Tag: AJ Klein

Bills vs. Browns: 3 key matchups in Week 11

#Bills vs. #Browns: 3 key matchups in Week 11:

The Buffalo Bills will faceoff against the Cleveland Browns in their Week 11 matchup which was relocated to Ford Field.

Even with it being a moved showdown, it will still be the games, within the game, that will make all the difference.

Here are three key matchups to watch during Sunday’s Bills-Browns clash:

A.J. Klein returns, Bills claim LB off waivers

A.J. Klein returns, #Bills claim LB off waivers:

After hopping all around the NFL over the past few months, linebacker AJ Klein returns to Buffalo.

On Thursday, the Bills announced they were awarded Klein off of the wavier wire after he was released by the Chicago Bears earlier this week. The Bears had recently acquired Klein in the blockbuster trade which saw the Bears send linebacker Roquan Smith to the Baltimore Ravens.

Considering that, Klein, 31, was previously on the Ravens as well. Prior to that, Klein had a short stint with the New York Giants.

The Giants have many former Bills connections there and Klein signed to their practice squad on Oct. 3. Only three days later, Baltimore signed him off New York’s practice squad.

From 2021 to 2022, Klein spent two years with the Bills.

Because of his familiarity with the team’s defensive scheme, he will provide positive depth behind both Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano, who both have dealt with injuries this season. Klein even earned a Defensive Player of the Week Award during his previous tenure while filling in.

Edmunds is currently banged up with a groin injury.

This past spring, the Bills opted to not re-sign Klein after releasing him in a salary cap move. The team ended up selecting linebacker Terrel Bernard at the 2022 NFL draft.

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Bills LB Tyrel Dodson using lessons learned from former teammate

#Bills LB Tyrel Dodson using lessons learned from former teammate:

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Buffalo Bills linebacker Terrel Dodson is going to do his best AJ Klein impression at training camp.

Earlier this offseason, Klein was released in a salary cap move by the Bills. But for the past two seasons, Klein and Dodson were teammates in Buffalo and without the veteran in the fold anymore, Dodson knows there’s an opportunity for him.

And the way he’s going to attack it is how Klein would.

“A.J. Klein was a perfect example,” Dodson told the Buffalo News. “The last two years, I’ve basically been watching A.J., watching everything he does, his preparation. Sometimes throughout the week he looked at Mike (position) one day. He looked at Will and Sam the other days. He really split them up well. He compartmentalized his preparation. I watched him like a hawk.”

Dodson, like Klein, has the skill set to potentially backup both Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano, Buffalo’s starting linebackers on defense. Without Klein in the fold, Dodson acknowledged it’s a chance for him to “step up.”

However, there’s also Terrel Bernard to consider. The Bills’ third-round rookie, Bernard will also be in the linebacker room with Dodson.

The way things might work out is Dodson backing up Edmunds and getting on the field if the Bills decided to run a play with a third linebacker. Bernard might be better suited for the No. 2 spot behind Milano.

Why? After being drafted by Buffalo, Bernard admitted he modeled his game after Milano.

“You’ve seen a shift in the NFL the last few years, the kind of run and chase style [of linebacker],” Bernard said in April. “It’s been crazy being able to model my game after guys like Matt Milano, he’s probably one of my favorite players I’ve been studying.”

Still, the Bills aren’t just going to let anyone slide into a position without earning it. Possibly because of that, Buffalo defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said during minicamp that Dodson is going to be expected to know multiple linebacker positions.

“He’s going to have to do what A.J. Klein did for us the last couple years – be that guy who can back up all three positions,” Frazier said.

Fine by Dodson.

“You just have to stay ready so you don’t have to get ready,” Dodson said.

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List of Buffalo Bills players who are still free agents

List of #Bills players who are still free agents:

As free agency always goes, it’s all about the incomings and outgoings… especially when someone like Von Miller is involved with the Buffalo Bills.

But we’ve hit a bit of a grey area as well. The Bills have some players who still remain free agents and have yet to re-sign or sign with a new team.

Here’s a rundown of such players from Buffalo’s 2022 roster:

What the Bills’ salary cap looks like after AJ Klein release

#Bills salary cap update following the release of LB AJ Klein:

The actual salary cap total for each team in the NFL can be a bit murky. The Buffalo Bills are no different right now.

But what seems to be much more clear is why the Bills decided to release linebacker AJ Klein.

Klein, 30, gave Buffalo some needed salary cap relief following his departure.

Slated to have a $5.6 million cap hit in 2022, Klein’s contract only carried a dead-cap hit of $400K.

That’s a potential savings around $5.2M, according to Spotrac.

After obtaining that space, the question turns back to the salary cap. How much room does does Buffalo have now?

Thanks to Bills general manager Brandon Beane, we do not know that exact number but we can provide some ballpark analysis.

Per Spotrac, the Bills are actually in the green for the first time this offseason. Prior to Klein’s release, Buffalo was around $4M over the cap.

Currently Spotrac lists the Bills with $557K in cap space.

Beane tossed a 12-6 curveball into the mix this week. He said his team is around $6.6M over the cap. The GM must have some finances on the docket that were not made public which would explain the differences with Spotrac.

Based on that figure, the Bills could still be over the cap by around $1.4M.

Whether slightly over or slightly under the cap, Beane still has work to do. Buffalo will need more cap space to re-sign their own pending free agents, add some new ones, and to bring in future draft picks.

More moves like Klein’s release will be on the way.

In recent days, wide receiver Cole Beasley has requested to be traded. Whether dealt or cut, Beasley create $4.6M in additional cap space for the Bills. Something with Beasley will have to give in due time. Other options include restructuring contracts of players Beane doesn’t want to get rid of.

In the coming days the Bills will be making a few different transactions in this realm. Stay tuned to Bills Wire for all the latest updates.

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Bills release LB AJ Klein in likely salary cap causality scenario

#Bills release LB AJ Klein in likely salary cap causality scenario:

The Buffalo Bills have released linebacker AJ Klein. The team announced the transaction on Tuesday.

The move is most likely a salary cap causality to help the club save some cap space.

Slated to have a $5.6 million cap hit in 2022, Klein’s contract only carried a dead-cap hit of $400K.

That’s a potential savings around $5.2M, according to Spotrac.

On Monday, the NFL announced the league would have a salary cap of $208.2M in 2022. Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane said via WGR-550 radio his team is $6.6M over that cap as of Tuesday morning.

Releasing Klein helps bridge that gap. The team is now somewhere just north of $1M over the salary cap now.

Despite being released by the Bills, there is an outside chance Klein’s time in Buffalo is not over.

The team needed to do something to figure out the salary cap. There’s no rule against Klein now re-signing =.

However, the price tag will likely have to be smaller.

In 2021, Klein’s skills did not drop off but his usage did. On defense, Klein played in 29 percent of snaps for the Bills this season. A year ago, he saw 61 percent of snaps for Buffalo.

A new contract will likely have to reflect that type of work for the Bills. Time will tell if the team wants to bring him back as he did have a positive role with the Bills.

If Klein does not return, it’s likely that Tyrel Dodson would be Buffalo’s top backup linebacker on their defense behind starters Matt Milano and Tremaine Edmunds.

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The Bills’ top-five grades from PFF against the Patriots

The #Bills’ top-five grades from PFF against the #Patriots:

The grades are out and this week they love what Josh Allen did against the New England Patriots’ defense.

In a matchup where there weren’t 50-mile-per-hour plus winds, the Buffalo Bills quarterback played the best game of his career, securing the victory.

Allen completed 30-of-47 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns against New England. He also led the team in rushing with 12 carries for 64 yards. An all around terrific performance from the captain.

For his efforts, Pro Football Focus graded Allen as the Bills’ top player from their recent win:

Coming in second place was Buffalo’s hero Isaiah McKenzie. He spent time as a healthy scratch and saw his role limited to the bench this season but stepped up when the Bills needed him. Although that’s not factored into the grade, McKenzie proved his value on the field with 11 receptions for 125 yards and a touchdown.

A.J. Klein tied McKenzie with an 89.2 grade. The Bills’ third linebacker he was efficient when he was on the field with three tackles and a pass defense.

Micah Hyde’s grade seems a little low for someone with two interceptions. Hyde has been the best player in the Bills secondary since Tre’Davious White’s injury. He added six tackles and two pass defenses to his interceptions.

Dion Dawkins wasn’t even supposed to start on Sunday. The Bills left tackle was activated off the reserve/Covid-19 list but was only going to enter in an emergency situation. That situation happened when left guard Ike Boettger went down with an achilles injury during the first half. The entire offensive line changed from there.

Spencer Brown went from left to right tackle, Dawkins entered at left tackle, Daryl Williams moved to right guard, and Ryan Bates played left guard.

Follow the Bills Wire Podcast:
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Bills at Patriots: 7 storylines to follow in Week 16

#Bills at #Patriots: 7 storylines to follow in Week 16:

It’s Wednesday, so the Buffalo Bills are now turning their attention to their next opponent. This week, it’s a familiar face for various reasons: the New England Patriots.

After righting the ship after back-to-back losses, the Bills (8-6) won last week. Now their meeting with the Patriots (9-5) means all the more.

With that, here are seven storylines to follow as Week 16 approaches:

A.J. Klein activated from Bills’ Reserve/COVID-19 list

A.J. Klein activated from #Bills’ Reserve/COVID-19 list:

Linebacker AJ Klein is back with his teammates.

The Buffalo Bills activated Klein from their Reserve/COVID-19 list. The team announced that transaction on Wednesday.

Klein was placed on the list on Dec. 6, just hours before Buffalo’s meeting with the New England Patriots.

He went on to miss that game plus the Bills’ recent contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Buffalo lost both contests.

Without Klein, the Bills have called up linebacker Joe Giles-Harris from the practice squad as a depth option.

However, Buffalo has mostly just rolled with Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano on defense.

On special teams, linebacker Tyrel Dodson filled in for Klein there. He also took a handful of snaps on defense.

Aside from his stint on the COVID list, Klein had not miss another game for the Bills this season.

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