Buffalo Bills Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

Brandon Beane To Have Final Roster Say

May 12th, 2017 at 10:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

As reports indicated earlier this week, new Bills GM Brandon Beane will indeed have control over the 53-man roster. Terry Pegula confirmed as much Friday. “Brandon’s gonna have the 53,” the owner said, via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “Him and Sean (McDermott) will obviously collaborate on any decisions.” The 39-year-old first-time GM, though, plans to work extensively alongside McDermott, with whom he obviously functioned alongside with the Panthers.

Beane and McDermott have worked together since 2011, save for a near-four-month period when McDermott took the Bills job and Beane stayed in Charlotte. The former Panthers assistant GM will still have the final say, even though the new Bills HC arrived in Buffalo first.

A slew of Bills free agency moves shouldn’t be expected, Beane said today, per Joe Buscaglia of WKBW (on Twitter). In a statement not exactly contrary to most new GMs’ philosophies, Beane plans to build the Bills through the draft (Twitter link, via Buscaglia).
The Saints invited some familiar names to their rookie minicamp/tryout venue today. Former Jets, Bills and Falcons passer Matt Simms received an invite, as did former Raiders and Buccaneers wideout Louis Murphy and veteran tight end Clay Harbor (all Twitter links via Nick Underhill of The Advocate). Murphy spent the past two seasons with the Bucs but saw injuries limit him to just six games.

Bills Sign Two Draft Picks

May 11th, 2017 at 5:48pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Buffalo Bills

Bills Waive Three

May 11th, 2017 at 4:18pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Bills have waived a pair of cornerbacks, Marcus Cromartie and Marcus Roberson, as well as wide receiver Corey Washington, a source tells ESPN.com’s Field Yates (Twitter link).

Both Cromartie and Washington joined the Bills earlier this offseason, but they apparently became unnecessary to the organization in the wake of the draft. The Bills used their first-round pick on ex-LSU cornerback Tre’Davious White, thus helping to push Cromartie out. The team then spent its second-rounder on former East Carolina receiver Zay Jones, which spelled the end for Washington. Neither Cromartie nor Washington has accomplished much in the NFL, with the former having started in one of 21 appearances and totaling 18 tackles as a 49er from 2014-16; meanwhile, the latter’s only action came during a 14-game, five-catch 2014 with the Giants.

Like Cromartie and Washington, Roberson also carries a fairly unimpressive pro resume (and White’s selection didn’t do him any favors, either). Roberson first signed with the Bills last year and picked up a meager two tackles in seven games. He saw more time with the Rams from 2014-15, starting in six of 25 games and picking off his lone pass in the first of those two years.

Bills Could Further Shake Up Front Office

May 10th, 2017 at 9:57pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After the Ravens surprisingly didn’t add a wide receiver at any point during the draft, the club could conceivably turn to the trade market in its search for a pass-catcher, as Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun and Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com write. Both scribes point to New England’s Danny Amendola and Los Angeles’ Dontrelle Inman as logical potential acquisitions, as higher-caliber wideouts such as the Bills’ Sammy Watkins and the Jets’ Eric Decker probably aren’t feasible. It’s not known whether the Ravens are calling teams about wide receivers, but as Zrebiec notes, they’ve gone this route before. In 2010, Baltimore traded two draft picks to Arizona to acquire Anquan Boldin, and one year later, dealt for Buffalo’s Lee Evans.
The Bills have found a new general manager in former Panthers executive Brandon Beane, but the club has more work to in its front office, according to Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. Jim Overdorf, Buffalo’s chief contract negotiator, could be on the chopping block given that Beane’s prior work history is rife with salary cap experience. As such, Beane may look to bring in his own financial staffers instead of relying on Overdorf, who’s handled the Bills’ cap since 2008. As Carucci explains, Buffalo’s roster is full of “bloated contracts”, meaning the next negotiator will have his hands full.

Brandon Beane To Control Bills’ Roster?

May 10th, 2017 at 11:50am CST by Zachary Links

Will new Bills GM Brandon Beane have final say over the roster? The team’s public answer could differ from the day-to-day reality.

Coach Sean McDermott, who effectively was in charge of this year’s draft, will cede control of the 53-man roster to Beane, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Bills owner and CEO Terry Pegula will communicate this to the public on Friday, but McDermott will retain final say over the 53-man roster, Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News (Twitter links) hears. This is similar to the Chiefs’ model in which GM John Dorsey has a say in the roster, but everything must get the green light from coach Andy Reid.

Right now, we have conflicting reports from two highly-trusted reporters, so it remains to be seen how things will truly be divvied up between the two men. This offseason, McDermott wrestled control of operations away from former GM Doug Whaley and effectively pushed him out of Buffalo. After seizing that kind of power early on in his tenure, some believed that McDermott would continue to call the shots in the front office. Soon, we should have a better idea of how things will shake out in Western New York.

“During our search for a new general manager, Brandon stood out to Kim [Pegula] and I as he embodies the type of leader and type of person we want in our organization,” Terry Pegula said in a statement earlier this week. “Brandon has excelled in a variety of roles for a Panthers team that has consistently competed at a high-level in this league. We feel his vast understanding and experience in many facets of football operations will be invaluable to our club moving forward.”

Before hiring Beane, the Bills also considered Packers director of player personnel Brian Gutekunst, Eagles director of college scouting Trey Brown, and Texans director of player personnel Brian Gaine.

Bills Sign LB Carl Bradford

May 9th, 2017 at 7:49pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bills announced that they’ve free agent linebacker Carl Bradford after hosting him on a visit earlier today.

Bradford, a former draft choice of the Packers, never lived up to his fourth-round billing in Green Bay, as he didn’t appear in a regular season game until his third year in the NFL. After spending his first two campaigns on the inactive list and the practice squad, Bradford finally played in four games for the Packers in 2016 before being waived. The 24-year-old was claimed by the 49ers, with whom he finished out the 2016 campaign.

While Buffalo didn’t add any free agent linebackers to a group that already includes Reggie Ragland, Preston Brown, and Ramon Humber, it did select two ‘backers — Matt Milano (Boston College) and Tanner Vallejo (Boise State) — on Day 3 of the draft. Bradford will likely present the primary competition for those draft picks as the Bills seek to replace some of the production void left by Zach Brown‘s absence.

Because Bradford has only accrued one NFL season, the Bills would hold his rights for the next several years if he makes the roster and plays well. Assuming he sticks for most of the year, Bradford would become a restricted free agent in 2019 and a unrestricted free agent in 2020.

Bills Hire Brandon Beane As GM

May 9th, 2017 at 5:03pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bills have announced former Panthers executive Brandon Beane as their new general manager. Beane’s contract will run concurrent with that of head coach Sean McDermott, meaning Beane is signed through the 2021 campaign, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

Landing on Beane was always considered a likely outcome for Buffalo, especially given Beane’s ties with McDermott. The duo spent time together in Carolina, and will now form a tandem decision-making squad after Buffalo fired general manager Doug Whaley last week.

While it’s unclear who will have the final say over personnel choices and the makeup of the 53-man roster, there’s little doubt that McDermott is now firmly in place as a key operative in the Bills’ structure. Even with Whaley still in place during the draft, McDermott was reportedly essential as Buffalo made its picks. But McDermott’s familiarity with Beane should enable the club to quickly establish a new paradigm as it moves past the Whaley regime.

Beane wasn’t the only candidate for the Bills general manager position, as Buffalo also interviewed three other executives for the vacancy. Packers director of player personnel Brian Gutekunst, Eagles director of college scouting Trey Brown, and Texans director of player personnel Brian Gaine were also considered for the position.

Bills To Interview Brandon Beane Again

May 8th, 2017 at 4:25pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

On Monday, Packers director of player personnel Brian Gutekunst became the fourth executive to interview for the Bills’ vacant general manager post, but only one has booked a second meeting with the team. That’s Panthers assistant GM Brandon Beane, who will head back to Buffalo for another sitdown with the club this week, tweets ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Beane has emerged as the favorite to land the job, per Schefter, which isn’t surprising when you consider his ties to first-year Bills head coach Sean McDermott. The two are familiar with each other from McDermott’s tenure in Carolina, where he served as the defensive coordinator over the previous six seasons.

Despite his inexperience as a head coach, McDermott has become arguably the most prominent voice in the Bills organization during his first few months in Buffalo. McDermott’s influence at Bills headquarters helped lead to ex-GM Doug Whaley‘s ouster, so Whaley’s successor will clearly have to share power with the coach to some degree.

Along with Gutekunst and Beane, the Bills have met with Texans director of player personnel Brian Gaine and Eagles director of college scouting Trey Brown regarding their GM position. As of now now, though, it seems that the job is Beane’s to lose.

Bills Interview Packers’ Brian Gutekunst

May 8th, 2017 at 9:59am CST by Zachary Links

The Bills interviewed Packers Director of Player Personnel Brian Gutekunst on Monday (today) for the GM job, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). He now the fourth known candidate for the position. The Bills have since confirmed the news via press release.

Gutekunst has long been considered a top GM candidate and the Packers have not promised him that he will be the successor to Ted Thompson. However, it’s not a given that Gutekunst will leave for the Bills even if he’s offered the gig. This offseason, he was considered to be the favorite for the 49ers’ vacancy before withdrawing his name from consideration. Apparently, he received a new deal from the Packers (read: pay raise) that kept him from leaving.

After coach Sean McDermott effectively ran this year’s draft in Buffalo, it’s not clear if the Bills’ next GM will have final say over the 53-man roster. Gutekunst turned down an opportunity to run things in San Francisco in which he would have ceded some control to Kyle Shanahan, so this position might not suit him either.

So far, the Bills have also interviewed Eagles’ director of college scouting Trey Brown, Panthers executive Brandon Beane, and Texans director of player personnel Brian Gaine.

Tre Boston To Visit Three Teams

May 7th, 2017 at 8:37am CST by Rory Parks

Tre Boston, who was released by the Panthers last week, has free agent visits lined up with three clubs. The 24-year-old safety (25 in June) tweeted that he visited the Steelers several days ago and plans to meet with the Chargers and Bills shortly.

Boston appeared in 15 games (10 starts) for Carolina last season, and he was projected to return as the team’s starting free safety in 2017. As such, his release came as something of surprise, especially since the Panthers did not select a safety in this year’s draft.

Boston graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 46 safety last season, putting him in a three-way tie with Jairus Byrd and George Iloka. Boston’s coverage grades were not as strong as Byrd’s or Iloka’s, but he made up ground with a better showing in terms of pass rush. Boston’s 78.1 overall score stands as a career high, but he was on roughly the same plane in 2014 and 2015, his first two years in the league (though he started just five regular season games in 2014 and only one in 2015).

It therefore seems as if Boston could be a serviceable starter in the league, or, at the very least, quality depth. He would likely serve as a depth piece with the Steelers, who have Mike Mitchell and Sean Davis penciled in at the starting safety positions. The Chargers selected safeties Rayshawn Jenkins and Desmond King in the middle rounds of last week’s draft, and they do have Dwight Lowery returning, but Lowery did not fare much better than Boston in 2016 in terms of Pro Football Focus’ metrics, and he turned 31 in January (though Lowery was decidedly better in coverage than Boston). Buffalo, meanwhile, signed Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer this offseason to revamp their safety tandem, but Boston could certainly compete with Poyer for the team’s starting free safety job.

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