Priority Free Agents for Buffalo? Early Draft talk..

[Straight Hucklebuck]

5 hours ago, ghostwriter said:

Amari Cooper and Rasul Douglas are our high profile FAs this offseason, I’d argue against signing either of them..

 

Mack Hollins and Ty Johnson I would welcome back at the right price.. As I would Damar Hamlin and Alec Anderson..

 

But with $61M in cap space, I would argue that Buffalo should get an early jump on our 2026 free agent crop.

 

I see our FAs in this order priority wise:

 

1.) Greg Rousseau | He’s closing in on 10 sacks and 20 TFL.. He’s probably the pick of the litter and our trusty stalwart on defense.

 

2.) James Cook | I am usually against signing RBs to big money but this guy is just so good and he consistently takes some of the pressure off Josh. 

3.) Khalil Shakir | If we can get this guy signed to a $10M-$12M per year contract, he would be a great signing. I would not pay him big money.

 

4.) Connor McGovern | Why not? He won’t cost a lot and he’s good.

 

5.) Christian Benford | Is he a system corner? Or is he good? In a DB happy system, do we let him walk?

 

I think if we can lockdown Rousseau, Cook and Shakir at the right price, we are in a good place going into the Draft…

 

Who do you guys think Buffalo should target in Free Agency/Draft?

 

Any early Draft prospects we should keep an eye out for?

Amari - Walk - Can’t sink money into 30-year old WRs. 

 

Douglas - Walk - Get younger at the position not older. 

 

Rousseau - The dilemma here is he is your only real difference making Defensive Lineman and he’s 24 years old. 
 

James Cook - Last year of rookie deal so I have no problems letting him play that out and possibly franchising for his 26th age season.

 

Ray Davis is not a viable #1 though, so you’ll have to draft someone higher than a 4th-Rounder. 

 

Shakir - He’s the only game in and game out dependable WR that Allen has. But he needs to paid like a Top-6 slot, not as a low-end WR1 in the franchise neighborhood of $20.6M a year. So I agree, must set a firm price limit. 

 

Benford - I don’t think he’s a true lock down corner, but he makes plays by never giving up and raking at the ball. I’d try and keep him, because there is no pipeline of young talent behind him. He’s the only building block you have. 

 

Connor McGovern - I have to think the Bills would want to keep this offensive line together at least one more years. Dawkins is still good, and they’ve been durable. 

[Bad Things]

4 hours ago, stinky finger said:

 

This thinking is too sentimental. 

 

Better a year too early than a year too late. He just can't stay healthy making him unreliable.

Sentimental?  Are you kidding me?

 

Matt Milano is a stud of a player and was an All-Pro in 2023.

Wanting the best players on your time is sentimental?

 

You sound like the other fools making comments on how we should fire our 12-3 coach.

[DCofNC]

12 hours ago, ghostwriter said:

Rousseau is arguably our best player on defense and outside of Josh Allen, James Cook has been our biggest difference maker on offense.. I think you sign these two men first.. Both are apex players.

 

My problem with Shakir is I’m seeing $19M/yr averages and I think that’s an absolutely ridiculous amount of money to pay a #3 guy. Without Josh his production falls way down. Why not take that money and sign a true #1 or even just draft one? I mean, for $10M-$12M sure! But $19M? C’mon man.

Being that #1 WRs are readily available at the backend of every draft and barely cost more than $19M a year in FA, I totally see your point!  Get a grip, in today’s league, Shakir is going to be paid $20M, either pay him or somebody else will.  Davis got 13M FFS.

 

Groot is the leader of the worst DL, possibly in the league, thanks but I’m not paying him top dollar.   If you can bring him back at ~15M a year, you do it, but much more than that is wasted opportunity cost.   They need to trim the fat, Von can keep right on running wide to another team, the entire stable of DTs minus Carter should be replaced (Oliver can’t/wont be). Smoot coming back would be nice, but beyond that, there’s absolutely no reason to be worried about keeping anyone on the DL and really aside from Bernard, anyone in the front 7 period.  They are all replacement level or at best rotational guys.
 

Cook, while very good, is not discernible from Davis or Johnson who will be virtually free in comparison.  So, I’m not tying up more money on a RB. 

[stinky finger]

5 hours ago, Bad Things said:

Sentimental?  Are you kidding me?

 

Matt Milano is a stud of a player and was an All-Pro in 2023.

Wanting the best players on your time is sentimental?

 

You sound like the other fools making comments on how we should fire our 12-3 coach.

 

Nope. Not kidding. You're being sentimental. Did you call me a fool?

 

Perhaps some Xmas caroling would do you good. You seem a little tense and out of sorts. 

[Generic_Bills_Fan]

12 hours ago, ghostwriter said:

EDGE or pass rushers in general are worth the money. People fail to realize that Rousseau has nearly 20 TFL this year as well.

I can’t believe how slept on he is haha even von has been playing pretty well.  Seems like our DEs get pressure but can’t clean up because our DTs are pretty bad 

11 hours ago, Franchiseneedsme said:

Are we able to cut Milano in the off-season? Would we save some money? Give me D Williams at this point and save some money. I like Milano but he's average at best. Can't keep big money on mediocre  players. Got to make hard decisions

This doesn’t make sense to me personally.  You absolutely need to sign a LB then and you’ve cost yourself the opportunity to see if Milano bounces back from injury.  Cutting Milano makes the LB depth razor thin. 

Edited Monday at 03:18 PM by Generic_Bills_Fan

[TFBillsfan]

Bills will need to draft/FA some combo of DE, DT, S, LB and WR. They have draft capital so I’m all for them moving up to get some impactful player. 
 

 

[ProcessTruster]

Lets go win the SB and worry about this crap after that.  

[Nephilim17]

Cooper will finish the year with maybe 600 yards tops. He might not cost that much. If we can get him at a decent rate for no more than two years I would be ok with that.

Draft a traits outside receiver.

Do not sink money into running backs no matter how much we love them now; use that money for impact guys on the D-line and O-line if necessary.

[BearNorth]

We need better linebackers and more depth.  Not going to stop Derrick Henry or Saquon Barkley with what we have.

 

Taron may be nearing end of useful life as a cover corner, same with Douglas.  Douglas (29) is the 15th oldest CB that's graded of 118.  Taron (28) is 24th.  Average age of the top 10 graded CB's is 25.3 yrs old.  CB becoming a young mans game 6 of top 10 corners are 24 or younger.  Too bad we spent a high pick on Elam for someone who doesn't fit McD's system.

[Charles Romes]

13 hours ago, MJS said:

I don't want to resign Rousseau. In fact, I'd move on from as much of the dline as possible and get some high draft picks and free agents in to replace them. I'm sick of them doing nothing in important games. I want a reset.

 Yesterday when fighting for a 1/2 seed he turned the game with a forced fumble and then blew up a screen to seal the game with a defensive touchdown.   

[MAJBobby]

You are missing a Big One. 
 

Terrel Bernard 

 

so that said I think this is who gets deals this offseason. In order
 

Bernard

Benford

Shakir

Groot

 

i do also think there is enough this offseason to lock those 4 up a year early. 
 

cooper likely comes back cheaper

and the rest of 2025 are roll players that will not break the back. 
 

that leaves the following names go into the last year of their deal for 2025. 
 

Epenesa

Jones

Cook

 

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

Many of the guys mentioned are 2026 so don't need to decide on all of them yet, particularly in the spring. It's still early yet, want to see more how it plays out, but I'd be more interested in re-signing both Hoillins and Cooper as think they both may take a discount to sign here.   Not so sure about McGovern as think they drafted his replacement in VPG.  He's also a 2026 guy, so let him play out next year and see how VPG develops.

 

Douglas has taken a step back this year so less inclined to sign him.

 

Would like to get Ty Johnson back.

 

I would try and sign the best pass rushing FA DE out there and maybe also a nose tackle.

 

Think guys like Gilliam, Morris, Anderson, and VanDemark will get resigned later on on cheap one year deals.

 

Next summer or early fall can worry about guys like Benford and Shakir.

 

Bills are o nthe hook for 5th year option for Groot so really little choice but to sign him to long term deal and think they should.

 

[MAJBobby]

13 hours ago, Bad Things said:

Sentimental?  Are you kidding me?

 

Matt Milano is a stud of a player and was an All-Pro in 2023.

Wanting the best players on your time is sentimental?

 

You sound like the other fools making comments on how we should fire our 12-3 coach.

Cool has he flashed one iota of that 2023 play this year or did he just get hurt again after looking old and slow?

[Sojourner]

7 hours ago, TFBillsfan said:

Bills will need to draft/FA some combo of DE, DT, S, LB and WR. They have draft capital so I’m all for them moving up to get some impactful player. 
 

 

Monster DT or WR. 

 

Do have a feeling we double dip on the defensive line again sadly. 
 

LB isn’t that bad tbh. Just need Bernard/Milano/Williams to be healthy/available. 
 

Safety I’d rather them get a vet in FA. Same for CB. There’s a lot of quality options in that pool for both positions this coming offseason. 

 

 

 

13 minutes ago, Ed_Formerly_of_Roch said:

I would try and sign the best pass rushing FA DE out there and maybe also a nose tackle.

 

defensive line FA pool is pretty much slim to none this coming period. 

[SoCal Deek]

I’m certainly no cap expert but these threads really crack me up. If I was to summarize for everyone: don’t sign or extend anyone to a contract that over pays for their skillset knowing that some other team will….but also go out and acquire the mythical super star player that 31 other teams don’t want but we’re willing to pay. Brilliant! 

[MJS]

2 hours ago, Charles Romes said:

 Yesterday when fighting for a 1/2 seed he turned the game with a forced fumble and then blew up a screen to seal the game with a defensive touchdown.   

Against a bad team. He does nothing against good teams.

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

2 hours ago, Sojourner said:

defensive line FA pool is pretty much slim to none this coming period. 

 

Likely though there will be some cap casualty  names that pop up

[Governor]

2 hours ago, MJS said:

Against a bad team. He does nothing against good teams.

Very few DE’s have huge games against great opponents in crunch time. It’s pretty hard to access. Derrick Thomas on the Chiefs always disappeared in big games also and everyone loved him.

[gonzo1105]

3 hours ago, Sojourner said:

Monster DT or WR. 

 

Do have a feeling we double dip on the defensive line again sadly. 
 

LB isn’t that bad tbh. Just need Bernard/Milano/Williams to be healthy/available. 
 

Safety I’d rather them get a vet in FA. Same for CB. There’s a lot of quality options in that pool for both positions this coming offseason. 

 

 

 

defensive line FA pool is pretty much slim to none this coming period. 

It is a very deep edge draft pool and the DTs are not bad either. One thing I like about Beane is he matches his weaknesses with the strengths of drafts. It wouldn’t surprise me to see multiple edge or defensive tackles in this draft 

[stuvian]

Cameron Jordan