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Draft Notes: Bills, Jaguars, Bengals

April 27th, 2019 at 10:43am CST by Ben Levine

The Bills selected Oklahoma offensive tackle Cody Ford in the second round, but it sounds like the team was willing to take him even earlier. ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that Buffalo tried to trade back into the first round in order to draft Ford. Ultimately, the price proved to be “too rich.”

As we mentioned, the Bills still managed to land Ford at No. 38. The leaves the Bills with 14 offensive lineman on their current roster, so the team will surely have some intriguing competitions come training camp. The team has added five free agent linemen this offseason in Mitch Morse, Spencer Long, Ty Nsekhe, Jon Feliciano, and LaAdrian Waddle.

Let’s check out some more notes from around the NFL…

  • Offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor was expected to be a top-10 pick, but he ended up falling to the Jaguars at No. 35. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that Taylor fell because of medical concerns, as teams were wary of the Florida product’s meniscus issue. Fortunately, Rapoport says the issue isn’t “structural.”
  • The Jaguars shocked most pundits when they selected Murray State linebacker Quincy Williams in the third round last night. As Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com points out, Williams (who is the brother of third-overall pick Quinnen Williams) wasn’t among the 400 players scouted by NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah, nor was he on the list of 730 prospects compiled by The Athletics’ Arif Hasan. The linebacker wasn’t invited to the Combine and Murray State didn’t have a Pro Day, leading Williams to assume he was going to go undrafted. “For me coming from a small school and didn’t get a combine invite, yeah, I kind of did,” Williams said. “Then I had to go to Pro Day somewhere else, so most people thought I was a safety or a smaller linebacker, so yeah it was a thought in my mind. But then I know my abilities, and I believe in myself.”
  • The Bengals used the 11th-overall pick on Alabama offensive tackle Jonah Williams, leading some to wonder what would happen with Cordy Glenn. As Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer points out (on Twitter), the veteran has started every snap of his career at left tackle, but he may be forced to move to right tackle or left guard. Furthermore, he gave up the most pressures and earned the worst Pro Football Focus grade of his career in 2018. Dehner ultimately wonders if a position change could rejuvenate the 29-year-old’s career.

Bills Acquire No. 96 Pick From Redskins

April 26th, 2019 at 10:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bills made a move in the third round, agreeing to a deal with the Redskins to acquire the No. 96 overall pick. For moving down 16 spots, the Redskins will receive a fourth-round pick (No. 131).

With the higher pick, the Bills selected Ole Miss tight end Dawson Knox. He will join Tyler Kroft as part of Buffalo’s new-look tight end corps.

Charles Clay headed the Bills’ tight end group for four years, but the team released their longtime starter earlier this year. They now have Kroft, Knox and converted tackle Jake Fisher in the fold.

Raiders Trade No. 38 Pick To Bills

April 26th, 2019 at 6:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

Rookie Raiders GM Mike Mayock moved down again, this time agreeing to a second-round trade with the Bills.

Buffalo moved into Oakland’s No. 38 slot, coming up from No. 40. The Raiders will acquire a fifth-round pick (No. 158) in the deal. The Bills used the move up to select Oklahoma offensive lineman Cody Ford. This comes shortly after the Raiders dealt their No. 35 overall pick to the Jaguars.

This continues a massive offensive line overhaul in Buffalo. The Bills’ 2019 offensive line group will feature almost an entirely new cast. Mitch Morse, Ty Nsekhe, Spencer Long and LaAdrian Waddle.

The Bills still have Dion Dawkins, 2018 fifth-rounder Wyatt Teller on the roster and Russell Bodine on the roster, but their group will look quite different next season. Profiling as perhaps a tackle or guard, Ford — a 2018 first-team All-Big 12 selection at Oklahoma — joins what’s become an all-out makeover.

Bills Eyeing Quinnen Williams Via Trade?

April 25th, 2019 at 4:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Are the Jets and Bills preparing to work together tonight? For weeks, reports have steadily emerged indicating the Jets would not be averse to trading down from No. 3 overall. That prospect has gained steam Thursday, with GMs expecting Gang Green to have buyers for their pick. The Bills might be one of them. The Jets are a decent bet to trade down tonight, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets, adding one team is under the impression New York already has a deal in place. Teams don’t make a habit of intra-division first-round trade agreements, but Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports notes (on Twitter) the Bills may be considering moving up to acquire Quinnen Williams. Cimini mentions Williams as a key part in the Jets’ potential trade-down scenario, so if the Cardinals and 49ers choose Kyler Murray and Nick Bosa — as they are expected to — we could have a trade shortly after.

Marshawn Lynch Retires From NFL

April 24th, 2019 at 8:55am CST by Zachary Links

Marshawn Lynch has retired. Again. 

After returning from his first retirement to play for the Raiders, the running back is not planning to take the field again, league sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter.

Lynch, who just turned 33, leaves the game with a legacy as an exciting fan favorite. Beast Mode earned five Pro Bowl nods throughout his career and even secured a 2012 First-Team All-Pro selection when he tallied 1,590 yards and eleven touchdowns. He also led the league in rushing touchdowns on multiple occasions and racked up 1,200 yards or more in each season from 2011 through 2014.

With the Raiders, Lynch was effective, though not super consistent. Lynch rushed for 1,267 yards on 297 carries in his 21 games for Oakland, giving him an average of 4.3 yards per attempt in silver and black. Last year, Lynch lost the bulk of the season to a groin injury and was unable to return down the stretch.

Without Lynch, the Raiders will move forward with a backfield headlined by Isaiah Crowell, Jalen Richard, DeAndre Washington, and Chris Warren. They may also look to bolster the group in the draft.

PFR wishes Lynch the best in retirement.

Bills To Sign T.J. Yeldon

April 22nd, 2019 at 8:23am CST by Zachary Links

The Bills are set to sign running back T.J. Yeldon, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). When finalized, it’ll be a two-year deal for the veteran.

The 25-year-old (26 in October) met with the Patriots earlier in the month but wound up signing with a different AFC East team. With Buffalo, Yeldon will serve as a backup behind LeSean McCoy and Frank Gore, two talented players who are both on the other side of 30.

Jacksonville scaled back Yeldon’s role over time. After a 182-carry rookie season, the former second-round pick ended his Jaguars stay as the team’s third-string running back behind Leonard Fournette and Carlos Hyde. Still, Yeldon managed a respectable 4.0 yards per carry last season and has hit the 5.0 ypc mark in the past.

And, despite the lack of carries, Yeldon caught a career-high 55 passes for 487 yards and four touchdowns last year. Only two Bills — wideouts Robert Foster and Zay Jones — topped Yeldon’s receiving-yardage total last season.

Giants WR Corey Coleman Signed New Deal

April 21st, 2019 at 1:56pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Although original reports indicated Giants wide receiver Corey Coleman had signed his original round restricted free agent tender for the 2019 season, he actually agreed to a new one-year deal worth only $720K, according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic (Twitter link). However, despite the fact that his RFA tender would have been worth $2.025MM, Coleman won’t end up losing any money.

As a former first-round pick, Coleman’s rookie deal was fully guaranteed. The Bills, who acquired Coleman from the Browns last year before subsequently releasing him, are still responsible for the $2.039MM that Coleman has guaranteed for the 2019 campaign. Therefore, Coleman will now collect $720K from New York and roughly $1.3MM from Buffalo, per Duggan,

Here’s where things get interesting: Coleman’s new pact with the Giants also contains approximately $1.7MM in incentives, reports Duggan. Thus, the 24-year-old pass-catcher can actually earn more than $2.4MM if he maxes out his incentive-based pay. If the Giants release Coleman before the regular season begins, they won’t owe him any money, and the Bills would be responsible for the totality of his remaining guarantees ($2.039MM).

The 15th overall selection in the 2016 draft, Coleman appeared in eight games for the Giants in 2018. While he managed only five receptions on eight targets, Coleman could have a path to playing time next season on a New York depth wide receiver depth chart that is relatively barren behind Sterling Shepard and Golden Tate.

Antonio Brown’s Contract Demands Nixed Offer Of First-Round Pick?

April 19th, 2019 at 9:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

Antonio Brown‘s offseason has produced numerous headlines, that spree continuing after his arrival in Oakland. But not a ton of clarity emerged on what other offers the Steelers received for their perennial All-Pro wide receiver.

The Raiders swooped in after the Bills’ brief talks regarding Brown ended without a deal, landing a player on course for the Hall of Fame for third- and fifth-round picks. Interested teams had issues with Brown’s demand for a new contract, one of which apparently was ready to submit a much better proposal to the Steelers.

Brown’s financial demands stopped at least one team from offering a first-round pick, Jeremy Fowler and Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com report. Had the 30-year-old wideout been available without seeking another new contract, the ESPN duo notes Pittsburgh may well have acquired an extra first-round pick — presumably in 2019. However, teams knew a month prior to the trade that acquiring the mercurial wideout meant negotiating a new contract.

A slew of suitors emerged for Brown, in addition to the Bills, the Eagles, Saints, Titans and Redskins among them. The Bills were believed to be ready to swap first-rounders with the Steelers and part with two mid-round picks. That is the best known offer for Brown, and Fowler reports the Steelers felt strongly about the Bills’ proposal. The Patriots were indeed interested as well but the Steelers held firm on their stance not to do a deal with them.

After some convincing, the Raiders agreed to amend Brown’s contract. The Steelers dropped their asking price to those third- and fifth-rounders, with Kevin Colbert optimistic about the teams trying again — after some failed early talks on March 8 — to get a deal done. Brown ended up with $30MM in additional guarantees. The Steelers hold the Raiders’ No. 66 and No. 141 overall picks.

Bills Eyeing Ed Oliver?

April 19th, 2019 at 7:50pm CST by Sam Robinson
  • Ed Oliver‘s stock has risen a bit in the days leading up to the draft, and the Bills are in play for the interior defender at No. 9, Miller writes, adding Buffalo wants to add a bona fide interior pass-rushing presence to complement the space-eating defensive tackles it currently employs.

Complete 2019 NFL International Pathway Program

April 19th, 2019 at 9:11am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Moritz Boehringer is back in the NFL. The German tight end, who became the first European player ever to be drafted without playing American college football back in 2016, has been allocated to the Bengals as part of the league’s international pathway program, per Darin Gantt of ProFootballTalk.com.

Boehringer’s assignment to the Bengals completes this year’s program. Each season, teams in two divisions get a roster exemption to develop a player from another country. The player can be the 91st man on offseason rosters, and can be an 11th player on practice squads during the regular season. Boehringer was drafted by the Vikings, but spent his rookie season on the practice squad without ever appearing in a game. He came into the league as a receiver, but has since transitioned to tight end. He was with the Bengals as part of this program last year, and will be back in Cincy in 2019.

Here’s a list of the rest of the players selected to participate:

Baltimore Ravens

  • FB Christopher Ezeala

Buffalo Bills

  • RB Christian Wade

Cleveland Browns 

  • DB Tigie Sankoh

Miami Dolphins

  • DT Durval Neto

New England Patriots

  • TE/FB Jakob Johnson

New York Jets

  • RB/WR/KR Valentine Holmes

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • TE Christian Scotland-Williamson

The AFC North participated last year, but this year the AFC East is taking the place of the NFC South. Notably, Efe Obada was a participant in the program with the Panthers last year, and he went on to make Carolina’s 53-man roster last season. He was re-signed this offseason.

Each of the players assigned to the AFC North were with those teams last year. Scotland-Williamson is a former rugby player, while Boehringer, Sankoh, and Ezeala all played American football overseas before making the leap.

All of the AFC East players are new to the program. Given the Patriots’ track record of finding hidden gems, Johnson will likely end up leading the league in receiving yards at some point. Johnson was signed from the German football league. Neto was playing football in Brazil before being added to the Dolphins. Wade and Holmes are both former prominent rugby players.

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