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Buffalo Bills News & Rumors

‘Fins, Bills Interested In Marquette King?

April 9th, 2019 at 9:28am CST by Zachary Links

Several teams, including the Dolphins and Bills, have expressed interest in signing veteran free agent punter Marquette King, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). However, there’s a bit of conflicting info when it comes to Buffalo’s interest – Vic Carucci of SiriusXM (on Twitter) hears that the Bills have no interest in King whatsoever.

King, one of the most well-known punters in NFL history, was released by the Raiders in April 2018, with reports indicating that head coach Jon Gruden wasn’t a fan of King’s outspoken personality. The 30-year-old received interest from the Vikings and Giants, but he landed with the Broncos on a three-year deal.

Unfortunately, his Denver run was short lived. After appearing in four games, King suffered a season-ending abductor injury and was ultimately released.

King’s 20 punts traveled an average of 44.1 yards last season, which ranked 22nd in the NFL. However, he managed to place seven punts inside the 20-yard line, placing him just outside of the top 10. Head coach Vance Joseph was critical of his lackluster performance against the Chiefs in Week 4, but the injury was likely to blame.

Bills Host Ferguson, Harry On Visits

April 8th, 2019 at 9:52pm CST by Sam Robinson
  • A sixth team scheduled a Montez Sweat summit. The Bengals brought in the Mississippi State-developed defensive end on Monday night, Alex Marvez of Sirius XM Radio tweets. He has already met with or is scheduled to visit the 49ers, Raiders, Bills, Packers and Bucs. Sweat blazed to a 4.41-second 40-yard dash at the Combine and seems likely to go off the board in the top 10.
  • Staying on the subject of draft-eligible ends, Jaylon Ferguson‘s extensive April tour of NFL cities continues. Among the teams on his reported 22-visit tour: the Bills, Giants, Colts, Eagles, Cowboys, Titans and Rams, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). Ferguson met with the Bills on Monday; he will head southeast for his Giants powwow next. His visits with the Colts and Eagles are on tap for this week, with the Cowboys, Titans and Rams meetings are slated for next week. The Bucs and Bengals were already on the Louisiana Tech-produced pass rusher’s docket.
  • This year’s wide receiver hierarchy has not produced a clear-cut favorite, D.K. Metcalf‘s take-notice measurables notwithstanding. One of the top pass-catching prospects, N’Keal Harry, joined Ferguson in meeting with the Bills on Monday, Pelissero tweets. Upcoming for the Arizona State alum this week: visits with the Eagles, Patriots and Saints. Harry rates as the No. 4 receiver prospect — behind Marquise Brown, Metcalf and A.J. Brown — per NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah. Harry met with the Seahawks last week.

NFL Draft Rumors: Metcalf, Bills, Bucs

April 8th, 2019 at 12:58pm CST by Zachary Links

Ole Miss wide receiver D.K. Metcalf will take a Top 30 visit with the Bills on Monday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Metcalf, who boasts the most impressive physical tools of any wide receiver in this year’s class, could be an option for Buffalo with the No. 9 overall pick.

Some have knocked Metcalf for his lack of natural catching ability, but he had no trouble reeling in the ball in 2017 when he averaged 16.6 yards per catch and scored seven touchdowns for Ole Miss. There’s also some concern about Metcalf’s health, but he was cleared for all football activities in January following his October neck surgery.

Here’s a look at the latest NFL Draft buzz:

  • Oklahoma wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown will visit the Buccaneers on Monday, a source tells Rapoport (on Twitter). The Bucs could use another wide receiver after losing DeSean Jackson and Adam Humphries, but it’s not clear whether they’d be willing to use the No. 5 overall pick at that position.
  • Iowa tight end Noah Fant will visit with the Lions on Monday, Rapoport reports. Fant registered 518 receiving yards and a team-high seven touchdowns in his final campaign with the Hawkeyes. The Lions could use a player like Fant after Levine Toilolo, Luke Willson, and Michael Roberts underwhelmed last year. Recently, the Lions strengthened the TE group by adding Jesse James, but there’s still room for improvement.
  • Georgia cornerback Deandre Baker will get together with the Steelers, per RapSheet. Last year, Baker captured the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s best defensive back. But, at 5’11 and 193 pounds, Baker doesn’t offer ideal size for the position.
  • Washington tackle Kaleb McGary will visit with the Patriots on Monday and the Packers on Tuesday, Rapoport hears. There has been some speculation that McGary could be employed as a guard at the pro level.
  • The Giants are hosting Clemson defensive end Clelin Ferrell and Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver, Rapoport hears. The Giants are armed with picks at No. 6 and 17, though one of those selections may be spent on drafting Eli Manning‘s successor.
  • Charlotte guard Nate Davis will take a Top 30 visit with the Bills, Rapoport hears.

Examining How The OBJ Trade Came Together

April 7th, 2019 at 9:42am CST by Rory Parks

Ever since the blockbuster trade that sent Odell Beckham Jr. to the Browns last month, reports have trickled in that have allowed us to piece together how the deal ultimately unfolded. But in an excellent piece that examines the timeline of the trade in detail, Pat McManamon and Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com provide a comprehensive look at what is likely to be the biggest blockbuster of the offseason, which could have massive ramifications on both of the league’s conferences.

The entire piece is worth a read, but the highlights are below (some of this has already been reported, but it helps put everything in context):

  • The Browns had been monitoring the Beckham situation as far back as March 2018 — before OBJ signed his five-year, $90MM extension with the Giants — but New York had made it clear that it would not trade Beckham for less than two first-round picks. Since Cleveland was holding the No. 1 and No. 4 overall selections last year and was unwilling to part with either, no discussions ever took place between the two clubs.
  • But OBJ’s relationship with the Giants deteriorated throughout the 2018 campaign, so the Browns kept Beckham in mind, knowing that if there was even a one percent chance New York could be persuaded to pull the trigger, Cleveland would try to break down the door. The fact that Browns GM John Dorsey and Giants GM Dave Gettleman have been friends for 37 years was certainly a major factor in pushing the deal along.
  • Gettleman did call the Bills early last month to discuss OBJ after Buffalo reportedly showed interest in acquiring Antonio Brown, but the Bills’ involvement in the Beckham sweepstakes was so minimal that the idea never reached head coach Sean McDermott‘s desk.
  • On the other hand, Gettleman did have numerous conversations with 49ers GM John Lynch — who wanted OBJ badly — over the course of a few weeks. Lynch was willing to swap 2019 first-round picks with the Giants (No. 2 for No. 6), but he was not willing to give up the No. 2 pick and leave his team with no selections in the first round, so that became the sticking point in the deal.
  • Ultimately, the Browns got word that the 49ers were in serious pursuit of Beckham, so Dorsey decided it was time to act. When the Giants and Browns were discussing a deal for Olivier Vernon, Dorsey brought up Beckham, and the trade came together shortly thereafter.

Bills To Host Josh Allen

April 3rd, 2019 at 9:56pm CST by Dallas Robinson
  • Kentucky edge rusher Josh Allen is a busy man. In addition to planned visits with the 49ers, Jets, Raiders, Giants and Lions, Allen will also meet with the Bengals, Buccaneers, Jaguars, and Bills, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Allen spent four years with the Wildcats, totaling 31.5 sacks in the process (17 of which came during his senior season). Viewed as the 2019 draft’s second-best pass rusher behind Ohio State’s Nick Bosa, Allen has been popularly mocked to New York at No. 3 and Oakland at No. 4.

Bills Sign G Quinton Spain

April 3rd, 2019 at 9:39am CST by Zachary Links

The Bills signed guard Quinton Spain to a one-year deal, according to a team announcement. Spain, who was previously with the Titans, started 48 games over four seasons with the club. 

[RELATED: Bills To Meet With D.K. Metcalf]

The Bills placed an emphasis on protecting young quarterback Josh Allen this offseason. So far, they’ve added center Mitch Morse, tackle Ty Nsekhe, guard Spencer Long, tackle LaAdrian Waddle, and guard Jon Feliciano in an effort to fortify the front five. The Bills might not be done yet – they could still add offensive linemen in the draft to shore things up.

Spain, 28 in August, earned a solid 75.6 score for pass blocking from Pro Football Focus last season.

Bills To Meet With D.K. Metcalf

March 30th, 2019 at 6:13pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg
  • The Texans recently signed Matt Kalil, but that doesn’t mean they’re necessarily done adding offensive tackles. The team hosted former Bills tackle Jordan Mills on a visit before signing Kalil, but they’re apparently still interested in adding Mills, according to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle. Wilson writes that Houston has “remained in contact with Mills” and that he’s “still a candidate to potentially join the team.” Offensive line was the team’s main weakness last year, and it looks like they’re trying to add as many pieces as possible. Mills started all 16 games for Buffalo in each of the last three seasons, but graded out as Pro Football Focus’ 70th-best tackle last season.
  • The Bills and Ravens are two teams that could desperately use receiver help, that much isn’t really a secret. Both teams have young quarterbacks in Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, and they both need to upgrade their receiving corp. They’re both likely to draft a wideout early next month, and they’re each showing interest in one of the top receivers available in the upcoming draft. Buffalo and Baltimore will both meet with Ole Miss receiver D.K. Metcalf ahead of the draft, James Palmer of NFL Network hears (Twitter link). Metcalf blew up the combine with freakish athletic testing, and should go sometime in the first round.

Montez Sweat To Meet With 4 Teams

March 30th, 2019 at 4:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of several potential impact front-seven players in this draft, Montez Sweat has his first round of visits lined up.

The Mississippi State product detailed his itinerary to the NFL Network recently (via NBC Sports Bay Area), and that docket includes meetings with the 49ers, Raiders, Bills and Packers. The Dolphins have also shown interest.

Both the Bay Area teams have also set up visits with Kentucky’s Josh Allen, another edge rusher expected to be taken early in the first round. Sweat did not have quite the statistically productive year Allen did as as senior, but he finished his two-year Bulldogs career — after two seasons at Michigan State — with 22.5 sacks and 30 tackles for loss.

Sweat blazed to a 4.41-second 40-yard dash at the Combine, elevating his profile. The 6-foot-6, 245-pound prospect has a pre-existing heart condition, which could scare away some teams, but was cleared to participate in all drills last month in Indianapolis. The Raiders last year showed they did not mind drafting defensive linemen with medical question marks, grabbing Maurice Hurst with a fifth-round pick despite the Michigan product’s heart condition.

The 49ers have been primarily linked to Nick Bosa at No. 2 but are understandably investigating the front-seven talent pool, particularly in case the Cardinals’ Kyler Murray noise ends up being a large-scale smokescreen. The Packers hold two first-round picks — Nos. 12 and 30 — while the Bills have the No. 9 selection.

Bills Sign RB Senorise Perry

March 28th, 2019 at 5:20pm CST by Ben Levine

The Bills have added a key special teamer. The team announced that they’ve signed former Louisville standout Senorise Perry.

After spending the first three seasons of his career with the Bears, Perry had spent the past two campaigns with the Dolphins. The 27-year-old had 21 tackles during his two years in Miami, including a team-leading 12 special teams tackles in 2018. He also added a forced fumble to his resume last season.

The running back hasn’t done much offensively throughout his career. The Dolphins gave him eight carries in 2017, and Perry finished the campaign with 30 yards and a pair of first downs. The veteran also has two career receptions and 22 career kick returns.

In Buffalo, we can probably expect more of the same from Perry. New special teams coordinator Danny Crossman will likely find ways to capitalize on his talents, but it’s unlikely he’ll unseat any of LeSean McCoy, Frank Gore, or Marcus Murphy for snaps on offense.

Bills GM Downplays Antonio Brown Talks

March 27th, 2019 at 9:04pm CST by Dallas Robinson
  • Bills general manager Brandon Beane denied that Buffalo was ever close to acquiring wide receiver Antonio Brown from the Steelers, as Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk writes. “We had productive talks with [GM] Kevin Colbert, with Pittsburgh, but one of the things I made clear with Kevin early on is we would have to be comfortable with where the compensation is going to have to be with AB’s representatives, and that was never something that we were even close on,” Beane said. Brown, of course, was subsequently traded to the Raiders for third- and fifth-round picks, and received a new contract with additional guarantees.
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