Winners and losers from the Buffalo Bills’ end of season press conferences.
As the Bills wrapped up the season that was in 2020, the prominent front office figures pulling the strings ended the season as they always do, by stepping up to the podium and answering questions.
Many players were mentioned by the pair, for better or for worse. Moving forward, some of these comments could provide some insight into what the future could hold for the Bills.
In an effort to breakdown these conversations, Bills Wire will breakdown who was a winner and who was a loser from these pressers last week:
Losers
Bills defensive end Mario Addison (97). (AP Photo/Brett Carlsen)
2020 free agents
The Bills were players in last year’s free agency market and without naming names, Beane essentially said he made some mistakes. The 2021 salary cap is all messed up because of COVID-19 and it might actually drop to as low as $175 million instead of increasing like it essentially does every year.
That’s going to cause the Bills to have salary cap struggles this offseason, but looking back, the GM did say he would have done things differently.
“It’s one of those things you wish we knew a year ago, maybe we wouldn’t have made every move that we did. Maybe we wouldn’t have been so aggressive in some areas,” Beane said.
High-profile free agents added last offseason included Mario Addison, Quinton Jefferson, and Vernon Butler. All defensive linemen, a position group which had mixed results this past season. Beane isn’t loving those signings he made from the sounds of it.
OL Jon Feliciano
Combining two things, the future outlook for guard Jon Feliciano doesn’t look great with Buffalo. Again, because of that salary cap situation, it’s going to be hard for the Bills to keep everyone and on the offensive line the two top free agents are Feliciano and tackle Daryl Williams. Beane didn’t beat around the bush when discussing if he can get them both back.
“Whether we can get them back? I don’t know,” Beane said.
Beane went on to not only mention he might have to look for “cost-efficient replacements,” but also praised the hell out of Cody Ford, who was playing in Feliciano’s guard position before being lost for the year due to injury.
Kind of putting both of those together does not bode well for Feliciano.
LB Matt Milano
Beane outright put out there that the concern with brining Matt Milano back will be his health. He was oft-injured in 2020, and the GM saying that kind of indicates that this will be his “bargaining chip” in terms of signing Milano to an extension.
The Bills would “love” to bring Milano back, per Beane, however, along with brining up Milano’s health, there was pretty much zero positive vibes from the team in terms of getting Milano back in the fold next year. Again, the salary cap does not help here.
TE Dawson Knox
Pretty damming thoughts on the tight end group by Beane, which specifically doesn’t bode well for Dawson Knox.
“I thought it was up and down,” Beane said. “It was never where the opposing defense was like, ‘Man we’ve really got to stop their tight ends from going off.’”
Also probably some bad luck for Knox & Co. having to see Travis Kelce in Buffalo’s final game of the season…. The Bills should probably look to improve here. The interesting thought is their QB, though. Josh Allen did not appear to be a quarterback that looks for his tight ends very often unless it’s in the red zone, so how much should the Bills really invest into the position?
HC Sean McDermott
Why is Sean McDermott labeled under our loser category? Because he put himself there, truthfully. But we have a positive spin.
After losing to the Chiefs in the AFC title game, McDermott admitted he misplayed settling going for field goals. In addition, he said he was “outcoached.”
Spin zone time: While McDermott does live off of PR-friendly clichés… him admitting his wrongs is a step in the right direction.
CB Josh Norman
Beane was asked specifically about Josh Norman from his time with the Panthers in the 2015 offseason. That’s when Norman ended up leaving for the Football Team. The GM was not specifically asked about retaining Norman’s services this upcoming offseason, but while discussing the cornerback, he never made a notion of having interest in doing so.
In fact, Beane said rookie Dane Jackson is going to get a chance to compete for Buffalo’s No.2 cornerback job in 2021. All… not good signs for Norman’s future.
Future Buffalo Bills
Good luck trying to get a pay day from the Bills this offseason. Beane outright said the Bills will not be making flashy moves. Instead, their salary cap situation makes it so they really can’t. Therefore, sorry to any future free agents coming to the Bills, you won’t be breaking the bank.
“This is not going to be a free agency that we can be as aggressive,” Beane said.
The AFC East
After coming one loss to the Chiefs short of playing in the Super Bowl, the Bills are not going to be focusing on Kansas City… at least from a front office standpoint. Beane specifically said that his focus is not on KC moving toward the offseason, it’s still on winning the AFC East first.
“I still think it goes back … we’ve got to win our division. We can’t all of a sudden put our eyes on Kansas City and forget about New England, Miami and the Jets. It definitely starts there,” Beane said.
Takeaways from the first half of the Buffalo Bills’ 2020 NFL season.
The 2020 NFL season is at the middle point and there’s no reason for us to tip-toe our way into this article. We’re halfway to the finish line and while there’s still plenty to discover about the 6-2 Buffalo Bills, we’ve already found out plenty of things about this team through eight games.
So let’s just jump right into the deep end: Here’s five takeaways from the first half of the Bills’ season:
Following his second season in the NFL, Bills quarterback Josh Allen had 3,089 passing yards. There were notable guys who had more passing yards than Allen. Some include Ryan Fitzpatrick, Andy Dalton, Kyle Allen, Mitchell Trubisky and Gardner Minshew. Heck, even Daniel Jones and Sam Darnold were right on his heels.
We’ll put it to you this way, how crazy it is to think that Allen, who had the 23rd most passing yards in the NFL last season, was anywhere close to guys like that after seeing him play in 2020?
Buffalo’s QB is on pace to smash that total this season as he’s already at 2,172 passing yards. Now he’s around guys like Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and MVP front-runner Russell Wilson. In fact, he’s fallen down the charts in recent weeks and still resides near the top.
Now just like this takeaway from the season, Allen’s tune has changed since his start to the year. After four games, Allen was in the MVP conversation. He’s out of that now because he simply hasn’t been at those elite levels. Against some tougher foes like the Titans and Chiefs, Buffalo struggled as a team leading to losses. Allen was among those who weren’t up to spat.
Has Allen been awful? Clearly not. He’s still sixth in passing yards in the NFL after all. But the question marks are up again, just a different variety.
After his first few seasons, those asking questions were wondering if this guy can cut it at all in the NFL. Those questions are gone. Now we’re wondering if he can play at an elite level. Currently the answer is no, but that’s not written in pen because he was at those levels and can still get back there.
So our key takeaway on Allen from the start of the season: Is Allen better? Yes. How better? We have another eight games to truly find out.
Looking at the Buffalo Bills’ Week 8 win over the New England Patriots.
The Bills faithful should certainly celebrate their win over the Patriots in Week 8. In an exciting finish involving a turnover by the Bills, Buffalo took the 24-21 win over New England.
But exactly how to champion this victory has a fan base split a bit as the morning after rolls around.
Yes, the Patriots (2-5) have dominated Buffalo (6-2), the division and the entire AFC at certain points over the past two decades. But like many wins the Bills have put together this season, we’re seeing some more paper covering some big cracks for the Bills.
It was a fun win and there’s no reason not to be happy about a win. Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott will be the first one to remind us that it’s not easy to win in the NFL… and with that in mind, that’s exactly how this victory should be digested.
The Bills beat the Dolphins, Jets, Raiders and Rams this season. Due to the insane circumstances that got us across the finish line, the only win that’s different from the rest of the those was the one against the Rams. A big lead turned into a choke job turned into resilient effort from the Bills.
But even that win did something eerily similar to Buffalo like this Patriots win: Covered those cracks right up.
At the middle point of the 2020 NFL season, it’s time to admit the Bills defense just isn’t what we’re used to and they’re no longer good. Jon Feliciano showed us Sunday that one player in the trenches can make all the difference as Buffalo’s rushing attack finally came to life with him in the lineup. Maybe that’s the case for Star Lotulelei and this defense.
Lotulelei opted out of the COVID-19 season. But there’s a big difference between those two optics. The Bills offensive line is OK, so bringing a solid player in should be felt. Their defense, as a whole not just the defensive line position group, was previously elite and that’s a collective effort, like being smacked week after week against opposing running backs is.
Beating the Pats, again, should be celebrated. But the Bills did not beat the Patriots that were 32-3 against them while Tom Brady was quarterbacking the ship. You beat the same fan base in New England on Sunday, yes, but not the same team. Don’t mix that up.
Buffalo topped a team with their first three-game losing streak in 19 years that had more players opt-out of playing in 2020 than any other team. Remember how we just discussed Lotuleli, one single playing opting out, and how he might have a big impact on the Bills defense? The Patriots had more of those than anyone else in the NFL this offseason. Not to mention their best playmakers on both sides of the ball, wideout Julian Edelman and cornerback Stephon Gilmore, did not play due to injury.
The Bills beat the Patriots… but did not beat those Patriots.
This was not the statement win it would have been even just a season ago. The Bills are actually 0-2 so far in such games. The win some wished this one was would’ve been against a New England squad fresh off a Super Bowl or at least an AFC Championship Game visit.
Buffalo’s two losses? The two teams who played in that exact AFC bout a year ago, the Chiefs and the Titans.
Taking the full scope of things, we’re allowed to say the Bills have taken some steps on offense like quarterback Josh Allen looking better. But if we’re honest, we should also say we’re waiting for a statement win which hasn’t come yet… and even doing that is OK, too. What’s wrong with having the bar set high?
Now to round things out on the bright side: The Bills still have an entire half of a season to still do this, and doing so against the Seahawks next weekend could be exactly that.
Buffalo Bills, NFL players now have their deadline for opting out of playing in 2020.
So far, the Buffalo Bills have had two players opt out of playing in the 2020 regular season due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Those guys are defensive tackle Star Lotulelei and cornerback EJ Gaines.
While that pair have made up their minds, guys who still haven’t now have a deadline. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Bills players and the rest on their peers across the NFL have until Thursday at 4 p.m. to opt out of next season.
So far a total of 44 players in the league have opted out of playing in 2020. If a player decides to do so, such as Lotuleli and Gaines, their contract simply pushes back a year. Of those 44, the most have come from one AFC East team, the Patriots. New England has had eight players opt out so far, including safety Patrick Chung, linebacker Dont’a Hightower, wide receiver Marquise Lee and offensive lineman Marcus Cannon. All four are players who could have made significant impacts on the Pats’ upcoming season.
Along with Lotulelei and Gaines’ decision, the Bills have also had a total of five players added to the Reserve/ COVID-19 list. This designation is for players who have had either positive tests for coronavirus or have come into contact with someone who has. After multiple negative tests for COVID-19 and a period of quarantine, players are eventually allowed to return to team faculties for training camp. Most camps began last week with simple testing measures for the virus.
The five players on the Bills put on the Reserve/ COVID-19 list are CB Ike Brown, CB Siran Neal, CB Dane Jackson, DT Vincent Taylor and WR Duke Williams.
Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane’s start of training camp press conference 2020.
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane kicked off the team’s very different 2020 training camp on Sunday, as both had press conferences via video with members of the media.
Due to COVID-19, the team’s training camp is going to be much different all around this year. Both touched on that aspect of camp as well as a slew of other Bills-related topics.
With that, here are eight takeaways from Beane’s presser:
E.J. Gaines #28 of the Buffalo Bills. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Another opt out
To start his first report from training camp, Beane announced that the Bills have another player opting out of the 2020 season. This time it’s cornerback EJ Gaines.
Gaines is on his second stint with the Bills and was battling for a depth position. He could’ve played both inside and outside cornerback for Buffalo. Gaines was also an outside candidate in the No. 2 cornerback battle, but now that’s just going to be between Josh Norman and Levi Wallace.
According to Beane, some “family things” played a part in Gaines’ decision to opt out. Last week, defensive tackle Star Lotulelei was the first Bills player to opt out of 2020. We could still see more in the coming days as well, but currently it sounded as if Beane isn’t expecting more at this time.
With Gaines opting out, Beane also confirmed the Bills are at 80 players on their roster at the current moment. Of those 80, the GM said each one has reported to training camp’s start.
Buffalo Bills sign two players to replace COVID-19 opt outs.
The Bills announced on Sunday that the club has signed free agent cornerback Akeem King and defensive tackle Niles Scott.
This pair of moves comes in two positions that are not very surprising at this time. Buffalo lost the services of both cornerback EJ Gaines and Star Lotulelei within the past few days. Both opted out of playing in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both of the new signings are expected to battle for depth spots.
King spent the last two seasons with the Seahawks, playing a chunk of special teams time there. Buffalo special teams coordinator Heath Farwell previously played with the Seahawks before joining the Bills and prior to his coaching career.
King was a seventh-round pick of the Falcons in 2015.
Scott was an undrafted rookie in 2017, and was active in six games with the Bengals in 2018. He has only played in one special teams snap is his career, but has seen 46 on defense, recording four tackles on them.
Takeaways from Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott at the start of 2020 training camp.
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane kicked off the team’s very different 2020 training camp on Sunday, as both had press conferences via video with members of the media.
Due to COVID-19, the team’s training camp is going to be much different all around this year. Both touched on that aspect of camp as well as a slew of other Bills-related topics.
With that, here are seven takeaways from McDermott’s presser:
Bills head coach Sean McDermott (Gannett photo)
Managing practices
The current NFL offseason being different isn’t new at all for the Bills. Things haven’t been the same as the club is used to for the past few months. But with the “different” training camp the team is enduring this upcoming month, McDermott might have to consider changing the way he practices players.
In a normal training camp circumstance, players already have worked out together, but this year, all minicamps were cancelled and players typically workout together during the offseason, but COVID-19 has made that hard to do. So moving forward, McDermott discussed how he’ll approach his practices with all things considered, in an effort to not overload players with too much on their plates at once.
“As coaches, it really challenges us to be sharp and be on top of our game. Reps are always important. How we plan practice, we spend a lot of time on that,” McDermott said. “There’s a lot of planning on that and we’ve got to be razor sharp on that end.”
But even with these differences, in January when the season is all said and done, McDermott already made sure he’s not going to be taking the easy route out. He expects big things in 2020 from his team still.
“I’m not lowering my standard and I don’t expect anyone in this building to be lowering their standards. What I’ve seen so far, is an unbelievable display of a standard in our building,” he said.
Former Panthers defensive tackle Star Lotulelei, now with the Buffalo Bills, has decided to opt-out, according to a report by ESPN.
Some NFL players are deciding to opt-out of the 2020 season due to the risks of the pandemic. As of yet, there have been no reports of any Carolina Panthers players who have chosen to do so. The Carolina North affiliate has one, though.
Former Panthers defensive tackle Star Lotulelei, now with the Buffalo Bills, has decided to opt-out, according to a report by ESPN.
Lotulelei signed a five-year deal with Buffalo after playing the first five seasons of his career in Carolina. He appeared in 76 regular season games in a Panthers uniform, totaling 11.5 sacks, 24 quarterback hits and 28 tackles for a loss during that time.
While depth doesn’t hurt at any position, Lotulelei’s absence probably won’t sting his team’s defense all that much. Even without him, they have a loaded defensive line that also added Mario Addison in free agency. Addison signed a three-year, $18.5 million deal with the Bills in March.
