Tag: Buffalo Bills

State of the position: Bills linebackers

Here is the state of the Buffalo Bills’ linebackers entering the 2019 offseason.

Here is Bills Wire’s position-by-position breakdown of the team’s roster, continuing with the linebackers, including the season that was and projecting forward:

Buffalo Bills middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

Buffalo’s young linebacker duo of Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano give the Bills’ linebacker position group arguably the brightest future among any unit on the team. Edmunds, in his second season as the team’s middle linebacker, was named to his first Pro Bowl. Milano, for his part, has been an all-everything player for the Bills, effectively stuffing the run and playing in coverage. Both players reached the century mark in tackles, with Edmunds registering 115 in total and Milano hitting an even 100.

Lorenzo Alexander was the third linebacker when the team employed a 4-3 system. He added 50 total tackles, two sacks, and nine passes defensed in his final season. The leadership he bestowed upon this team will be the greatest attribute that this team will miss with his retirement.

Julian Stanford, Corey Thompson, and Maurice Alexander provided depth for the unit. However, most of their contributions occurred on special teams. With the league trending toward nickel packages as the base unit, Edmunds and Milano garnered most of the snaps, and they rarely needed to come off the field.

Tyrel Dodson missed the first part of the season due to a suspension for multiple transgressions and then landed on the team’s practice squad. Vosean Joseph missed the entire season due to a shoulder injury.

Buffalo Bills outside linebacker Matt Milano. Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Cap situation

Buffalo’s linebackers have far exceeded their value, thanks to the rookie wage scale. Edmunds will count approximately $3.4 million against the salary cap, while Milano will constitute a paltry $800,000 on the books. Milano will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2020 season. However, it won’t be surprising when the Bills present an extension to Milano. Edmunds has two years left on his rookie deal, and it’s anticipated that Buffalo will make an extension happen as soon as allowed by the CBA, or the team will flex his fifth-year option as a former first-round pick.

Alexander’s retirement eliminates one player from the fold. Technically, he’s a restricted free agent. However, it’s nice to see a player whose been such a positive member of the organization wrap up his career in an uplifting manner. Along with his leadership, his role as a pass rusher with coverage skills must be replaced.

Thompson has one more year on his deal with a cap hit of $660,000. He will be a restricted free agent after this upcoming season. Joseph enters the second year of his deal with a cap hit of approximately $590,000.

Stanford and Maurice Alexander are unrestricted free agents, but the Bills had huge improvements on special teams this year, and bringing them back could be in the team’s best interest.

The future

Let’s not play games–this unit is all about Edmunds and Milano. Even with projections of future cap hits in excess of $13 million for each player, Buffalo will find a way to get these players into the fold for the long-term. Milano is on pace to become one of the biggest draft steals in the franchise’s history. Edmunds is Buffalo’s answer to Luke Kuechly. The Virginia Tech’s future is insanely bright as a core piece of Buffalo’s defense.

The involvement of a third linebacker is reduced with teams setting on nickel formations as their base defense. Thus, this spot doesn’t carry the weight that it did for decades. Nevertheless, it’s still a spot that needs to be filled with a competent player. Alexander played 48-percent of the team’s defensive snaps. Buffalo will need someone to fill this role. This player could also be someone who has a specialty in rushing the passer. There are many economical players who could fit this role, but the price needs to be right. Someone such as Green Bay’s Kyler Fackrell may be the type of low-budget option to fill this spot on the Bills roster. Or is an in-house option such as Joseph possible? Or via the draft a player such as Application State’s Akeem Davis-Gaither or Michigan State’s Kenny Willekes a rookie solution?

The Bills could also find a stronger option in case Edmunds is to miss any time on the field. It might be a challenge finding an unrestricted free agent who would want to come without the promise of playing time, but that will be Brandon Beane’s task (albeit not a major priority) this offseason.

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Former Bills RB LeSean McCoy on Buffalo: ‘It’s a special place’

Former Buffalo Bills, current Kansas City Chiefs running back LeSean McCoy called Buffalo a special place.

Kansas City Chiefs running back LeSean McCoy looked back at the Buffalo Bills front office in less than spectacular light ahead of his team playing in Super Bowl LIV on Sunday.

But that apparently didn’t take away from his feelings toward Bills Mafia.

McCoy said he wants to retire as a member of the Eagles. Makes sense, it was his longest-tenured team, the one that drafted him and happens to be from his home state. But Buffalo and their fans? McCoy still loves them and goes to bat for them. He did so during his media availability from Super Bowl week in Miami.

“I had a lot of fun [in Buffalo],” McCoy said via 13WHAM-TV. “At first I didn’t know… ‘It’s so cold, ah… ‘but when you get there, it’s like a different type of like, vibe you get. It’s like football is everything.

“And I enjoyed myself. So people ask me about it, ‘did you like Buffalo?’ I tell them yeah and they seem kind of surprised but… it’s a special place.”

McCoy continued and even put Bills fans up on a higher level as Chiefs fans, based on his experiences.

“I wasn’t [with the Chiefs] when the Chiefs weren’t doing well so it’s hard to see. You can really tell a fan when the team’s not doing well and the guys are still rallying behind you,” McCoy said.

“Buffalo? I was there when it was rocky and things were getting better and better and better,” McCoy continued. “We would travel, we’d be what, like 3-6 or something like that? And they would be there, cheering us on. That showed me like, wow, these [Bills fans] are the best.”

While McCoy might not be on the best standing with the team’s front office currently, he certainly holds no grudges against the ones that supported him and cheered him on during his four-year tenure with the team. One which saw him scamper for 5,148 all-purpose yards and 30 touchdowns.

It remains to be seen if McCoy makes any impact on the Big Game on Sunday against the 49ers since he hasn’t taken a handoff as a backup for the Chiefs in the playoffs, but Bills fans will now hope for at least one following his excellent praise.

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Report: Bills’ Sean McDermott finalist for NFL Coach of the Year

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott has been named a finalist for the 2019 NFL Coach of the Year, according to a report.

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott’s work with the team is getting noticed on a national scale. Per ESPN, the third-year coach is reportedly a finalist for the NFL’s Coach of the Year Award.

McDermott guided the Bills to a 10-6 record this past season. It is the first time in two decades that the team has reached the double-digit victory total. For the second time in three years, Buffalo participated in post-season play. Prior to McDermott’s arrival, the Bills failed to reach the playoffs in 17 seasons.

Overall, McDermott carries a 25-23 with the team in the regular season. The team lost both of their Wild Card matchups under the coach, but largely surprising many in the national media by placing the Bills in the national spotlight for playoff football.

 

Sammy Watkins ‘scarred’ by Bills trade, didn’t want to be in Buffalo

Kansas City Chiefs WR Sammy Watkins reflects on Buffalo Bills trade.

Sammy Watkins, former first-round pick of the Buffalo Bills, said the team trading him in 2017 “helped him a lot.”

The comments about the team that drafted him went downhill from there.

As the story goes, the Bills traded two first-round picks for Watkins. He had production with the Bills, including a 1,000-plus yard season in only 13 games played in 2015.

But when Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane came to town, they shocked the league by making big-time player personnel moves. Including in those were trading Watkins to the Rams, something he said left a lasting impact on him and a bit of a sour taste in his mouth toward the Bills.

“It left me scarred by just not trusting coaches in general,” Watkins told reporters via 13WHAM-TV during Super Bowl week in Miami ahead of Sunday’s Chiefs-49ers showdown. “But I think that revived my whole career. At that point in my life I didn’t want to be there and somehow, miraculously, I get traded like the next week and go to another team that’s pretty good and go to the playoffs in my first year with the Rams and now to be in this situation, fighting in the third round last year, one game away from the Super Bowl and to be in the Super Bowl this year… blessings.”

After trading Watkins and cornerback Ronald Darby in separate deals, Beane said the trades were made looking toward the future.

“Really with the draft picks, as we talk about short term and long term, that’s a big part of with planning for the future. We believe that you build through the draft and in order to get us into a situation where we can achieve success and sustain it, building through the draft is the way to go,” Beane said.

Of course, this was just the start of Beane and McDermott deconstructing the roster former general manager Doug Whaley built. Fast forward to today and the only draft pick left on the Bills roster from Whaley’s tenure is Shaq Lawson, and he’s a pending free agent.

Along with Watkins, former Bill LeSean McCoy didn’t have the nicest things to say about the Bills front office at Super Bowl week, either.

However, McCoy did stick around much longer on the Bills roster constructed by McDermott and Beane, one they also touted the importance of building around a strong culture. Having a player that wants to be traded isn’t exactly a strong culture.

Plus, the Bills now have plenty of salary cap space, near $90 million, heading into the offseason. A reason for that was biting the bullet on several dead cap moves in 2017, such as trading Watkins.

Regardless, plenty of time has gone by and with Watkins in the Super Bowl this year and the Bills as postseason visitors two of the past three seasons, both sides can equally say they benefited from the move.

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Roger Goodell mentions possible renovations for Bills stadium

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell discusses possible renovations to New Era Field, home of the Buffalo Bills, from Super Bowl LIV.

The Buffalo Bills are staying in western New York. Where? We haven’t been, and truthfully still aren’t sure, about that.

But NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell changed his tune a bit on that subject on Wednesday in Miami while speaking to reporters ahead of Super Bowl LIV on Sunday.

Goodell, a Jamestown native, acknowledged he wants the Bills to “be in Buffalo and be successful.” With the palace-type stadiums around the NFL being built in recent years, Goodell has long been in support of a new stadium for the team in the region.

“The reason why I’m supportive [of a new stadium] is I want to make sure the franchise remains stable here and continues to stay competitive,” Goodell said in June. “I think it’s great for this community, and we’ve been able to do these stadiums in such a way that it creates a tremendous economic benefit, too.”

But on Wednesday, a different approach. He used the “R” word… renovations.

“A stadium that is going to be competitive with other stadiums around the league is going to be important in that context,” Goodell said in regard to keeping the Bills a viable team in Buffalo. “I think everyone is committed to that, whether it’s a new significant renovation or a completely different facility in a new place.”

The Bills are currently locked into a lease with Erie County to play at New Era Field until 2023. Of course with the calendar recently changing to 2020, 2023 is just around the corner.

The Bills ownership of Terry and Kim Pegula have done their due diligence on the stadium issue at hand, having started conducting studies on what to do. Much of that is being kept hidden, however, the balance of renovations vs. a new stadium is mostly come down to money and where it’s coming from.

Time will only tell what happens with the Bills stadium issue, but Wednesday’s comments sound like a minor win of sorts for those in favor of keeping the Bills in Orchard Park instead of building a new stadium completely… perhaps one in downtown Buffalo, for example.

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WR Tee Higgins to Bills in NFL.com mock (2020 NFL Draft)

Buffalo Bills land WR Tee Higgins from Clemson in NFL.com/ Lance Zierlein first mock draft of 2020.

The Bills land Clemson wide receiver Tee Higgins in NFL.com’s latest 2020 NFL Draft mock.

The big-bodied target is just the right ticket the Bills offense could use at the 22nd pick, according to the selection’s breakdown:

School: Clemson | Year: Junior

What do you give a big-armed quarterback with spotty accuracy? I suggest a big, downfield wideout with good ball skills and an incredible catch radius.

For the Bills, Higgins makes sense. Cole Beasley and John Brown have had great seasons for Buffalo in 2019. But, moving more talent into the receiver room around them in the short term, and getting a long-term, go-to option for quarterback Josh Allen, should be a goal for the Bills this offseason.

At 6-foot-4, Higgins gives the Bills the size they lack in any receiver aside from Duke Williams. Allen does have to improve some of his deep-ball accuracy issues on his own this offseason, but if he does have a guy like Higgins in 2020 and has the same type of production as he had last season, his completion percentage of 58.2 percent could easily rise above 60 percent just by having a guy that’s better at making longer, contested catches.

In the NFL.com mock by Lance Zierlein, Higgins is the third wideout taken off the board. Presumed No. 1 wideout prospect Jerry Jeudy from Alabama falls all the way to the Raiders at No. 12 and then Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb is still on the board when the Eagles select at No. 21, one pick ahead of the Bills, and Philly land him.

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PFF: Bills had 22nd best rookie class in 2019

Buffalo Bills rookie class in 2019 was the NFL’s 22nd best, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Buffalo Bills have seen production from their rookies in recent years. In this most recent season, Pro Football Focus didn’t see it that way.

According to the football analytics outlet, the Bills’ 2019 rookie class was only the 22nd best in the NFL.

Here’s why, per PFF:

Neither defensive tackle Ed Oliver (64.0) nor offensive tackle Cody Ford (51.8) lived up to their draft position, and the value added by their two third-round selections — running back Devin Singletary and tight end Dawson Knox — wasn’t enough to overcome those performances. The Bills will need those first two picks to take steps forward in 2020.

While the Bills did see production from their rookies this season, to PFF’s credit, it wasn’t fantastic production from their top-two picks in Oliver and Ford. Both saw their rookie seasons plagued with inconsistencies.

Despite PFF knocking the Bills for their top picks taking time to adapt to the NFL, the outlet did tip their cap to their best rookies in running back Devin Singletary and tight end Dawson Knox. Singletary was named the Bills’ “best value pick” as well. Here’s why:

Singletary (No. 96 overall) was a handful to tackle coming out of Florida Atlantic, and that remained the case in Buffalo. He averaged more than 3 rushing yards after contact per attempt and broke 42 tackles on the ground as a rookie.

In regard to the AFC East though, the Bills did have the second-best rookie class. The Jets were only ranked slightly better at No. 20, while the Patriots were at No. 27 and the Dolphins slotted in at No. 28. The league’s best rookie class honors went to the Redskins.

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Bills won’t be punished by NFL for Jerry Hughes’ injury

Buffalo Bills won’t be punished by NFL for handling of Jerry Hughes injury.

The Bills are now up to five players having offseason surgery as Levi Wallace was added to that list on Tuesday.

Prior to Wallace, the most curious case for the Bills was defensive end Jerry Hughes. The veteran took to social media to say he had played through a wrist injury all season, despite never appearing on the injury report with such.

Then he later did have that surgery on it. If the Bills knew that and didn’t report it, that’s against the rules and the NFL investigated.

Well the results are in and the Bills were found to not be in violation of the injury report policy, the league told the Buffalo chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America.

Hughes was listed on the injury report throughout the season as just having rest days.

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State of the position: Bills defensive line

Here is the state of the Bills defensive line entering the 2019 offseason.

Here is Bills Wire’s position-by-position breakdown of the team’s roster, continuing with the defensive line, including the season that was and projecting forward:

Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver. Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Much like the rest of the team, the Buffalo Bills defensive line took a major step forward from their 2018 performance. The team improved from 26th in sacks to seasons ago to 12th last season. They also improved from 17th to 10th in rushing yards allowed per game.

The unit was quite disruptive against opposing offensive linemen all year.  Jordan Phillips had a breakthrough season, registering 9.5 sacks, good for second in the NFL among defensive tackles. Rookie Ed Oliver grew throughout the season, justifying his top-10 draft slot, registering five sacks. Star Lotulelei had a strong second half of the season, occupying blocks and causing problems against double teams.

The defensive ends also caused problems, as Jerry Hughes, Trent Murphy, and Shaq Lawson combined for 16 sacks. Lawson had his best season as a pro, registering 6.5 sacks. Hughes, while only credited with 4.5 sacks in the regular season, consistently put pressure on quarterbacks. He sacked Deshaun Watson three times in the Wild Card matchup.

The unit was an integral part of the team’s top-10 defensive ranking this year.

Defensive end Jerry Hughes (55). Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Cap situation

Entering the offseason, the defensive line group commands the largest cap hit among any position group on the Bills, as highlighted on Spotrac.

Lotulelei enters the middle of his five-year deal that he signed in 2018. He will count $10.1 million against the team’s salary cap, the second-highest figure on the team. Continuing with the interior players, Ed Oliver’s cap hit shifts to $4.4 million next year. Harrison Phillips, who missed most of the season due to injury, enters the third year of his rookie deal costing the Bills just under one million dollars against the cap. Depth lineman Vincent Taylor enters the final year of his contract at a cost of $735,000 against the salary cap.

Defensive ends Jerry Hughes and Trent Murphy command a large chunk of the cap hit this year. Murphy enters the final year of a three-year deal with a cap hit of $9.78 million. He’s been a bit underwhelming, so this is a big season for the veteran. Hughes signed an extension to keep him in Buffalo for two more seasons. Darryl Johnson and Mike Love are under contract through next year.

Buffalo has three players who are unrestricted free agents next year: Lawson, Phillips, and defensive tackle Corey Liuget.

The future

This might be the group that undergoes the biggest change over the offseason.

Lawson and Jordan Phillips made major contributions this past season to the defensive line. However, with over $29 million in cap space tied up by Lotulelei, Hughes, and Murphy, the Bills may be hesitant to dedicate more money to this unit. Lawson and Phillips, even with their productivity this year, they may command big bucks in the free market.

Thus, Buffalo will need to replace their productivity in a cost-effective manner. If the Bills were impressed with Liuget’s work, the could re-sign him. If the Bills test the market, they will most likely find players who will command the type of money that Phillips would receive. In that case, they would just sign Phillips.

A healthy Harrison Phillips would also fill the void if Jordan Phillips were to leave.

Buffalo may look to find a pure pass rusher. Murphy enters the final year of his deal and Hughes is entering the twilight of his career. Some have clamored for Jacksonville’s Yannick Ngongue, but that is quite a long shot. A better option could be dedicated an early draft pick to the defensive line. LSU’s K’Lavon Chaisson or Iowa’s AJ Epenesa could be viable options at the end of the first round. Drafting a rookie in the first round would also give the player some time to acclimate to the NFL, just in the same manner that we saw Oliver’s growth over the second half of his rookie season.

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Report: Levi Wallace has offseason shoulder surgery

Buffalo Bills cornerback Levi Wallace has shoulder surgery.

The Buffalo News reported late Tuesday that Bills cornerback Levi Wallace had an offseason surgical procedure done on his shoulder.

The issue was considered minor. Wallace suffered a shoulder injury in Week 7 against the Eagles, but did play in Week 8 against the Redskins.

Wallace spent the 2019 season across from Tre’Davious White as Buffalo’s No. 2 cornerback. He rotated with Kevin Johnson in that role at times, however, he did play more snaps than Johnson on most occasions.

Overall, Wallace, appearing in 16 games in his second season after playing in the team’s final seven games in 2018 as a rookie, saw 76 percent of the Bills’ defensive snaps last season.

Wallace did not play in the Bills’ playoff game last season. He missed with a sprained ankle he suffered in the team’s Week 17 contest against the Jets.

Entering his third season as a former undrafted rookie free agent signee out of Alabama in 2018, Wallace in an exclusive-right free agent. He’ll be back with the Bills because of that, most likely.

That status means the Bills can offer him a vet minimum deal and Wallace has to accept it or sit out a season.

Wallace joins DT Ed Oliver (core), DE Jerry Hughes (wrist) RT Cody Ford, (shoulder) and RG Jon Feliciano, as Bills players who all had offseason surgery.

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