Tag: deonte harty

5 under-the-radar Bills players to watch on offense at training camp

5 under-the-radar #Bills players to watch on offense at training camp:

The Buffalo Bills offseason program is gaining steam as the team’s rookies have reported early to training camp, and the team is gearing up for the 2023 NFL regular season.

As more players on the roster join them, competition will heat up and position group battles will take place.

Here are five under-the-radar Bills players to watch on offense at training camp:

Madden 24 ratings for every Buffalo Bills wide receiver

Madden 24 ratings for every Buffalo #Bills wide receiver:

EA Sports is going position-by-position and releasing player ratings for their upcoming NFL video game, Madden 24.

This year’s game will feature Bills quarterback Josh Allen on the cover and we now know how the game rates wide receivers in the league.

Here are the Madden 24 ratings for every Bills wide receiver set to feature in the game:

Who are locks to make the Bills’ 53-man roster on offense?

Who are locks to make the #Bills’ 53-man roster on offense?

The Buffalo Bills are gearing up for the start of 2023 training camp. Players are going to be fighting for both playing time and roster spots.

But if we’re being honest, some of those positions on the team are already sorted out.

Here is every player on the Bills roster that is already a roster lock to make the team on offense:

PFF names Bills’ Deonte Harty among wide receivers primed for bigger role

PFF names Bills’ Deonte Harty as receiver primed for a bigger role (via @jdiloro):

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The Buffalo Bills have arguably a top-five wide receiver in Stefon Diggs. During his time in Buffalo, Diggs has averaged 112 receptions, 1,396 yards and just shy of 10 receiving touchdowns per season.

However, the gap between Diggs and the Bills’ secondary options at that position is massive. Diggs more than doubled the next closest Buffalo wideout in receptions last year (108 to Gabriel Davis’ 48). In addition, his receiving yardage was nearly 600 yards greater than Davis’ total of 836.

As Buffalo entered the offseason, the front office knew that they would need more options to take the heat off Diggs and provide additional weapons for superstar quarterback Josh Allen.

The Bills signed free agent Deonte Harty to add a dynamic element to the offense. Pro Football Focus named Harty as a receiver who is primed for a greater role in 2023. As PFF’s Sam Monson notes:

Bills fans have been crying out for a legitimate No. 2 receiver opposite Stefon Diggs for some time. It was supposed to be Gabriel Davis, but he wasn’t able to really elevate his game last year into that role. Buffalo might be instead aiming to elevate the level of the entire receiving corps, rather than that one specific position within the offense.

Harty — who until last year went by the surname Harris — missed most of last season because of foot and turf toe issues. In 2021, Harty set career bests as a wide receiver, reeling in 36 passes for 570 yards and three touchdowns.

Harty adds an explosive element to the return game as well. In 2019, he led the league in kick return yards and was named an All-Pro and Pro Bowler.

Monson says that while Harty has had limited opportunities as a wide receiver, he could be in the perfect situation to break out in Buffalo. Monson adds:

[Harty is] a dynamic speedster who can make plays underneath as well as deep downfield. Harty barely played last season, but in 2021 he posted an 87.6 PFF grade and popped in almost every available receiving metric despite notching just 36 receptions. He is only 25 years old, and Josh Allen represents by far the best quarterback situation he has had to work with (given the physical limitations of Drew Brees by the end of his career).

There is very little evidence that Harty can be a high-volume player in the NFL, and at 5-foot-6 and around 170 pounds that will always be a concern, but the Bills’ offense is a perfect environment for him to showcase his playmaking ability. And he has that in abundance.

Harty has the speed and versatility to line up in various positions. Even with his diminutive stature, expect to see him out wide in addition to spending time in the slot. Furthermore, Harty is the type of player to catch a swing pass and turn it into massive yards after the catch.

Harty will battle Davis for the No. 2 receiver role and will challenge incumbent Khalil Shakir and free agent addition Trent Sherfield for snaps in the slot. Harty will also look to supplant Nyheim Hines as Buffalo’s main kick returner.

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Bills’ Deonte Harty spent the first round of the NFL draft the Buffalo way

Immersing himself in Buffalo during the NFL draft:

Deonte Harty decided to spend the first round of the 2023 NFL draft in the most Buffalo way possible.

Harty, a free-agent signing of the Bills earlier this offseason, posted a photo to his social media account on Twitter right before the start of the first round on Thursday.

In the photo sits a huge line of chicken wings on a table. Harty wrote in the message that he was taking in the start of the draft at Bar Bill, likely getting his first, or one of his first tastes, of true wings in western New York.

Check out Harty’s post below:

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Ranking the Bills new free agent signings by PFF grades

All the PFF grades for the #Bills’ free agent signings (via @jdiloro):

The Buffalo Bills were selective in free agency this year, as the club had limited salary cap space to bring in free agents.

While the organization did not make a big splash in the free agent market, Buffalo did find a few valuable pieces to pad the depth on the roster.

The Bills free agent signings earned a wide variety of grades from Pro Football Focus. PFF’s grades indicate that the Bills definitely scrounged for some value and second-tier players on the free agent market.

Here are the Bills free agents ranked by their 2022 Pro Football Focus grades, ranked from lowest to highest.

WR Deonte Harty teases breakout year with the Bills

The #Bills signed a confident player:

Deonte Harty is aiming to have his best season yet in 2023 with the Buffalo Bills and he’s not afraid to say it.

Harty, 25, signed a two-year deal with the Bills this offseason. He began his career with the New Orleans Saints and earned All-Pro honors as a return man during his rookie season.

Harty never really broke out as a receiver and even slowed down as a returned since then.

A versatile and speedy playmaker, Harty will have an opportunity to produce both on offense and special teams with the Bills.

And regardless of past shortcomings, he’s projecting good things coming to him, and in turn Buffalo, in 2023.

Harty took to his social media account on Twitter and saw a message posted by the football analytics outlet Pro Football Focus. In a post aimed for discussion, PFF asked for responses to a tweet asking to “name a player breaking out next season.”

Harty named one: Himself. Harty responded and said “wait on it,” referring to himself.

Check out the confidence below:

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Highlight reels for new Bills WR Deonte Harty

Highlight reels for new #Bills WR Deonte Harty:

The Buffalo Bills are hoping to find a difference maker in Deonte Harty.

The receiver signed a two-deal deal with the team after starting his career with the New Orleans Saints. He has a wide range of talents, both on offense and special teams.

Find out what the Bills are getting in their new receiver in the YouTube clips below:

Bills handed ‘B’ grade in free agency by CBS Sports

#Bills handed ‘B’ grade in free agency by CBS Sports:

CBS Sports gave the Buffalo Bills a grade of “B” for their work completed during the first few weeks of free agency in 2023.

As promised by general manager Brandon Beane, the Bills were not movers and shakers this offseason. The GM noted in the weeks prior that Buffalo wouldn’t be making moves like they had the offseason prior when signing the likes of Von Miller to a massive contract.

Instead, the Bills suffered a big loss this time around with Tremaine Edmunds heading to the Chicago Bears.

But even with Edmunds’ departure, CBS Sports still likes the body of work completed by Buffalo.

Here’s the breakdown:

Buffalo’s most important moves this offseason came by way of retaining talent that was already on the roster. The team extended Matt Milano and surprisingly was able to bring back star safety Jordan Poyer as well. Poyer seemed to be a likely candidate to leave once he hit the open market, so being able to keep a player of his caliber was a major coup for a Bills team that boasts a Super Bowl-caliber roster. The biggest hit came on the defensive side of the ball with Tremaine Edmunds inking a deal with the Bears, leaving a notable hole at the off-ball linebacker position.

Milano and Poyer were important moves made by the Bills. However, their grade could get a boost in the future if their additions work out.

Essentially Buffalo was looking to upgrade around their roster. Isaiah McKenzie was released and the team shelled out a few more dollars in the hopes of Deonte Harty producing more in that versatile role.

Then along the offensive line, additions were made in the middle via a three-year deal for Connor McGovern and one-year contract for former Super Bowl winner David Edwards. That area was lacking in 2022.

Defensively there haven’t been large additions. However, Taylor Rapp is a versatile defensive back that was brought in who could feature around Buffalo’s defense. Bare minimum, he bolsters the Bills’ safety depth which was tested last season.

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