Tag: Mike Edwards

PFF grades the Bills’ work in free agency

PFF grades the #Bills’ work in free agency:

The Bills have been active in the first wave of NFL free agency, addressing roster needs with players who can be valuable contributors and rotation players in all three phases.

Similarly, letting some players walk in free agency while releasing and trading others has created cap relief and added draft capital while freeing up money to add cost-efficient talent.

Headlined by the additions of WR Curtis Samuel and LB Nicholas Morrow, a mix of new and familiar faces have been signed and re-signed.

While it’s worth noting that additional signings have taken place, including DE Casey Toohill and S Mike Edwards, with more potential moves on the way as the team has reportedly met with S Julian Blackmon and DE Austin Johnson on free agency visits, and still have a number of their own free agents available as well.

Had they been factored in, Toohill, who’s had solid numbers as a depth and rotation player, and Edwards, who has the second most defensive TDs in the NFL since 2021 (5) and two Super Bowl championships with Tampa and Kansas City to his name, may have affected the grade.

Nonetheless, here is the Bills 2024 free agency grade prior to those additions, according to Pro Football Focus…

BUFFALO BILLS

Epenesa has two straight seasons with strong production as a pass rusher, notching pressure rates above 10% and pass-rush grades above 70.0. He’s a big edge who has gotten faster off the ball as he’s developed, and he’ll still be just 25 in Week 1 of 2024, so there could be more improvement ahead.

Jones came out of the gates of the 2023 season on fire as an interior pass rusher, and the continued growth of Ed Oliver has enabled the two to work off each other and weaponize twists and stunts on the interior more effectively. Oliver still has a quick get-off and a bursty second step in his 30s, and Buffalo needed to add more defensive linemen, so why not retain a player you know is a fit as a three- to five-technique?

Buffalo looks ready to move on from the dynamic duo of Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, who had an incredible run as the starting safety tandem for years. Rapp is a good box defender, and the Bills structured this deal in a way that they can approach it year to year while also buying out two additional years from Rapp.

PFF FREE AGENCY GRADE: B-

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NFL free agency: Mike Edwards signs with Bills after visiting Colts

The Colts held a visit for Mike Edwards but he signed with the Bills on Wednesday.

The Indianapolis Colts held a visit for safety Mike Edwards in free agency this week, but he wound up signing with the Buffalo Bills on Wednesday.

There is still a pretty big hole the Colts have to fill at the strong safety position. With Edwards off the market, it will be interesting to see if they turn their attention to retaining Julian Blackmon.

Blackmon has taken visits with the Buffalo Bills (prior to signing Edwards) and the San Francisco 49ers.

There is still a chance Blackmon and the Colts come together on a contract to bring him back to the Circle City. He thrived in his role as a strong safety after making the switch during the 2023 offseason. He’s a talented player even with a slightly concerning injury history.

The Colts have been relatively quiet during the second week of free agency, opting to re-sign two depth pieces in the forms of Danny Pinter and Taven Bryan.

We’ll see what kind of moves the Colts will make with the month of March coming to an end, but their options to add a strong safety are getting slimmer.

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Former Chiefs DB Mike Edwards signs with Buffalo Bills

Former Kansas City #Chiefs safety Mike Edwards signed a one-year contract with the Buffalo #Bills.

The Kansas City Chiefs lose another member of their Super Bowl LVIII winning defense, with the latest departure coming from the secondary.

After publicly meeting with several teams at the start of free agency, Safety Mike Edwards officially joined the Buffalo Bills on Wednesday. The announcement was made on the Bills’ social media account, featuring a photo of Edwards ironically putting pen to paper with an image of him in a Chiefs uniform in the background.

The complete terms of the deal weren’t announced, but it was confirmed to be a one-season agreement with the 27-year-old.

During his lone season with the Chiefs, he collected one interception, two fumble recoveries, one fumble recovery for a touchdown, and 51 total tackles in 17 games, including five starts. The fumble recovery for a touchdown was memorable during the matchup against the Miami Dolphins in Frankfurt, Germany. The six-year veteran was valuable to defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s secondary depth.

The two-time Super Bowl champion will be an addition to a Bills unit that has gone through significant changes on defense this offseason. Kansas City could be in the market for adding in the secondary during next month’s NFL Draft.

NFL free agency: Colts host S Mike Edwards for visit

The Colts hosted free-agent S Mike Edwards for a visit Monday.

The Indianapolis Colts held a free-agent visit for safety Mike Edwards on Monday, per the league’s transaction wire.

A third-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft, Edwards entered the league with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He spent four seasons with the Bucs before signing a one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency during the 2023 offseason.

Edwards has the versatility to work both as a free and strong safety. With the Chiefs, he primarily lined up as a free safety but spent a solid chunk of his snaps in the box. He had similar splits with the Buccaneers as well.

During the 2023 season, Edwards appeared in all 17 games while making five starts. He recorded 51 tackles (32 solo), two tackles for loss, five passes defensed and one interception.

According to Pro Football Focus, he recorded five run stops and allowed a 66.4 passer rating in coverage on 28 targets.

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6 options for the Saints to replace Marcus Maye at safety

The Saints will be replacing Marcus Maye at safety, but who are their choices? Between in-house options, draft prospects, and free agents, here are six candidates:

Here’s another challenge for the New Orleans Saints offense: replacing Marcus Maye at safety. It’s been reported that the Saints will release Maye at the start of the new league year on March 13, buying them time to make decisions on other players before filing his release with the league office.

Even if Maye’s availability was a concern (he missed a full 17-game season’s worth of time with injuries and a suspension through two years), the Saints still need to account for his loss in the secondary. Between in-house options, draft prospects, and free agents, here are six candidates to watch:

Five former Buccaneers playing in Super Bowl LVIII

There are quite a few former Bucs playing in the big game on Sunday — with a large majority suiting up for Kansas City.

Very few players get the opportunity to play in the Super Bowl.

NFL greats like Tony Gonzalez and Barry Sanders never got to step foot in a championship game. Nevertheless, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes has defied the odds and is days away from competing in his fourth Super Bowl in six seasons. Along with him are several former Bucs who will play with him — additionally, one member of the 49ers was also recently in Tampa Bay, so there’s plenty of former Bucs pedigree in the big game on Sunday.

Here’s a list of the former Buccaneers who will participate in the Super Bowl:

The Secret Superstars of Super Bowl LVIII

From Jauan Jennings to L’Jarius Sneed, here are 10 underrated players for the 49ers and Chiefs who could make all the difference in Super Bowl LVIII.

For every Super Bowl star you’d expect, there’s a player who comes out of nowhere in a relative sense to take over the biggest game of his life. That was just as true for Green Bay Packers receiver Max McGee in Super Bowl I as it was for Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco in Super Bowl LVII.

For the upcoming matchup between the Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII, we’d like to present 10 players — five from each team — whose deeds on the field have gone relatively unnoticed, but every one of them could be the one to take his team’s fortunes over the top.

Here are the Secret Superstars of Super Bowl LVIII.

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Ravens reflect on AFC Championship loss to Chiefs during Locker room cleanout day

After having exit meetings on Monday, the Baltimore Ravens met the media and offered their reactions to the AFC title game loss to the Chiefs

The Ravens are again staring disappointment in the face after a 17-10 loss to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game at M&T Bank Stadium.

Jackson and the Ravens offense imploded with three turnovers, and the team is 0-8 in team history when committing three or more turnovers in the postseason.

Jackson finished 20 of 37 for 272 yards, a touchdown, and an interception as Baltimore tied a season-low with 10 points.

The consensus favorite for NFL MVP, Jackson will have to wait another year to escape the notion that he’s unable to win games in the most crucial moments.

With a critical offseason and major decisions ahead, the Ravens cleaned out their lockers and had exit interviews with the coaching staff.  Afterward, they met with the media, and here are the instant reactions.

Takeaways and observations from Ravens 17-10 loss to Chiefs in AFC Championship game

We’re looking at the takeaways from the Baltimore Ravens 17-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game

The Ravens are again staring disappointment in the face after a 17-10 loss to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game at M&T Bank Stadium.

The consensus favorite for NFL MVP, Jackson will have to wait another year to escape the notion that he’s unable to win games in the most crucial moments.

Jackson and the Ravens offense imploded with three turnovers, and the team is 0-8 in team history when committing three or more turnovers in the postseason.

Jackson finished 20 of 37 for 272 yards, a touchdown, and an interception as Baltimore tied a season-low with 10 points.

With a critical offseason and major decisions ahead, we’re looking at takeaways and observations from the shocking loss.

Ravens vs. Chiefs: 10 takeaways from first half of AFC Championship game

We’re looking at ten takeaways from the first half as the Kansas City Chiefs hold a 17-7 lead over the Baltimore Ravens

The Chiefs heard all the noise and responded upon entering M&T Bank Stadium, jumping out to an early lead on the Baltimore Ravens and taking a 17-7 lead into halftime.

Sunday is the 5th time the Lamar Jackson-led Ravens have trailed by double digits at halftime (0-4 in the first four games).

Three other times, it has been vs. the Chiefs (2019 and 2020).

Kansas City answered the questions about Baltimore’s physicality, attacking the Ravens in the trenches on both sides of the football.

With the second half underway, we’re looking at takeaways from the first half.