NFL Investigating Richie Incognito
- The NFL continues to review accusations by Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue that Bills guard Richie Incognito used racial slurs in a Jan. 7 playoff game (Twitter link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com). A report this week indicated that the league had wrapped up its investigation and that the offensive lineman was “not expected” to be disciplined. Incognito is under contract with Buffalo for 2018, but given his history, the lineman’s roster spot could be in jeopardy if the NFL finds credence in Ngakoue’s claims.
Updated 2018 NFL Draft Order
With the conference championship games in the books, we now know the draft order for 30 of the first round’s 32 picks. Here’s the rundown:
1. Cleveland Browns (0-16)
2. New York Giants (3-13)
3. Indianapolis Colts (4-12)
4. Cleveland Browns (via the 4-12 Houston Texans)
5. Denver Broncos (5-11)
6. New York Jets (5-11)
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-11)
8. Chicago Bears (5-11)
T-9. Oakland Raiders (6-10)
T-9. San Francisco 49ers (6-10) (Note: The Raiders and 49ers have identical records and the same strength of schedule. The tie will be broken by a coin flip with the winner getting pick No. 9 and the other club receiving the No. 10 pick.)
11. Miami Dolphins (6-10)
12. Cincinnati Bengals (7-9)
13. Washington Redskins (7-9)
14. Green Bay Packers (7-9)
15. Arizona Cardinals (8-8)
16. Baltimore Ravens (9-7)
17. Los Angeles Chargers (9-7)
18. Seattle Seahawks (9-7)
19. Dallas Cowboys (9-7)
20. Detroit Lions (9-7)
21. Buffalo Bills (9-7)
22. Buffalo Bills (via the 10-6 Kansas City Chiefs)
23. Los Angeles Rams (11-5)
24. Carolina Panthers (11-5)
25. Tennessee Titans (9-7)
26. Atlanta Falcons (10-6)
27. New Orleans Saints (11-5)
28. Pittsburgh Steelers (13-3)
29. Jacksonville Jaguars (10-6)
30. Minnesota Vikings (13-3)
31. (New England Patriots (13-3) or Philadelphia Eagles (13-3))
32. (New England Patriots (13-3) or Philadelphia Eagles (13-3))
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/17/18
Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2018 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters:
Buffalo Bills
Denver Broncos
- WR Kenny Bell
- OL Andreas Knappe
- DT DeShawn Williams
Indianapolis Colts
New York Jets
- P Ben Turk
Bills Hire Brian Daboll As OC
The Bills have hired Brian Daboll as their new offensive coordinator, the club announced today.
[RELATED: 2018 NFL Coordinator Tracker]
Daboll, fresh off a National Championship as the offensive play-caller for the University of Alabama, will replace longtime NFL coach Rick Dennison, who was fired on Friday after only one season in Buffalo. Multiple head coaching candidates had reportedly expressed interest in hiring Daboll as an offensive coordinator, so the Bills acted quickly to add him to their staff.
While the 42-year-old Daboll spent the 2017 campaign in the collegiate ranks, he does boast vast amounts of NFL coaching experience. He’s coordinated offenses for the Browns (2009-10), Dolphins (2011), and Chiefs (2012), and has also worked in a number of offensive roles for the Patriots, first from 2000-06 and again from 2013-16.
In Buffalo, Daboll will be tasked with heading an offensive unit which ranked 22nd in scoring, 26th in DVOA, and 29th in yards a season ago. Running back LeSean McCoy and wide receiver Zay Jones will be among the weapons at Daboll’s disposal, while Buffalo has decisions to make on quarterback Tyrod Taylor and wideout Kelvin Benjamin.
Zay Jones To Undergo Shoulder Surgery
- Bills WR Zay Jones reportedly played his rookie campaign with a torn labrum, and his father, former NFL linebacker Robert Jones, told Robert Quinn of the Bills Wire that his son will have surgery on Tuesday to repair the injury. Zay Jones finished the 2017 season with 27 catches for 316 yards and two touchdowns.
Bills Won’t Hire Mike McCoy As OC
Since learning that the Bills will be moving on from Rick Dennison as the team’s offensive coordinator, former Chargers head coach Mike McCoy had surfaced as a potential candidate to fill his shoes in 2018. However, McCoy will not be hired by Buffalo for the role, according to Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News (Twitter link).
McCoy was once a hot NFL coaching candidate for his work with Denver as their offensive coordinator back in 2010-2012. The 45-year-old coach fell out of favor with the Chargers after another down year in 2016, which gave way for new head coach Anthony Lynn to be hired this past offseason. McCoy caught on this past year in his second stint as the Broncos offensive coordinator, but was let go during the season after the offense struggled with a rotation of quarterbacks.
With McCoy out of the picture, the only other candidate that has been mentioned thus far for the newly open position is current Colts offensive coordinator Rod Chudzinski. Chudzinski will likely be moving on from Indianapolis with the team actively looking for a new head coach. More names will certainly surface as the Bills begin their search for the new leader of their offense. Buffalo is just one of three teams that have a vacancy at the offensive coordinator post at the moment. Make sure to stay up-to-date with all coordinator news with our 2018 Coordinator Tracker.
Case Keenum Drew Interest From Bills, Bears
The rise of Case Keenum has been one of the biggest surprises in the NFL this season. Vaulted into the Vikings’ starting quarterback job out of necessity, Keenum outperformed some of the league’s biggest names and guided the Vikings to a 13-3 record. It turns out that Keenum could have been another team’s diamond in the rough instead. 
The Bears and Bills both expressed interest in the QB, Dan Pompei of Bleacher Report writes. However, Keenum says that he chose the Vikings because they showed a greater desire to sign him.
The Bills’ previous interest in Keenum is particularly notable as they still face uncertainty under center. Tyrod Taylor is due a $6MM roster bonus on Day 3 of the 2018 league year and stands to earn $10MM in base salary. Now that offensive coordinator Rick Dennison has been shown the door, the Bills could further overhaul the offense by moving on from the 28-year-old (29 in August).
Meanwhile, some believe that Keenum will arrive with Pat Shurmur as a package deal if Shurmur gets a head coaching job. That could appeal to both the Cardinals and Giants.
In 2017, Keenum ranked as Pro Football Focus’ No. 9 QB, slotting him ahead of Jimmy Garoppolo, Aaron Rodgers, Marcus Mariota, Matthew Stafford, and Kirk Cousins. Keenum’s 67.6% completion percentage was the second-highest in the NFL, trailing only Drew Brees.
Keenum will look to continue his improbable success story with a win over the Saints on Sunday in the divisional round.
Bills Fire OC Rick Dennison
The Bills announced that they have fired offensive coordinator Rick Dennison. The team has yet to hire a replacement for Dennison, making them one of several teams on the lookout for a new OC. 
Dennison came to the Bills last year following the hire of Sean McDermott as head coach. The Bills managed to make the playoffs, but it was in spite of a poor passing game. The Bills placed 29th in total yards, 22nd in points, and averaged only 176.6 passing yards per game, though a Dennison defender would point out that he had to deal with the inconsistencies of Tyrod Taylor and the rawness of rookie Nathan Peterman at quarterback. Meanwhile, the team depleted itself of offensive weapons with the trade of Sammy Watkins and the loss of Robert Woods.
The Browns found their new OC on Friday morning and the Cardinals, Colts, and Giants may all be looking for a new play-caller once they hire head coaches. Already, we’ve seen six OCs replaced this offseason. When all is said and done, there will be no fewer than seven OC shakeups on the year and possibly eleven or more.
Former Chargers coach Mike McCoy could be a candidate for the opening in Buffalo, according to Albert Breer of The MMQB (on Twitter). Alex Marvez of SiriusXM (on Twitter) hears that McCoy and Colts OC Rob Chudzinski are the top two candidates for the job. Both men previously spent time with the Panthers, which helps their cause with McDermott.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/10/18
Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2018 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters:
Buffalo Bills
Chicago Bears
- CB Jonathon Mincy
Cleveland Browns
Dallas Cowboys
Green Bay Packers
New York Giants
- LB Thurston Armbrister
- OL Laurence Gibson
- RB Jalen Simmons
New York Jets
NFL Reserve/Future Contracts: 1/8/18
Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2018 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters:
Buffalo Bills
- RB Aaron Green
- WR Quan Bray
- TE Jason Croom
- OT De’Ondre Wesley
- OT Josh James
- C Adam Redmond
- DT Marquavius Lewis
- S Dean Marlowe
- P Cory Carter
Carolina Panthers
- WR Rasheed Bailey
Detroit Lions
- DE Cam Johnson
Los Angeles Rams
- WR Fred Brown
- DT Omarius Bryant
- C Jake Eldrenkamp
- CB Dominique Hatfield
- TE Henry Krieger-Coble
- TE Johnny Mundt
- CB Taurean Nixon
- OLB Ejuan Price
- FB Sam Rogers
- CB Marcus Sayles