Bills Sign WR Josh Palmer 3-$36M

[OldTimer1960]

2 hours ago, Logic said:

Woof.

I don't care about the money. As I said recently, there's no sense in reacting to contract terms when we don't actually know them yet.

But purely reacting to the player himself? Hard to get excited about a WR coming off back to back 580 yard seasons, who just had a HUGE opportunity in LA last year and didn't really seize it.

He's fine, I guess. Not a needle mover. Very much Just A Guy.

Now here come the same people that defended the Curtis Samuel signing last year to tell me how wrong I am...
 

This level FA is what the Bills can afford under the cap.  He has size to play outside and has been consistently productive, but so far hasn’t proven that he is starter level in the league.  He is still young - won’t be 25 until September.  There are guys in this draft that are about as old as him.

 

Now, I’m not saying that he is likely to develop into a good starter, but he is young enough to at least be here for a few years and provide good backup production.

 

I wonder if WR prices are up in FA in part because the the WR draft class isn’t thought of highly.

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

Just now, MikePJ76 said:

Interesting, you see him as the hollins replacement.  

 

I think they are going to draft a guy or sign another vet obviously in the coming weeks but i would think Palmer would get the snaps Cooper got last year.

 

Palmer, Coleman, Shakir, Samuel - 2 spots still open, and i think they do like hollins as a blocker/teams/depth player.  What they do with the final spot I'm not sure, but if i had to guess it's not coming before the 4th or 5th round.  

[Logic]

1 minute ago, Buffalo Junction said:

I’m not certain that we need another difference maker on offense (assuming Cook and Shakir perform at the same level), especially if Coleman or Kincaid take a step forward. We certainly need a difference maker or two on the team overall though. Whether that’s the desired receiver, DB that makes timely plays, or a DLman that gets timely stuffs or sacks… We need another guy or two to make some magic happen, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. 

Fair enough.

From my perspective, it'd be nice to add a difference maker on offense AND defense. I realize that's easier said than done, of course.

When it came down to crunch time -- by which I mean the AFCCG -- I didn't see any offensive players other than Josh Allen stepping up and elevating the offense. In those "gotta have it" moments, I'm not sure who the no-doubt-about-it go-to playmaker on this team is. There doesn't seem to be one at the present moment.

Case in point: not a single receiver or tight end on the Bills roster had over 1,000 yards last year. And yes, I know, "everybody eats", but...still.

And before anyone says "they set a team record for points scored last year": Yes, I know. But if you asked Sean McDermott or Brandon Beane or Joe Brady, I bet each of them would tell you it's a goal this offseason to improve the offense. It's a new year, and last year is in the past, and there's no guarantee they'll replicate their success.

I still feel the Bills offense is a true WR1 away from being "complete", and I don't think Palmer addresses that issue. He seems to be of the John Brown, Curtis Samuel, Mack Hollins ilk, which is to say: a functional NFL receiver that doesn't elevate the Bills offense or scare the opposing defense.

[BarleyNY]

11 minutes ago, Magox said:

 

Because the formation that the Bills like to play a lot the 4 by 1 where they have 4 receivers bunched on one side and the 1 isolated on the other side is not a role that Coleman is suited for.   That is suited for someone who can win 1 v 1 and that can separate.  Palmer will play that role.  Coleman will play the role that Mack Hollins played a lot this year which was more of a power slot who can line up on the boundary.

Appreciate the reply. They may do that, but they can’t only be out there together on plays where we’re in a 4x1. Assuming Palmer starts and is primarily playing X, then you’ve got Samuel playing Y and Shakir/Kincaid playing Z depending on if it’s 11 or 12 personnel. Knox at TE and a RB. That doesn’t leave much more than rotational duties for Coleman. Except you’ve got me thinking that a nice package for a 4x1 might be to put Samuel at RB (like he played at Ohio State) and get Coleman on the field. 

[FLFan]

39 minutes ago, MikePJ76 said:

Interesting, you see him as the hollins replacement.  

 

I think they are going to draft a guy or sign another vet obviously in the coming weeks but i would think Palmer would get the snaps Cooper got last year.

Agreed.  This is not a Hollins replacement.  This is a receiver who fills a hole, perhaps better than Cooper did last year.  Upgrade IMO. 

Edited 18 hours ago by FLFan

[gonzo1105]

Just now, MikePJ76 said:

Interesting, you see him as the hollins replacement.  

 

I think they are going to draft a guy or sign another vet obviously in the coming weeks but i would think Palmer would get the snaps Cooper got last year.

I think he’s a nice mix of the two but he blocks and plays X. Cooper could play X but is known more of as a Z but the Bills will have to be interchangeable anyways because their going to get Keon Coleman on the field just like they did with Hollins. Maybe the idea is they play Palmer at Z here 

[notpolian]

If he's a man beater, I like it. 

 

Sign Hollins back up.  He can catch, block, and has attitude.

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

Just now, FLFan said:

Agreed.  This is not a Hollie’s replacement.  This is a receiver who fills a hole, perhaps better than Cooper did last year.  Upgrade IMO. 

 

Cooper getting hurt really shut the door on building any meaningful chemistry for the end of season.  

[FLFan]

Just now, Bleeding Bills Blue said:

 

Cooper getting hurt really shut the door on building any meaningful chemistry for the end of season.  

Certainly true, but I also think that Cooper’s skill set is diminished from what it what once was.  

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

Just now, notpolian said:

If he's a man beater, I like it. 

 

Sign Hollins back up.  He can catch, block, and has attitude.

 

He is a man beater. 

 

I'd agree on hollins.  He won't cost too much, plays special teams, and has shown that when he's on the field he can make plays.  I don't think you want to line him up 80% of the time and expect him to win on the majority of routes, he's simply not good enough or fast enough or both. However his plus blocking is nice in those grind it out games that always make an appearance throughout the season.  

[GoBills!]

How many sacks can he get and does he block? 
 

I like him but 12 seems a lot, he just of had some good offers. Between him and Samuel I’d rather have one big boss at 20 million. So hopefully this works out. Maybe Herbert held him back. 

[frostbitmic]

If he had run a 4.31 would people then consider him fast ?

 

The reason I'm asking is because we have a 4.31 combine forty guy ... Curtis Samuel has run the fastest combine forty for any player from Ohio State (later tied by Parris Campbell), maybe he should go deep now and then ... when healthy of course.

[WhitewalkerInPhilly]

9 minutes ago, OldTimer1960 said:

 

 

I wonder if WR prices are up in FA in part because the the WR draft class isn’t thought of highly.

I remember in 2020 there was something similar and you had CeeDee Lamb and Justin Jefferson slide to the back half of the 1st round

[PromoTheRobot]

2 hours ago, BruceVilanch said:

Someone tell me to be happy or pissed!

Yes 

[ColoradoBills]

If Palmer stays healthy and manages 75ish targets, 50ish receptions, 676-700 yards his 1st season with Josh,  

I think it would be a win.  I would like to see him get into the endzone a little more.

 

Even if Josh throws the ball a little more he still is going to top out at 525 attempts.

There are a lot of players wanting targets and it's going to be spread around again this year.

 

 

[LABILLBACKER]

12 minutes ago, OldTimer1960 said:

This level FA is what the Bills can afford under the cap.  He has size to play outside and has been consistently productive, but so far hasn’t proven that he is starter level in the league.  He is still young - won’t be 25 until September.  There are guys in this draft that are about as old as him.

 

Now, I’m not saying that he is likely to develop into a good starter, but he is young enough to at least be here for a few years and provide good backup production.

 

I wonder if WR prices are up in FA in part because the the WR draft class isn’t thought of highly.

You don't pay backup production 12 large.

[MikePJ76]

10 minutes ago, notpolian said:

If he's a man beater, I like it. 

 

Sign Hollins back up.  He can catch, block, and has attitude.

if we was a woman beater he would have signed with the chiefs....

 

 

Hiiiiyoooo

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

Beane loves him some no namers 

[hondo in seattle]

2 hours ago, Simon said:

 

Well, that was really unimpressive 

 

Maybe I'm not an adept connoisseur of wide receiver work but his stats say he's a jag and, to me, the video of all his '23 targets says the same thing.  

[BuffaloButt]

4.52 (40 yard dash time) 

How does he separate, route running! Another possession receiver, we overpaid for this average to below average starter!

 

This is the best we can get?  Come on!!