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Bills To Explore Scenarios For Trade Into Top Five

March 13th, 2018 at 1:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

After trading Cordy Glenn to the Bengals and picking up Cincinnati’s No. 12 overall pick, the Bills are in stronger position come draft weekend. And they plan to use that to their advantage with a quarterback solution in mind.

Buffalo holds five of the top 65 picks in the draft, and Charles Robinson of Yahoo.com tweets the franchise will explore scenarios about what it will take to pick up a top-five pick. These talks are expected to heat up next week and gain steam at the Orlando owners’ meetings, which are set for March 25-28.

The Bills have seen quarterback dominoes fall Tuesday, leaving them without a starting option for 2018 and beyond. Although, the franchise traded Tyrod Taylor to the Browns on Friday and was not believed to be a serious Kirk Cousins suitor. Now, it looks like the Bills — who hold the Nos. 12 and 21 picks in Round 1 — are the team to watch for a first-round move.

The Browns, Giants, Jets and possibly the Broncos could take quarterbacks. As of now, each picks in front of the Bills. Robinson notes a trade into the top five could be meant to outflank the Jets, who are likely to be dedicated quarterback pursuers since they’ve missed out on Kirk Cousins.

The Bills’ last first-round quarterback pick, EJ Manuel, did not go well for the franchise. Now, the Brandon Beane-led regime looks ready to take a swing. A definitive hierarchy for the top prospect tier of Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Josh Allen and Baker Mayfield has yet to form. But the Bills are likely eyeing one of those players by planning a potential northward jump come Round 1.

Raiders, Bills Interested In Tom Johnson

March 13th, 2018 at 1:45pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bills and Raiders have expressed interest in Vikings free agent defensive tackle Tom Johnson, according to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press (on Twitter). Johnson, 33, is seeking a two-year deal “for the highest salary he can get since it might be his last big contract,” Tomasson adds.

Last year, Johnson appeared in all 16 games and managed 23 pressures two sacks from the interior. He reportedly asked for a one-year, $4MM extension last season, but the Vikings refused, which could give an idea where Minnesota stands on Johnson’s value.

Heading into free agency, Johnson ranked PFR’s No. 9 free agent defensive tackle.

Bills To Bring Back Kyle Williams

March 13th, 2018 at 11:35am CST by Sam Robinson

Perhaps the most memorable part of the Bills’ playoff celebration involved Kyle Williams rejoicing after 11 years of regular-season-only football in Buffalo. After Williams’ 12th doubled as the Bills’ first 21st-century playoff berth, he plans to stay on board for a 13th year. 

The Bills are re-signing the defensive tackle stalwart on a one-year deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. It’s a $6MM agreement including $5MM fully guaranteed, Rapoport reports (on Twitter).

The five-time Pro Bowler has played in at least 15 games in five of the past six seasons, offering stability to an evolving Buffalo defense. The Bills pivoted back to a 4-3 scheme last season and relied on Williams, who gave them 16 starts. He will turn 35 in June.

He’s recorded 43.5 career sacks — fifth in team history and far and away the most by a Bills defensive tackle — and will be in position to add to that total next season.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/13/18

March 13th, 2018 at 9:35am CST by Dallas Robinson

Here are today’s restricted free agent and exclusive-rights free agent tender decisions, with the list being updated throughout the day. All links go to Twitter unless otherwise noted:

RFAs

Tendered at original round level ($1.907MM):

Non-tendered:

ERFAs

Tendered:

Non-tendered:

Bills To Sign DT Star Lotulelei To Five-Year Deal

March 13th, 2018 at 8:41am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bills have agreed to a five-year deal with free agent defensive tackle Star Lotulelei, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Although he’s a former first-round pick, Lotulelei’s performance has slipped in every season since he entered the league in 2013. Last year, the 28-year-old appeared in all 16 games for the second consecutive season but managed only six tackles while grading as a bottom-15 interior defender, per Pro Football Focus.

Buffalo, meanwhile, clearly needs help on the interior of its defensive line after ranking just 21st in adjusted line yards a season ago. The Bills shipped malcontent defensive tackle Marcell Dareus to the Jaguars at midseason, while veteran Kyle Williams is now a free agent.

The Panthers, Lotulelei’s former squad, are already heavily invested at the defensive tackle position. Kawann Short is the NFL’s third-highest-paid defensive tackle with a $16.1MM annual salary, while the Panthers used a first-round pick on Vernon Butler in 2016. Veteran Kyle Loveis also under contract for the 2018 campaign.

Before signing with the Bills, Lotulelei also reportedly drew interest from the Chiefs and Texans. Lotulelei ranked as PFR’s No. 4 free agent interior defender.

Bills Interested In Sam Bradford, Case Keenum

March 12th, 2018 at 9:18am CST by Zachary Links

The Bills have interest in both Sam Bradford and Case Keenum, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). Pelissero adds that the Bills see Bradford as a good scheme fit. 

The Bills are in need of a quarterback after shipping Tyrod Taylor to the Browns. The third-round pick they picked up in the deal (No. 65 overall) could help them find a new QB on the trade block, but they are intent on first exploring their options in free agency. With upwards of $32MM in cap space, the Bills theoretically have room to sign someone of Bradford or Keenum’s stature.

With Taylor off the roster, the Bills will be down to one quarterback in Nathan Peterman when the new league year opens on Wednesday. Third-string quarterback Joe Webb is set to become an unrestricted free agent. Peterman — a fifth-round pick in 2017 — made four appearances as a rookie, including two starts. The 23-year-old struggled, though, throwing five interceptions and completing 49% of his passes.

Kirk Cousins‘ landing spot could also have an effect on the Bills’ pursuit of Keenum or Bradford. The Vikings are reportedly expected to Cousins their first priority this offseason. If they were to miss out on Cousins, though, that could open up the possibility of a reunion with Keenum and Bradford, along with Teddy Bridgewater.

Keenum, 30, started 14 games last year for the Vikings, completing a career-high 67.6% of his passes while throwing 22 touchdowns to seven interceptions and leading the team to the NFC Championship Game. Bradford started the other two games for the Vikings, missing most of the season with a knee injury.

Bradford, 30, was activated in time for the postseason, though, to serve as Keenum’s backup. He was given assurance of the structure of the ligaments in his ailing knee in November by Dr. James Andrews after a procedure to shave a bone spur and clean out fluid.

Bills Not Shopping Glenn Aggressively

March 11th, 2018 at 5:02pm CST by Sam Robinson
  • On that front, the Bills are still open to trading Cordy Glenn, per JLC, but the team is not going all-out to unload him. Buffalo has seen Glenn suddenly become a perpetual injury risk after he’d been a durable player before his extension, and the team drafted Dion Dawkins in the second round last year. Glenn has a $6.5MM roster bonus due on March 18 and has a lofty $14.45MM cap number in 2018.

Browns Trade For Tyrod Taylor

March 9th, 2018 at 5:04pm CST by Micah Powell

The Browns’ busy day isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. After pulling off a deal for Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry, the team has now struck another blockbuster deal by acquiring Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor for a third-round draft pick (No. 65), ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. 

With the move, the Browns locked in their veteran quarterback for the 2018 season while maintaining all their first- and second-round selections and without spending big money on a veteran like Case Keenum or A.J. McCarron. The Bills now are in the market for a quarterback and could potentially package the third-round pick it just picked up in an effort to move up to grab one of the top signal-callers in the upcoming draft.

In his third season as the starter in Buffalo, Taylor continued to limit turnovers while being able to make plays down the field and with his legs. He threw for 14 touchdowns with only four interceptions and added 427 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. In Cleveland, Taylor will be outfitted with his most impressive receiver corps in his stint as a starter with Landry, Josh Gordon and Corey Coleman out wide.

The acquisition of Taylor presumably gives the Browns a stopgap under center, allowing the team to use one its first-round picks (No. 1 and 4) to tab a quarterback in the upcoming draft. Taylor is signed through the 2018 season at a cap number of $18 MM — $10 MM of which is guaranteed.

The move of Taylor away from Buffalo shouldn’t come as a shock. The team had refused to commit to the Virginia Tech product and it was reported in February the quarterback refused to take a pay cut after taking one the year before. Due a $6 MM roster bonus at the beginning of the new league year, it only made sense for the Bills to move on.

If the Bills do not attempt to package picks to move up in the draft, the team will enter the 2018 campaign with Nathan Peterman as its starter, barring any m0ves in free agency.

[RELATED: Browns Depth Chart]

 

Jordan Matthews Likely To Test Market

March 7th, 2018 at 9:19pm CST by Dallas Robinson
  • Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Tuesday, Bills free agent wide receiver Jordan Matthews said he expects Buffalo to gauge the wideout market before discussing a new deal with him, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Perhaps more interesting, Matthews claimed he received “bad diagnoses” on knee and ankle injuries he suffered as a member of the Eagles, but corrections were made following his trade to the Bills. Buffalo acquired Matthews from Philadelphia last August in exchange for cornerback Ronald Darby and a third-round pick, and Matthews went on to produce a disappointing 25 receptions in 10 games. The 25-year-old is currently PFR’s No. 7-ranked free agent pass-catcher.
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