ESPN names Jordan Poyer as the team’s best free agent signing while panning Star Lotulelei’s contract.
ESPN explored every NFL teams’ respective best and worst free-agent signings over the past five years. For Buffalo, it’s two familiar faces on the starting defensive unit.
The world-wide leader named safety Jordan Poyer as the team’s best free-agent signing during this period. Poyer, who stepped in a took command of the free safety spot for the Bills, ultimately has been part of arguably the best safety duo in the league with Micah Hyde.
In three seasons in Buffalo, Poyer has recorded 302 tackles and 11 interceptions. He’s also added six sacks and 17 tackles for loss as well.
ESPN highlights:
You also could make an argument for fellow safety Micah Hyde, but the production Buffalo has gotten from Poyer far exceeds the bargain contract he signed in 2017 (four years, $12.5 million).
On the flip side, defensive tackle Star Loutlelei was named the team’s worst signing during this time. This has less to do with the play of the one-tech, as he has ultimately done the job that he was brought to do in Western New York–he’s here to manage double-teams and allow space for teammates to find gaps in the opponent’s offensive line. However, it’s the amount of money that he commands that is the issue with this signing:
Both general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott will insist Lotulelei is more valuable than he gets credit for — and they’re probably right. But they also essentially admitted their error in giving him a five-year, $50 million contract in 2018 by restructuring his deal this offseason. Lotulelei is a space-eater who makes life easier for his teammates, but that alone is probably not worth $10 million per year.
Lotulelei has started every game in two years in a Buffalo uniform. He has 36 total tackles, two sacks, and a shocking interception during his time as a Bill.
ESPN predicts the Buffalo Bills will re-sign cornerback Tre’Davious White this offseason.
The Buffalo Bills have a lot of things on their to-do list this offseason. Is re-signing cornerback Tre’Davious White among them? ESPN predicts yes.
In the outlet’s “bold predictions” for every NFL team this offseason, the worldwide leader pegs Buffalo re-signing the All-Pro:
The 2017 first-round pick also has a fifth-year option available, but since earning All-Pro honors in his third season, he has established himself as one of Buffalo’s franchise cornerstones. As one league source told ESPN, White is simply too good to have to prove himself again with the fifth-year option. Expect him to be one of the highest-paid cornerbacks in the league, if not the highest-paid, once his extension kicks in.
Signing White seems like a no-brainer decision for the Bills and general manager Brandon Beane. However, there’s plenty of factors in play here.
White’s entering a contract year, of sorts. As a former first-round pick, he has his fifth-year option attached to his deal. Don’t be surprised if the Bills activate that instead of getting White on a long-term deal first.
Would both sides like a long-term contract signed? Probably. But as things currently sit, the Bills really have little to lose in regard to White by flexing his option. He’s going to be one of the highest-paid cornerbacks already. No one is hoping for a regression, but the price tag is close to being set as one of the highest in the NFL.
So why wait? White has that option, his fellow draft class members in left tackle Dion Dawkins and linebacker Matt Milano do not. Both of those players aren’t All-Pro status as of now like White, but they are important members of the Bills already. So Beane might opt to tag White, re-sign those two or other pending free agents after 2020 such as veteran safety Jordan Poyer, then circle back around the White, even as early as training camp.
He is the state of the Buffalo Bills secondary entering the 2019 offseason.
Here is Bills Wire’s position-by-position breakdown of the team’s roster, continuing with the secondary, including the season that was and projecting forward:
Jordan Poyer, center, and Micah Hyde charge onto the field fpr an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2019, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
The Buffalo Bills secondary has been arguably the best positional grouping during the Sean McDermott era. Cornerback Tre’Davious White, the first draft pick for McDermott, was honored with First-Team All-Pro honors and a trip to the Pro Bowl. Safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer, two of the regime’s earliest free agent signings, have become cornerstones for the franchise over the past three years.
White had another stellar season, en route to entering his name into the national discussion for best cornerbacks in the league. He was regularly matched against the opponent’s top receiving threat. The LSU product registered 58 tackles, six interceptions (tied for the league lead), and 17 passes defensed.
Levi Wallace played the opposite corner position from White. The undrafted free agent has held his own, registering 76 tackles, nine passes defensed, and two interceptions. However, he has been susceptible to getting beat by receivers in his second season.
Taron Johnson worked primarily against slot receivers. He was adequate, although he did not seem to have the impact that he did as a rookie two years ago.
Kevin Johnson provided veteran depth, seeing action in all 16 games. He recorded 32 tackles, one sack, and five passes defensed. Overall, he provided the necessary support for the unit when needed.
Hyde and Poyer were great at the back of the defense. Poyer was second on the team with 104 total tackles. Hyde added 72 total tackles to the ledger this year. Both are solid leaders and essential components of this defense’s dominance.
Siran Neal, a fifth-round pick in the 2018 draft, was a versatile player, spelling Johnson when a bigger, more physical player was needed in the slot. He took a solid step forward in this second professional season, taking on more responsibility in the slot.
Dean Marlowe, Jaquan Johnson, and Kurt Coleman provided depth in the secondary. A good deal of their contributions came on the special teams. unit.
Bills CB Tre’Davious White. Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
Contract status
White enters the fourth-year of his rookie deal. He will count $3.2 million against the salary cap. The All-Pro will have the team’s fifth-year option at hand for the 2021 season. However, the Bills will do everything in their power to sign White to a long-term deal. But with others from his rookie class such as Dion Dawkins and Matt Milano also on expiring contracts that don’t have a fifth-year option, the Bills might opt to flex that option.
Johnson will cost approximately $821,000 against the cap in his third season.
Hyde and Poyer have been bargains on their deals, outplaying their cap hits. Hyde has two more years on his deal at a cap hit of approximately $6.7 million. Poyer takes on the final year of his deal carrying a cap hit of just over $4 million.
Neal and Jaquan Johnson are moving their way through their entry-level deals, with Neal costing the team approximately $730,000 toward the cap while Johnson will constitute about $631,000 in the cap figure.
Kevin Johnson and Coleman are unrestricted free agents this year. Marlowe is a restricted free agent, while Wallace is an exclusive rights free agent.
The future
The entire starting group has outplayed their contracts. Thus, someone’s going to get PAID soon. The first priority is White. The Bills let Stephon Gilmore walk in 2017. With teams in need of matching high-powered offenses with top-flight cornerbacks, the position has taken a higher level of value in recent years. Thus, money will be dedicated to the cornerback position in the near future.
Poyer and Hyde present interesting conundrums for the team. Poyer has one more year on his deal. Eventually, several players are going to command new deals, including White, Josh Allen, Devin Singletary, Matt Milano, and Tremaine Edmunds. With Poyer fit into the team’s long-term plans? He will be 29-years-old next season. Even though he has been very productive, his work may eventually price himself out of Buffalo’s plans. This will be up to general manager Brandon Beane’s mastery to get all of these players under contract. Also, McDermott may bank on his expertise to bring along a lower-cost option in place of Poyer in 2021. There’s a lot to untangle at this spot.
For now, Hyde and Poyer will continue to a strength of the defense.
Taron Johnson and Neal could battle for first-team reps at the cornerback spot. Neal demonstrated a physicality and flexibility that was impressive for his role.
The most intriguing spot will be opposite White. Wallace played well at times, but also faced bouts of inconsistency. Buffalo would most likely not entertain free agent starting options, so the draft could be an interesting spot for consideration. Virginia’s Bryce Hall, Alabama’s Trevon Diggs, and Utah’s Jaylon Johnson could be players to watch as the Combine takes place.
Kevin Johnson could be re-signed for depth purposes if he is cost-effective. Wallace, as an exclusive rights free agent, most likely will return to Buffalo. However, it may be challenging for him to return as the starter after the offseason.
The Buffalo Bills in Pro Football Focus’ secondary rankings in 2019.
The eye test says the Buffalo Bills had one of the NFL’s best secondaries last season.
Now the hard analytics are saying the same.
Pro Football Focus released their top secondary rankings in the NFL from the 2019 season this week. The Bills finished in the fourth-overall spot.
Here’s the analysis:
Since taking over as head coach in 2017, Sean McDermott has led the Buffalo Bills to three consecutive elite team coverage grades, with their 2019 grade of 90.5 ringing in as the league’s fourth-best mark. Cornerback Tre’Davious White (75.2 coverage grade) and safeties Micah Hyde (82.0) and Jordan Poyer (70.1) helped lead a group that allowed the fifth-fewest EPA per pass play and the league’s second-fewest touchdown passes through 16 games. And White was the only NFL corner to play 500-plus coverage snaps and not allow a touchdown reception. The Bills played a good mix of both zone (60% of the time) and man coverage (34% of the time), and their low-risk philosophy yielded an average depth of target of just 7.3 yards, which tied for the second-lowest average among all 32 teams.
The only units out-ranking the Bills were the Vikings, 49ers, and Patriots at the top, respectively, in PFF’s grades.
For the first three years of McDermott’s tenure as head coach, this unit has led the way. The coach added Hyde, Poyer and White in 2017, with Levi Wallace and Kevin Johnson both successfully filling in at the No. 2 cornerback role in 2019. Taron Johnson plays his part as the nickel cornerback in the slot in a strong way, too.
But as the Bills enter the 2020 offseason, the story will start to change. The chickens are coming home to roost. White, one of the NFL’s top cornerbacks, a 2019 All-Pro, will be a free agent following 2020. The Bills can activate his fifth-year option on his rookie contract, and probably will. Along with White, Poyer is also entering a contract year. He’ll be 29 next season. Both players will likely have some sort of contract discussions with the Bills this offseason, or should.
Here are the best players on defense for Buffalo during the last decade.
The defense has been the stronger unit of the Buffalo Bills over the past 10 years. Defensive coordinators Leslie Frazier and Jim Schwartz have each guided their respective units to top-10 finishes during the past number of years.
As the 2010s close, it’s a natural time to review how the Bills have looked on the defensive side of the ball over the past decade.
Here are the best players on defense for Buffalo during the last decade:
Kyle Williams was a fixture in Buffalo for 13 seasons. During his play in this decade, he led defensive linemen with 396 total tackles and 71 tackles for loss. Tack in 40.5 sacks in 121 games, and you have quite the player for the interior of the Bills line. Williams was named to six Pro Bowls during this time period.
Marcell Dareus is a story of what could have been. In 91 games, he recorded 300 total tackles and 35 sacks. He surely was dominant at times, but he just did not gel with the Sean McDermott regime. Dareus was a two-time Pro-Bowl selection with Buffalo and was an All-Pro with the squad in 2014.
Stock report following the Buffalo Bills’ 24-17 Week 16 loss to the New England Patriots.
The Bills lost their chance to make the AFC East title interesting on Saturday, falling 24-17 to the New England Patriots.
While the Bills locker room will tell you there are no “moral victories” anymore for this team, it was still a solid showing in some aspects for the Bills. But still, Buffalo lost the game.
Here’s how the stock report for the Bills looks following their Week 16 loss to the Patriots:
Stock up
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
WR Cole Beasley
As it’s been all season for the Bills, outings are usually defined by Cole Beasley or John Brown in the passing game. One or the other, rarely, if ever at all, both of them. Brown did have a deep catch on the day, but overall, was relatively ineffective against the likes of Stephon Gilmore.
With that, Beasley did have a big game. After back-to-back quieter weeks, the slot receiver had a huge game, seven catches for 108 yards. It was his second 100-plus receiving yard game with the Bills this season. With 56 yards against the Jets in Week 17, Beasley will set a career-high number of receiving yards in a single season.
Via Boston.com, Edelman admitted after the game it was a sham. He was faking, and was later evaluated for a head injury in a league often criticized for such bumps.
“I was trying to sell it,” Edelman said. “Hopefully, they didn’t see it.”
On the play, Edelman, as you can see in the video, was nearly hit with a penalty marker. He was also hit with a penalty, too. But the move is still a questionable one, flag or not.
Even some of Edelman’s teammates had a laugh at his move. Matt Slater said what most were thinking.
“He was kind of funny the way he laid out there. But Edelman came back from the dead,” Slater said.
The Pats did eventually win the game, as mentioned, with some help from Edelman after he “came back from the dead.” But it’s an interesting philosophy to admit to trying to take any edge possible while your team is under investigating for illegal usage of videotaping… for a second time.
Buffalo Bills locker room says “no moral victories” in Week 16 loss to New England Patriots.
The Bills fell 24-17 to a good team in Week 16. That was the case against the New England Patriots, and the same against the Baltimore Ravens a few weeks ago.
In these games, the Bills have impressed nationally despite the outcome. But at the end of the day, Buffalo took the ‘L.’
Inside the Bills locker room, the mantra following their loss to the Patriots was the same as it was been a few weeks prior when losing a game. There are positives, but all that matters is the victory. If it’s not there, it’s a loss.
“Moral victories” has become a trigger word for this team.
“We played hard, but there are no moral victories. They made more plays than us,” safety Jordan Poyer said. “We knew we had to finish the game. (Tom Brady’s) the greatest quarterback to ever play the game and we knew they were going to come back and try and strike. Like I said, they just made more plays than we did today. I’m proud of our guys today, but in the end, there are no moral victories.”
That was the resounding feeling from Poyer’s teammates after this one, too.
Here’s who else felt similar following the Bills’ loss to the Patriots:
QB Josh Allen
“If you look at the type of teams we’ve played the last three weeks, they’re all playoff-type teams. So getting that experience against these defenses, teams we might be able to see again, it’s all valuable experience because playing games in December that mean something; not many people are doing that right now and we’re one of those teams. So it feels good to be in the situation that we’re in and the position that we’re in.
“But again, we didn’t do a good enough job today, we’re trying to win a football game. This one hurts for us obviously because we don’t want anybody to win the East during our game, that’s one that we’ll take to the heart. So we’ll learn from it.”
Head coach Sean McDermott
“Yeah, I mean listen, we’re here to win – number one. Having said that, we’ve gone on the road and played in tough environments before. We’ve played four quality opponents, the last four weeks, in big games. And our players have put it on the line and that’s all I can ask. And we have got to continue to learn from these experiences, as a young football team and continue to grow, so we get stronger and stronger. You know, in games like this in particular, as we move into the playoffs.”
S Micah Hyde
“I understand what this team is about. I’m not learning anything new from all the games we’ve played already. You understand what type of football team you are. We wanted to go out here on the road against a great opponent and win the game. It’s as simple as that. We’re not here trying to learn about this team anymore. We’re out here trying to win.”
“It was a tight game late in December, playing a very good football team on the road. You have to understand it was going to be tight going into the fourth quarter. We knew that was going to happen. We don’t take pride in losing by seven though. We go out there and try to win every ball game we can. We made a lot of plays in this game but also gave up some things, so we go back and try to correct thing and get on to the next game.”
WR Cole Beasley
“They did a hell of a job, in the red zone in the last series. We made a lot of plays to get down there but we have to figure out a way to finish it off. That’s what good teams do and that’s what they did tonight. We played good enough to win we just didn’t finish it at the end. We have to take advantage of that. We to the 8-yard line we have to score right there. That’s just what it is, we finish that and we’re not talking about how efficient they were, we’re talking about how we played.”
OL Dion Dawkins
“To just win, whether it was the Patriots or the Jets it was that make the net game for us. We have our foot on the gas and we’re not taking it off. We just want to get a win every week and we like winning.”
WR John Brown
“We just have to finish strong. At the end of the day, we have to manage the clock and execute more efficiently.”
LB Lorenzo Alexander
“We played well to an extent, but you want to win the games. So there’s no moral victory or anyway we can spin it to make us feel better. I mean, the only thing I think is that we know we can play with those guys, whether we’re at home or away.
“We know we can come in here and win, we just have to execute.”
WR Andre Roberts
“They [the Patriots] played a better game than us. They finished the game and we didn’t. We had our opportunities. Give credit to them, they played an outstanding game. They finished the game and we couldn’t.”
DT Ed Oliver
“It was everything we expected but we have to execute better. Nothing we didn’t expect, we just have got to execute better. If it comes down [to meeting in the playoffs] we will be ready. I expected to win and I am disappointed that we didn’t. We have got to find a way.”
TE Lee Smith
“Hopefully we will be back in this locker room here in a few weeks, I don’t how the playoff picture looks or if even that is possibility but that would be fun. We will see. We just have to get back to work, which I know we will we have great leadership and a great group of dudes. You are right there are no moral victories but at the same time unfortunately I have lost a lot of games in this league but losing on this team is a little bittersweet compared to my teams in the past just based off of how this year is going.”
The Bills had their first chance to win the AFC East in 20 years on Saturday, but couldn’t seal the deal in New England.
The Buffalo Bills went to Foxborough and gave the New England Patriots an intense matchup that resulted in a 24-17 win for the home team. Both defenses played well in the cold New England night.
Buffalo made the game competitive, but they couldn’t seal the victory in the fourth quarter.
With the unfortunate loss against the Patriots, here’s how the Bills were graded against New England:
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Quarterback: C
Josh Allen started off the game terribly, completing just three passes before the end of the second quarter. At the end of the first half Allen found his footing and drove the offense down the field, and tied the game. That drive saw Allen hit a deep ball to Dawson Knox, and the touchdown came from finding Dion Dawkins in the back of the end zone on the final play of the first half with some trickery.
The second half Allen found more consistency, and again connected on the deep ball but this time to John Brown. Brown made a great move against Stephon Gilmore to create separation, and walked into the end zone with the ball was in hands.
Allen had an improved stat line from his first game against the Patriots, he completed 13 of his 26 passes for 208 yards and had two touchdowns. His biggest flaw though was his accuracy. He missed Cole Beasley twice, once in the middle field, and again on an out route where the ball was behind Beasley.
The Buffalo Bills fell just short against their long-time nemesis, losing to the New England Patriots 24-17 Saturday afternoon.
The Buffalo Bills fell just short against their long-time nemesis, losing to the New England Patriots 24-17 Saturday afternoon.
The game featured strong defense and several big plays for Buffalo, but it ultimately was not enough to knock off the evil empire of the NFL, giving the Patriots the AFC East crown for the 11th consecutive season.
New England carried most of the play in the first half, possessing the ball and putting pressure on the Bills defense. However, the unit did not break despite being on the field over 21 minutes in the first half.
The Bills defense dealt the first blow of the game, forcing a Rex Burkhead fumble. Jordan Poyer tracked down the New England running back and punched the ball out, and Micah Hyde returned it into Patriots territory.
However, Buffalo could only muster a 35-yard Stephen Hauschka field goal in response. The Bills moved the ball only 14 yards on seven plays.
New England responded with two long drives, both of which ended with points on the board. Matt LaCosse caught an 8-yard touchdown reception to finish off an 11-play drive, while Nick Folk added a 36-yard field goal to culminate a 17-play drive.
Buffalo’s offense struggled for most of the half, but then put it together for a two-minute drill. Allen, who only had 11 yards passing leading up to this drive, completed three of his four attempts for 51 yards. Dawson Knox was on the end of a great pass-and-catch, going for 34 yards and bringing the Bills down to the one-yard-line of New England. The playcalling became a bit more creative, as Allen found Dion Dawkins on a one-yard touchdown pass to even the game at 10-10 going into half time.
The teams then traded punches in the second half. The Patriots forced a three-and-out to open the second half. Buffalo’s defense kept Brady and company under wraps, allowing only a field goal.
Buffalo responded with a stellar route run by Brown, finally making Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore look human. John Brown smoked Gilmore on a double-move, and Allen found him in stride. The 53-yard touchdown receptions gave the Bills a 17-13 lead.
The remainder of the scoring went in favor of the Patriots. Nick Folk knocked through his third field goal of the game with just under 11 minutes remaining in the game. New England’s defense forced a Bills three-and-out, and the Patriots offense responded with another touchdown. Brady found Rex Burkhead in the flat, and the running back atoned for his fumble, breaking multiple tackles en route to the end zone. Julian Edelman scored on the two-point conversion, giving the Patriots a 24-17 lead.
Buffalo drove deep on their final drive of the game, traveling 60 yards on 14 plays. However, their penultimate offensive play put them back on their heels, as Allen was swarmed and took a sack. On the final offensive play for Buffalo, Allen faced the heat of New England’s pass rush. He turned his back to the line and was forced to throw up a low-percentage pass that fell incomplete. It was what was expected of Bill Belichick at that moment.
The Bills defense kept them within striking distance, but the Patriots offense was efficient all game. Brady ended with 271 passing yards on the day. The New England rushing attack was effective as well, totaling 143 yards gained on the ground. The Patriots put up 414 total yards on offense. Buffalo’s defense also failed to register a sack.
Buffalo’s ground attack never really got rolling along. Plus, their aerial attack was limited against Belichick’s defense. Buffalo converted only 2-of-11 third-down attempts during the game.
There were several things to be content with during today’s game for Buffalo. The big plays to Knox and Brown were impressive. Defensively, they forced a turnover on the opening drive.
However, the game still felt like it was a big brother toying around with their little sibling. Buffalo is close, but they are just not there just yet.
Allen was close on several passes. He missed Knox twice in the end zone. It was the usual mix of great passes combined with a few inaccurate tosses.
The Bills will have a chance to show their growth during the Wild Card round of the playoffs. For now, it’s a little bit of what could’ve been, as once again the team falls by one-score to their enemy.
Buffalo wraps up their season next Sunday against the New York Jets at New Era Field.
