Bills Sign First-Round Pick Tremaine Edmunds
A day after signing half their draft picks, the Bills have officially inked one of their first-rounders to a deal. The team announced (via Twitter) that linebacker Tremaine Edmunds has signed a four-year contract.
The Bills had to trade up for the Virginia Tech product, sending the Ravens picks No. 22 and No. 65 in exchange for No. 16 and No. 154. Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane said he had been eyeing the Virginia Tech product, and he attempted to trade up to the 14th (Packers) and 15th (Raiders) spot to acquire the linebacker. The front office ultimately got the Ravens to pull the trigger, and the Bills got their guy.
“(Edmunds) was sticking out on our board, and it’s a need,” Beane said. “If a guy is sticking out on our board, and it’s really not a need, you might not do it. But with the hole we had there, and where he was on our board, it was a no-brainer. Even if we could have got to 14, we would have done it.”
Edmunds was considered to be one of the top defenders in the entire draft, and NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah listed him sixth in his top-50 rankings. The linebacker had a productive junior season, compiling 108 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks. The rookie will likely compete with Matt Milano and Tanner Vallejo for a starting gig.
This signing leaves the Bills with three unsigned draft picks: first-round quarterback Josh Allen, third-round defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, and fourth-round cornerback Taron Johnson.
Draft Pick Signings: 5/11/2018
Here are the rest of Friday’s draft-pick signings:
- In addition to signing Marcus Davenport, the Saints also inked Florida State offensive tackle Rick Leonard (Round 4, pick 127), Wisconsin safety Natrell Jamerson (Round 5, pick 164), Boston College cornerback Karmin Moore (Round 6, pick 189), Louisiana Tech running back Boston Scott (Round 6, pick 201), and LSU center Will Clapp (Round 7, pick 245), The Advocate’s Nick Underhill tweets.
- The Cardinals continued to ink their draft picks to deals, signing Fordham running back Chase Edmonds (Round 4, pick 134), cornerback Christian Campbell (Round 6, pick 182), and offensive tackle Korey Cunningham (Round 7, pick 254).
- The Giants followed suit, signing UTEP guard Will Hernandez (Round 2, pick 34), Georgia linebacker Lorenzo Carter (Round 3, pick 66) and Richmond quarterback Kyle Lauletta (Round 4, pick 108).
- The Panthers also inked cornerback Rashaan Gaulden (Round 3, pick 85) and linebacker Andre Smith (Round 7, pick 234).
- The Bills added another signing in Weber State cornerback Taron Johnson (Round 4, pick 121).
- The Bengals were also busy, tabbing cornerback Davontae Harris (Round 5, pick 151), defensive end Andrew Brown (Round 5, pick 158), quarterback Logan Woodside (Round 7, pick 249) and guard Rod Taylor (Round 7, pick 252).
- The 49ers signed their fifth pick so far in the offseason, inking Kansas State defensive back D.J. Reed (Round 5, pick 142).
- The Patriots added a slew of draft picks to the ranks, signing linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley (Round 5, pick 143), linebacker Christian Sam (Round 6, pick 178), wide receiver Braxton Berrios (Round 6, pick 210), quarterback Danny Etling (Round 7, pick 219), cornerback Keiron Crossen (Round 7, pick 243), and tight end Ryan Izzo (Round 7, pick 250).
Bills Sign 12 UDFAs
The Bills have added a dozen undrafted free agents to their roster. Here’s the list, in full:
- G Gerhard de Beer (Arizona)
- DE Mat Boesen (TCU)
- OT Ike Boettger (Iowa)
- CB Ryan Carter (Clemson)
- K Tyler Davis (Penn State)
- RB Keith Ford (Texas A&M)
- WR Robert Foster (Alabama)
- DE Mike Love (South Florida)
- OT Mo Porter (Baylor)
- WR Cam Phillips (Virginia Tech)
- LB Corey Thompson (LSU)
- CB Levi Wallace (Alabama)
Foster played for Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll at the University of Alabama, so Daboll is already familiar with what he provides. He wasn’t a major contributor in college, but he did have 14 catches for 174 yards and a touchdown last year. Foster impressed evaluators at the combine with a 4.41 second 40-yard-dash and his build gives the Bills some hope that he can stick at the next level.
Phillips, on the other hand, was a big performer in college. At Virginia Tech, he caught 147 passes in his final two seasons for nearly 2,100 yards and 12 TDs.
Draft Pick Signings: 5/10/18
Here are the rest of Thursday’s draft pick accords:
- The Buccaneers signed one of their three second-round picks in cornerback M.J. Stewart (No. 53 overall), Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. They also agreed to terms with their final three picks — Kansas State safety Jordan Whitehead (Round 4, pick 117), Penn wide receiver Justin Watson (Round 5, pick 144) and Wisconsin linebacker Jack Cichy (Round 6, pick 202).
- Five-sixths of this Falcons draft class is now signed. Atlanta agreed to a deal with third-round defensive tackle Deadrin Senat (No. 90 overall out of South Florida). After already signing four other selections, only first-rounder Calvin Ridley remains unsigned.
- The Steelers signed one of the safeties they drafted last month in agreeing to terms with Penn State product Marcus Allen (Round 5, pick 148). Pittsburgh also signed Alabama defensive tackle Joshua Frazier (Round 7, pick 246).
- The Jaguars came to terms with four of their seven draftees — the final four Jacksonville selected in this year’s draft. N.C. State tackle Will Richardson (Round 4, pick 129), Nebraska quarterback Tanner Lee (Round 6, pick 203), Wisconsin linebacker Leon Jacobs (Round 7, pick 230) and Mississippi State punter Logan Cooke (Round 7, pick 247) all signed their first Jags contracts Thursday. Cooke has a clear path toward the Jags’ punter job since the team released Brad Nortman two days after the draft.
- Beginning their signings, the Titans agreed to deals with half of their four-man draft class. Tennessee signed Arizona cornerback Dane Cruikshank (Round 5, pick 152) and Washington State quarterback Luke Falk (Round 6, pick 199). The latter will attempt to develop behind Marcus Mariota and Blaine Gabbert.
- Following suit in bringing aboard the back half of their draft, the Bills agreed to deals with four rookies. Jacksonville State safety Siran Neal, Virginia Tech guard Wyatt Teller (Round 5, pick 166), Clemson wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud (Round 6, pick 187) and North Carolina wideout Austin Proehl (Round 7, pick 255) signed their initial Buffalo deals.
- Second-round Panthers pick Donte Jackson (No. 55 overall) signed his rookie contract. Indiana tight end Ian Thomas (Round 4, pick 101), Ole Miss defensive end Marquis Haynes (Round 4, pick 136), Maryland linebacker Jermaine Carter Jr. (Round 5, pick 161) and Miami defensive tackle Kendrick Norton (Round 7, pick 242) followed suit.
Bills Meet With RB Kenjon Barner
Former Eagles running back Kenjon Barner will visit with the Bills on Tuesday, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Barner could be a fit for Buffalo as a depth piece on the running back depth chart who can also offer help in the return game. 
Barner, a 2013 sixth-round pick by the Panthers, spent the last three seasons with the Eagles. In 2015 and 2016, he was productive despite limited snaps, compiling 253 rushing yards on only 55 carries (4.6 yards per attempt). Last offseason, he signed a one-year free agent deal with the Chargers but returned to Philly after he missed the Bolts’ final 53-man cut. He saw less time at running back than ever in 2017, but he did average a respectable 8.9 yards per punt return. That could make him a candidate to replace Brandon Tate as the Bills’ primary returner.
The Bills already have Chris Ivory, Travaris Cadet, Taiwan Jones, Marcus Murphy, and Aaron Green at running back to support starter LeSean McCoy, but Barner would have a real chance at making the roster if signed. A deal would reunite Barner and McCoy, who played together in Philly in 2014.
Brandon Beane On Bills’ First-Round Trades
Brandon Beane enjoyed a complicated night on his first draft as Bills GM. And he detailed the extensive process in an expansive piece by Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News.
The Bills were ready to give the Broncos an extra first- and second-round pick, Beane confirms of Mike Klis of 9News’ report that emerged on draft weekend. Denver and Buffalo’s GMs agreed to the swap at around 7pm CT on draft night — one that would have sent Buffalo’s Nos. 12 and 22 picks and one of its second-rounders to Denver in exchange for the No. 5 overall choice and a third-round pick — but John Elway told Beane the deal would be off if a certain player was still on the board.
Beane wondered if that player was Denzel Ward, but when a text message came alerting Beane that Bradley Chubb might fall past the Browns at No. 4, he began to worry about his plans to acquire Josh Allen.
“I was really nervous when Cleveland got on the clock. You’ve got your channels where you’re getting information outside of the draft room. Somebody told me, it’s down to Ward or Chubb,” Beane said, via Skurski. “Earlier in the day, people felt like they were probably going to go Chubb. That was my first four. I did say it was going to be Chubb, and we’ll go to Denver. I was wrong. Not until (the Browns) were on the clock did I get the text from somebody that said, ‘Hey, Ward may go here.’ I said (expletive).”
“I was a little bummed when Elway told me, ‘Hey, this is our guy.’ I felt like what I had to offer John was better than anybody else could offer. I felt like I was bidding against myself, basically.”
Beane became leery of the Dolphins and Cardinals moving up to No. 7 for Allen, whom Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller reported was their No. 1-rated quarterback, but he would no longer be willing to part with the No. 22 pick like he was in talks with the Broncos at No. 5. And he wasn’t willing to trade the Bills’ 2019 first-rounder.
“(Assistant GM) Joe (Schoen) would say, ‘(the Buccaneers) want this and this,’ and it included 22, and I said no,” Beane said. “It was just too much. I would have done 22 at five. I wasn’t doing it there. Because I knew nobody could be offering that. … That was the biggest obstacle I faced during the whole thing. Everybody wanted next year’s one leading up to the draft, and I wasn’t doing it.”
Beane and Schoen then approached the 49ers at No. 9, but John Lynch was zeroed in on Mike McGlinchey. However, Jason Licht called Beane back and said he would accept the offer of both of Buffalo’s second-round picks. The Bills collected a seventh-rounder from the Bucs as well.
“He said, ‘I’ll do it for the twos, but we’ve got to do it right now,’ ” Beane told Skurski. “I said alright, I need another pick, though. I need a player. I don’t care what it is, just give me your last pick, whatever it is. He said, ‘Alright, done.
“(The Broncos taking Chubb) was a blessing in disguise. I was tight after Denver’s pick. I was trying not to show it to the room, but I was tight. Joe and I, we were very tight.”
In passing on the chance to acquire additional first- and second-round picks, the Broncos are betting big on Chubb. Beane said he also spoke with the Giants and Browns about the Nos. 2 and 4 picks, and Skurski reports the only trade Beane would have made pre-draft was with the Giants at No. 2.
Skurski adds the Bills finalized their quarterback hierarchy following their April 13 Sam Darnold workout. Miller reported this week Darnold was the Bills’ top-rated quarterback, so it would have made sense for a trade to the second slot. Although, Darnold was still connected to the Browns at No. 1 at that point. The Bills were rumored to be targeting a top-five pick for weeks prior to the draft, but the Giants and Browns wanted more than Beane was willing to offer, per Skurski.
As for the Bills’ second Round 1 trade, Beane contacted the Packers at No. 14 and Raiders at No. 15. Green Bay ended up accepting a New Orleans offer that did include a 2019 first, and Oakland did not want to trade down again, per Skurski. Edmunds was the target because of the Bills’ situation at linebacker, Beane said, and the Ravens quickly agreed to a deal at No. 16.
“(Edmunds) was sticking out on our board, and it’s a need,” Beane said. “If a guy is sticking out on our board, and it’s really not a need, you might not do it. But with the hole we had there, and where he was on our board, it was a no-brainer. Even if we could have got to 14, we would have done it.”
Draft QB Fallout: Darnold, Allen, Mayfield
A draft that produced one of the longest rumor cycles surrounding quarterbacks in recent memory continues to generate fallout. And some of it centers on the quarterback that fell to No. 3.
Among the emotions expressed in the Jets’ war room after the Giants chose Saquon Barkley over Sam Darnold were disbelief and joy, per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. But the Giants weren’t the only team many NFL executives and scouts believe helped out the Jets.
The Browns’ Baker Mayfield pick went against the grain, with Matt Miller of Bleacher Report writing that he only confirmed two teams — the Browns and Patriots — that rated the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner as the top quarterback in this draft. Conversely, 15 different teams rated Darnold as their top QB, Miller reports.
Mike Maccagnan decided to keep an airtight lid on his quarterback hierarchy, only informing Christopher Johnson and Todd Bowles of which signal-caller he had as his top-rated passer. The fourth-year Jets GM didn’t bother to assign final grades to the top five QBs in fear of that information seeping out, but grades were given to every other player on the Jets’ board, per Mehta. While the precise order here is not known, Mehta reports Darnold was the Jets’ top-rated passing prospect — one the team did not think would get past the Browns at No. 1 until very late in the process.
The Jets weren’t certain the Giants would pass on Darnold, either, but were aware of Dave Gettleman‘s interest in Barkley. One source informed Miller that Gettleman, indeed, did not pick up the phone regarding trade interest in the No. 2 overall pick. While Gettleman himself confirmed one team made a strong offer for No. 2, it’s unclear when on draft night that proposal emerged. Wowed by none of these QBs, the Giants did not have a consensus on which of these players was the best prospect.
While the Cardinals wound up with Josh Rosen, Miller reports Josh Allen was their top-rated quarterback. The team that actually drafted Allen, the Bills, had the Wyoming talent rated as this class’ No. 2 passer, Miller reports. Buffalo was one of the teams that viewed Darnold as this draft’s top QB.
No reports of Allen visiting the Cardinals emerged until he confirmed just before the draft he took a trip to Arizona. Miller notes the Cards may have tried to trade up for Allen prior to landing Rosen. Additionally, the Twitter controversy did not appear to affect Allen’s stock. Miller adds no sources indicated that played a role in their teams’ respective assessments of Allen.
Dan Morgan To Join Bills’ Front Office
Dan Morgan looks set to follow other high-ranking former Panthers staffers east. Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reports (on Twitter) the Seahawks’ director of pro personnel will join the Bills as a high-ranking member of Brandon Beane‘s front office.
Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News reports this is not quite a done deal yet; the Bills plan to interview Morgan. Though, this may be a formality.
Morgan’s been a Seahawks scout and exec for several years. He will fill the role vacated by Brian Gaine‘s departure to Houston, per Garafolo. Gaine served as Buffalo’s VP of player personnel last year under Beane before returning to Houston as GM.
A former first-round pick, Morgan played seven seasons with the Panthers, from 2001-07, before breaking into the scouting side of the game. He’s worked under Scott Fitterer and Trent Kirchner in Seattle and will now make a significant step forward in his executive career.
The 39-year-old exec began his tenure with the Seahawks as an intern before working as a scout. The Seahawks then promoted him to assistant director of pro personnel. Beane was with the Panthers throughout Morgan’s career as their starting middle linebacker.
Russ Brandon Steps Down As Bills’ Prez
Russ Brandon is out as the Bills’ president. Brandon has resigned his post as the managing partner and president Pegula Sports and Entertainment following an internal investigation into his workplace behavior, two sources tell Tim Graham of The Buffalo News.
Kim Pegula will take over the the Bills’ new president in what seems to be a permanent role, tweets Graham. The club is not planning to open a search for external candidates.
“I have been contemplating transitioning out of my role for some time,” said Brandon, who is in his early 50s. “My goal when the Pegula’s purchased the franchise was to reach 20 years with the Bills in which I achieved this past November. Given where we are from a timing standpoint, particularly with the conclusion of the NFL Draft, now seems like the time to make that transition. As grateful as I am for the amazing experience and the incredible people I’ve had the privilege to work with the past two decades, I am just as anxious for the professional opportunities that lie ahead.”
Brandon has been with the Bills since 1997 serving in a variety of high-ranking roles, including GM. After last year’s offseason shakeup which included the hiring of coach Sean McDermott and GM Brandon Beane, Brandon lost much of his control in the front office.
Two sources with knowledge of the investigation tell Graham that Brandon has been accused of inappropriate relationships with female employees. When confronted by owner Pegula, the sources said, Brandon denied the allegations. However, the investigation found that Brandon was less than truthful about what transpired and uncovered other issues.
Bills’ Offers Didn’t Include Both First-Round Picks?
Brandon Beane attempted to clarify a few things about his first draft with the Bills, and he offered some detail about what the Bills were and weren’t offering to move up from their No. 12 position.
A report Saturday night indicated the Bills were offering the Broncos both of their 2018 first-round picks in order to move into Denver’s No. 5 spot, but Beane said that wasn’t the case. The second-year GM said Broncos wanted both of the Bills’ first-rounders for the right to move back into the Bills’ No. 12 spot, but he didn’t want to sacrifice both picks to make that move.
However, a report from ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter indicated the Broncos and Bills had a deal in place before the Browns passed on Bradley Chubb. If the Bills didn’t offer Nos. 12 and 22, and reportedly a Round 2 pick as well, to move up, it’s unclear what was the agreed-upon proposal — if, in fact, the sides did have a trade set to transpire if the Browns chose Chubb at No. 4.
Beane also wasn’t willing to part with his 2019 first-rounder. The GM said (via Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News, on Twitter) two teams wanted Buffalo’s 2019 first-round pick, but he did not end up moving it on a night that saw the Bills trade up for Josh Allen without sacrificing the No. 22 pick — which ended up being used to trade back up for Tremaine Edmunds.
The Bills then discussed potential deals with the Colts and Bears before working out a trade package with the Buccaneers.
“Five was the spot I thought we could get a reasonable deal, but 5 was gonna cost us pick 22,” Beane said, via One Bills Live (video link). “I had already checked with Indy and knew they had honed in on a guy. They were like, ‘Unless our guy’s gone, we’re picking.’ Tampa had said, ‘We got a guy, and (a trade is) gonna take a lot.’ And Chicago had a guy.
“So now you’re creeping close to Miami, who’d been scouting quarterbacks, and Arizona was in range for what they could do. So I was getting very fearful they could creep in and get the guy we wanted.”
It turned out the Buccaneers were willing to move out of No. 7, taking Vita Vea at No. 12, after the Colts selected Quenton Nelson. The Bears ended up with Roquan Smith at No. 8.