyler Kroft back in 2019 and he majorly underperfomed his contract.
Wide Receiver	C	A-	Hard to score the draft. He has underprioritised the position there, but two of his day 3 shots - Gabe and Khalil developed into NFL starting receivers so you have to factor that in. Diggs alone makes the pro personnel grade an A (Brown, Beasley and Sanders factor in too) but I've nicked a half point back for the Kelvin Benjamin trade and some of the second tier FAs.
D Line	C+	D+	Mixed bag in the draft. Oliver a stud. Groot a good starter. AJE developed into a good rotational rusher years 3 and 4 but probably still underperformed his round 2 status. Boogie miss hurts and no elite talent despite the investment. From FA its mainly misses (and some big $$ ones) Floyd and Jones apart.
Linebacker	B	N/A	Bernard hitting last year helps this grade. Edmunds while he never quite justified his pick, was a 5 year starter. They have barely used FA at the spot beyond STers. Even their backups - Dodson, Spector etc have been draftees or UDFAs.
Corner	C-	C+	Had some success finding starting calibre players with late round picks / UDFAs - Wallace, Jackson and Benford etc - but looks like a big miss on his one premium pick at the spot (and a confusing process given the obvious scheme question). Douglas a good trade, Vontae less said the better.
Safety	N/A	D	Bishop is the first pick before round 6 spent at the position. So that's a TBC. Hyde and Poyer were not Beane pickups. I'm not as in love with Rapp as some and they gave up a pick two years ago to bring Marlow (a total JAG) back and then barely used him.

 

OL I would give a solid B in FA.

 

WR - IMO you didn’t grade him on who he took, but on volume and I don’t think that is a correct way to grade his drafting.  He hit on 2 day 3 picks with starters, just because we had guys like Diggs, Cole, Brown, Sanders in FA is why we didn’t spend more draft capital there.   I would give him a B as he has done well when he’s drafted the position.

 

DL - I think you’re being a little harsh on DL, but I’m not too far off.  I’d give him a B on drafting as he’s gotten good returns on all his main picks but one, which he still traded to recoup a little value back.  I think I would lean more C or C- on FA.

 

Corner - I think you are over weighing one pick and whose story still isn’t finished in Elam.  Beane has had a very good track record of finding value at the corner position.  This is a B for me as I’m not going to kill him on Elam until I see how Elam does this camp and preseason.  And he is off to a good start, but also it’s early.  And the Rasul acquisition and retaining him this year I think elevates his FA a B as well.  
 

Safety - Again, I find D harsh, he hasn’t had to go to FA to find anything but backups prior to this year.  To give him a D for a couple guys that backed up Poyer and Hyde feels harsh.  And we don’t yet know bow well they will play this year if either of them start (Hyde might also still come back and Bishop is competing to start).  

[Chicken Boo]

1 hour ago, Logic said:

Respectfully -- and this is coming from someone who has been vocally displeased about some aspects of this offseason -- I don't see how the guy who presides over the second winningest football team of the past four years could be considered anything less than a B. Unless it is your contention that the wins are solely due to Allen and McDermott, but even then, it was Beane that DRAFTED Josh Allen. 

To each their own, I suppose, but B- seems a tad harsh for the GM of such a consistently winning and successful football team.

 

*I give him a B as long as this current WR corps performs.  If Keon is a bust, then it's a B-.

 

I understand your view point, but yes, when you have Josh Allen, winning is a little easier.

 

I fault him for not surrounding Josh with more talent on offense, which seems like a no-brainer.   

 

We're going into season 7, again, hoping that Josh can Superman us to a Super Bowl.  It's inexcusable.  

 

Wins are nice, but what has it resulted in aside from early playoff exits?  Beane is creeping into Ted Thompson territory, wasting a generational talent at QB.

Edited June 13 by Chicken Boo

[Mark Vader]

6 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

Basically this poll is:

 

Is Brandon Beane great..........or the greatest ever.

 

Anything less than an A and you are calling Beane trash using the OP's qualifications.

 

I've seen this before he is a long time regime apologist.

So, you're grade is.....

[BADOLBILZ]

1 minute ago, Mark Vader said:

So, you're grade is.....

 

 

B was my poll response.........but not using the OP's qualifications.

 

A+ executive.  

 

B grade drafter

 

D grade pro personnel

 

C grade personnel man overall (competent but well short of excellent)

[GunnerBill]

3 hours ago, NoHuddleKelly12 said:

Badol, respectfully disagree. The #1 thing that a GM has to get right is QB. Failing that, not much else matters in terms of building a Super Bowl caliber roster. Whaley claims to have been the guy responsible for pushing to draft EJ Manuel #13 in round 1, and he sold the farm to grab Watkins when we had no one to throw the ball to him—plus the Taylor and Dareus extensions were part of the bloat I was referencing. Worst might be foisting Marrone/Rexy on us (he also claimed each time to be very involved in pushing those hires). I could go on. Point is, not for nothing when the current regime took over, Beane had to take some considerable cap medicine as all one hit in year 2018 (ca. 40 mill) purging the Bills from their bad contracts all at once, and paving the way for the FA spending spree that helped bring in Morse, Beasley etc., lifting this team to new heights. 
https://billswire.usatoday.com/2018/03/16/buffalo-bills-2018-nfl-season-dead-cap/

 

I know FOR A FACT that Whaley did not push either of those hires.

32 minutes ago, Chaos said:

If the Bills organization does not trust him with the head coaching decison, he can’t be considered a top GM, only a top player personnel manager.  The top GMs are given control over the organization.  

 

Not true. Brett Veach, Eric DeCosta and John Lynch are three of the top half dozen GMs in football. None of them have control over coaching. It is increasinly common now for organisations to have GMs and HCs on the same tier of the organisational structure both reporting into a senior football exec or the owner directly.

[Einstein's Dog]

39 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

Beane frustrates me because he's an elite executive and seemingly isn't just shooting from the hip. I think he makes every move with a clear plan in mind. But he has just refused to really build around the franchise's greatest asset. That is such an important function of his job that failing to do it almost wipes out all of the good that he's done.

I had the similar thoughts on how Beane presents himself.  Yet, what then was his plan when he traded Diggs?  Because what we currently have does not seem like the result of a wizardly plan.  Just when the rest of the young core starts to look above average (Kincaid/Cook/Shakir) the rug of the outside WRs get pulled out from underneath.

 

And did Beane/McD/Brady get together and decide on a shorter passing game?  The ball control, shorter, YAC, Kincaid/Shakir/Samuel/Cook check down.  Because clearly that's what we're best suited for at this time.  I'm hoping this isn't a long term thing.

 

And the selection of K Coleman seems odd with this mix.  He's younger, seems less pro-ready, than some of the other available choices.  And while we think he may have been Beane's choice all along, Beane traded down twice with one trade down giving away the 5th year tag option.

 

I'm having difficulty reconciling my previous thoughts of a guy with a plan, thinking several moves ahead, with the total chaos of the Diggs/outside WR situation.

[MarlinTheMagician]

12 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

He is a B for me. I think he is one of the best GMs in the league at identifying players who can play in this league and building a roster strategically with depth. 

 

The reason he isn't an A is he has struggled to find elite game changers. I know, he hasn't drafted high since 2019 and the two very early picks he made - Josh in 2018 and then Ed Oliver in 2019 are his two most impactful in terms of game changing talents (fair gap between the two, but point stands). However, he has had a LOT of draft picks now. He has made 44 picks as the Bills GM (excluding the ones this spring yet to have a chance to make an impact). Allen stands well alone as #1 as any elite QB always does, I'd put Ed Oliver #2 and Taron Johnson #3. But who is #4? Gabe Davis? James Cook? Dawson Knox? Rousseau? And while Ed is very good (better than most fans believe) he remains a tick below elite for me and Taron is a top 5 nickel corner but in terms of positional value that isn't necessarily a dial mover. 

 

It is why he has had to spend big assets (cap and picks) on the likes of Diggs and Von Miller to try and bring that elite sparkle that all championship teams need. 

 

I like Brandon, like him a lot. He talks really well, I think he is pretty candid (sometimes without meaning to be) and he comes across as pretty authentic. It isn't easy, I accept that. But 44 picks - one elite talent. That is what stops me giving him an A. 

Fairly or not I credit him with Dawkins and Milano as well.  I consider them elite.  There are some pretty big names left off your list too - Torrence, Kincaid, Benford and Bernard to name 4.  I think our team would be MUCH less without those four players.  I think they are all "potentially elite" and difference makers right now.

[NoHuddleKelly12]

51 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

I know FOR A FACT that Whaley did not push either of those hires.

 

Not true. Brett Veach, Eric DeCosta and John Lynch are three of the top half dozen GMs in football. None of them have control over coaching. It is increasinly common now for organisations to have GMs and HCs on the same tier of the organisational structure both reporting into a senior football exec or the owner directly.

@GunnerBill, here is a quote from Ryan Talbot stating, “Doug Whaley played a big role in two coaching hires that ultimately failed.”

https://www.newyorkupstate.com/buffalo-bills/2017/04/buffalo_bills_best_and_worst_moves_during_the_doug_whaley_era.html

 
I have no inside information of course, and it’s also very possible that Talbot was misinformed…but I wanted to at least let you know that I normally don’t spout off without a reference or 2 to fall back on for it. Again, Talbot’s article doesn’t quote an independent source so take it for what it’s worth. 🙂

[Ethan in Cleveland]

He's a very good GM - ss good as Butler but not yet in the Polian stratosphere.  I have been more impressed with most of his moves in FA - both signing other players, getting guys to take pay cuts, and getting guys to re-sign, than his draft picks.

If Oliver is his second best pick that's pretty poor given not a single ProBowl for a top 10 pick. However there is a good chance by the end of this year we will be debating if Kincaid and/or Torrence are better than Oliver.  As others have said Taron Johnson is probably his most impactful pick outside of Allen. 

My least favorite moves were drafting Oliver, drafting Epenesa and then re-signing him, and worst of all was not trading for Miller in 2021. Benjamin trade did not work out but I supported it at the time. 

 

All said if Cleveland or the Jets take Allen he would have been out of a job two years ago. 

[BillsFanForever19]

2 hours ago, Einstein's Dog said:

I had the similar thoughts on how Beane presents himself.  Yet, what then was his plan when he traded Diggs?  Because what we currently have does not seem like the result of a wizardly plan.  Just when the rest of the young core starts to look above average (Kincaid/Cook/Shakir) the rug of the outside WRs get pulled out from underneath.

 

And did Beane/McD/Brady get together and decide on a shorter passing game?  The ball control, shorter, YAC, Kincaid/Shakir/Samuel/Cook check down.  Because clearly that's what we're best suited for at this time.  I'm hoping this isn't a long term thing.

 

And the selection of K Coleman seems odd with this mix.  He's younger, seems less pro-ready, than some of the other available choices.  And while we think he may have been Beane's choice all along, Beane traded down twice with one trade down giving away the 5th year tag option.

 

I'm having difficulty reconciling my previous thoughts of a guy with a plan, thinking several moves ahead, with the total chaos of the Diggs/outside WR situation.

 

At the time that he had to move Diggs, the FA WR pool had dried up. It boiled down to two options: 1.) Keep Diggs and the cancer that was getting worse or 2.) Move on from him knowing replacing him with a like level talent was probably not going to happen. Clearly, he felt we had to move on from Diggs and that even if we couldn't land a talent level like his, it was still better for the team than keeping him.

 

Can an argument be made that he should have pulled the cord sooner? That would be a fair argument to be made. And had he done that, he probably would have worked things differently. Probably would have went for a cheaper inside option (or maybe we would have drafted one) than Samuel and a more expensive Outside option (and maybe one less) than MVS, Hollins, and Claypool.

 

But your trade options aren't really options. They're Twitter "rumors" that 99.9% of the time go nowhere. Many have re-signed with their team already, are in the long term plans of their team to be re-signed, or are simply not available (For example - Seattle has turned down multiple trade overtures for Metcalf this offseason). Like trading into the Top 10, you may want it, but the other team needs to want it as well. It's not as simple as "just get it done".

 

Ultimately, we went into this offseason 54m over the cap with 21 FA's. We had to cut or trade 8 more players on top of that 21. 29 bodies either out the door or needing to be re-signed.

 

We needed to replace 2 starting WR's (and 4/5 or 5/6 of the entire core), 1 starting IOL, 1 starting DE (and 3/5 of the entire core), 1 starting DT (and 4/5 of the entire core), 2 starting Safeties (and the entire core), the 2nd RB to Cook, and a myriad of other depth pieces.

 

We pulled every release, extension, pay cut, and re-structure cord possible. Save for 2 - Oliver and Milano re-structure. And Milano he probably doesn't want to do coming off a major injury. You like to bring up another Allen re-structure - but if he wanted to take more, he'd have done it then. He's never redone a contract twice in the same offseason.

 

As it is, with everything he's done that you say isn't enough, we only have 7.5m in cap space. Which is barely more than we'll need for the Practice Squad and in season spending. The choices he made were what he felt was the best moves available to him. Sacrifices were going to have to be made this season with the position we were in. It's as simple as that.

Edited June 14 by BillsFanForever19

[ControllerOfPlanetX]

I think these days, whatever score you get on an exam, everyone gets an A+.

 

[QCity]

B, however still in the top 10.

[BADOLBILZ]

59 minutes ago, NoHuddleKelly12 said:

@GunnerBill, here is a quote from Ryan Talbot stating, “Doug Whaley played a big role in two coaching hires that ultimately failed.”

https://www.newyorkupstate.com/buffalo-bills/2017/04/buffalo_bills_best_and_worst_moves_during_the_doug_whaley_era.html

 
I have no inside information of course, and it’s also very possible that Talbot was misinformed…but I wanted to at least let you know that I normally don’t spout off without a reference or 2 to fall back on for it. Again, Talbot’s article doesn’t quote an independent source so take it for what it’s worth. 🙂

 

 

He didn't hire the coaches.   

 

Whaley was not an executive who instilled confidence in those above him.  He was a road scout.

 

He repeatedly was allowed to be "involved" in the hiring process but his opinion carried little weight.   Ultimately Russ hired Marrone with little input from Whaley.   Marrone and he were never on the same page.   Russ also pushed the Pegula's to hire Rex.   Then lastly,  after Terry Pegula promised to let Whaley lead the search for Rex replacement.........Pegula picked McDermott when Whaley wanted to keep interviewing or hire Huge Action Jackson(according to reports).   Then McDermott told Pegula he wanted to bring Beane in and sh!t can Whaley altogether.   

 

The genius of Beane is that he could probably sell propane to Terry Pegula.   He is a confidence man.   The Pegula's desperately needed that because they had no confidence in their own football decisions.   Unlike their supreme confidence in Terry's hockey sense.   The results haven't been championship level but having the HC and GM on the same page and ownership trusting their vision goes a long way.   It makes them greater than the sum of their parts.

[Einstein's Dog]

15 minutes ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

At the time that he had to move Diggs, the FA WR pool had dried up. It boiled down to two options: 1.) Keep Diggs and the cancer that was getting worse or 2.) Move on from him knowing replacing him with a like level talent was probably not going to happen. Clearly, he felt we had to move on from Diggs and that even if we couldn't land a talent level like his, it was still better for the team than keeping him.

 

Can an argument be made that he should have pulled the cord sooner? That would be a fair argument to be made. And had he done that, he probably would have worked things differently. Probably would have went for a cheaper inside option (or maybe we would have drafted one) than Samuel and a more expensive Outside option (and maybe one less) than MVS, Hollins, and Claypool.

 

But your trade options aren't really options. They're Twitter "rumors" that 99.9% of the time go nowhere. Many have re-signed with their team already, are in the long term plans of their team to be re-signed, or are simply not available (Metcalf, for example, was turned down by Seattle be traded on Draft Day and other times since). Like trading into the Top 10, you may want it, but the other team needs to want it as well. It's not as simple as "just get it done".

 

Ultimately, we went into this offseason 54m over the cap with 21 FA's. We had to cut or trade 8 more players on top of that 21. 29 bodies either out the door or needing to be re-signed.

 

We needed to replace 2 starting WR's (and 4/5 or 5/6 of the entire core), 1 starting IOL, 1 starting DE (and 3/5 of the entire core), 1 starting DT (and 4/5 of the entire core), 2 starting Safeties (and the entire core), the 2nd RB to Cook, and a myriad of other depth pieces.

 

We pulled every release, extension, pay cut, and re-structure cord possible. Save for 2 - Oliver and Milano re-structure. And Milano he probably doesn't want to do coming off a major injury. You like to bring up another Allen re-structure - but if he wanted to take more, he'd have done it then. He's never redone a contract twice in the same offseason.

 

As it is, with everything he's done that you say isn't enough, we only have 7.5m in cap space. Which is barely more than we'll need for the Practice Squad and in season spending. The choices he made were what he felt was the best moves available to him. Sacrifices were going to have to be made this season with the position we were in. It's as simple as that.

Most of what you are bringing up is just showing either a disregard or misstep on the WR room.  For me, I wanted a WR instead of the Elam pick (Watkins/Pickens).  The next year really pleased with the Kincaid pick but was hoping for a DHop pick up.  Those were moves that could have helped bolster the weapons before this season.  Beane knew the Bills weren't extending G Davis, there should have been some succession planning.

 

Beane made the decision to unload Diggs.  Currently a disgruntled Diggs looks better than any WR we have.  It comes off now as looking like Beane went to Diggs to take a pay cut.  Diggs refused with "Ready for watever"  and "Well...." coming to mind.  Beane looked pretty smart playing hard ball with Von and Knox, coming away with concessions.  Not so good with the Diggs situation.  I thought Beane would have had a backup plan.

 

Even with everything that happened with Diggs, Beane could have double dipped in the draft, a second (Coleman) and late 3rd (Franklin), coupled with  OBJ things would seem a lot better.

[Meatloaf63]

14 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

He is a B for me. I think he is one of the best GMs in the league at identifying players who can play in this league and building a roster strategically with depth. 

 

The reason he isn't an A is he has struggled to find elite game changers. I know, he hasn't drafted high since 2019 and the two very early picks he made - Josh in 2018 and then Ed Oliver in 2019 are his two most impactful in terms of game changing talents (fair gap between the two, but point stands). However, he has had a LOT of draft picks now. He has made 44 picks as the Bills GM (excluding the ones this spring yet to have a chance to make an impact). Allen stands well alone as #1 as any elite QB always does, I'd put Ed Oliver #2 and Taron Johnson #3. But who is #4? Gabe Davis? James Cook? Dawson Knox? Rousseau? And while Ed is very good (better than most fans believe) he remains a tick below elite for me and Taron is a top 5 nickel corner but in terms of positional value that isn't necessarily a dial mover. 

 

It is why he has had to spend big assets (cap and picks) on the likes of Diggs and Von Miller to try and bring that elite sparkle that all championship teams need. 

 

I like Brandon, like him a lot. He talks really well, I think he is pretty candid (sometimes without meaning to be) and he comes across as pretty authentic. It isn't easy, I accept that. But 44 picks - one elite talent. That is what stops me giving him an A. 

I would add to this that I think it took him to long to realize he needed more talent on the oline. Time will only tell if he built a good enough receiver corps or not.

[LABILLBACKER]

17 hours ago, Doc Brown said:

He's somewhere between an A and B.  Definitely a top five GM in the league.  To answer your questions.  His best move besides drafting Allen was trading for Diggs.  His best draft pick so far in terms of value was Taron Johnson.  Knox, S. Brown, Shakir, Benford, Bernard, and Davis are also in the running.  His biggest miss was Cody Ford despite us all loving the trade up at the time.  I would say Elam but the book hasn't been written on him yet.  The Basham pick is still infuriating.  His best free agent signings were Morse, Brown, D. Williams, and Beasley.  His worst contract given out was unfortunately Von Miller. 

This is exactly my thoughts.  He gets a A-/B+ from me based on consistency. His greatest achievement will always be trading up to take a risky qb from Wyoming.  His one big failure would be not yet finding an elite pass rusher to compliment Josh.  If Josh had a Chris Jones maybe we have a couple Lombardis??  All in all we're extremely fortunate to have Brandon Beane.  McDermott is a whole different argument. 

Edited June 14 by LABILLBACKER

[HomeTeam]

I really like Beane, I love hearing his interviews and his thoughts on forming a team. He's a very likeable guy and a straight shooter.

 

My biggest qualms with Beane was the von contact, even before the injury, that was a bad contact for an aging player. 

 

And second, the Diggs extension was also a big blunder. He jumped the gun on that to keep Diggs happy. 

 

What he did this offseason, getting rid with the old, realizing that window was closing and setting us up for the years to come, all in one year, was prudent. 

 

I actually like Beane more so than I like McDermott and would support the idea of keeping the GM, and bringing in a new coach. I'll reserve that opinion though until after this year. 

[NoSaint]

19 hours ago, NoHuddleKelly12 said:

Since Beane’s takeover from the bloated and non-performing Whaley tenure, we’ve seen plenty of hits from FA and the draft, but also some misses of course…putting it all together however, what kind of cumulative letter grade would you assign to Beane at this point, and why?

 

Also, outside of Josh Allen (who is the best single pick of Beane’s era), who’s been the best pickup in the draft so far? Biggest miss? Same for free agency?

your categories aren’t great numerically with “A” for top ten and then 4 options for the next 22

[NoHuddleKelly12]

1 minute ago, NoSaint said:

your categories aren’t great numerically with “A” for top ten and then 4 options for the next 22

“A” should stand apart on a pedestal imho. No participation trophies 🏆 here! 😀