Buffalo Bills News & Rumors

Bills Interviewing Trey Brown For GM Gig

There’s a new name to add to the list of Bills general manager candidates. According to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter), the team’s owners will be interviewing Trey Brown, the Eagles’ Director of College Scouting, for the open position today.

After working as a scout with the Patriots for three years, Brown joined the Eagles organization in 2013. Having originally served as the team’s West Coast Area Scout, Brown presumably had a major influence on the team’s selection of Zach Ertz and Matt Barkley. Last offseason, he was promoted to the Director of College Scouting position. Previously, Brown was a standout cornerback at UCLA, and he had a brief stint with the Bears after being signed as an undrafted rookie.

As our own Zach Links previously noted, it’s uncertain how much clout the organization’s next GM will ultimately have. Sean McDermott reportedly had a larger voice in the team’s recent draft than their now-former general manager, Doug Whaley, and it’s uncertain whether the head coach will continue to have a front office presence. Whaley and the entire scouting department were fired last week.

Brown is now the third reported candidate for the open gig. The team reportedly met with Panthers executive Brandon Beane and Texans director of player personnel Brian Gaine earlier this week. Panthers director of player personnel Don Gregory is supposedly on the team’s radar, while running back LeSean McCoy has been touting Chiefs co-director of player personnel Brett Veach.

Bills Sign 13 UDFAs

The Bills have signed 13 undrafted free agents. Here’s the full list:

The signing of Johnson, a Buffalo product and graduate of nearby Sweet Home High school, should make fans happy. He could perhaps find inspiration in fellow UB running back Branden Oliver who went undrafted out of college but went on to make an impact in the NFL.

The Bills’ roster now stands at 92, so we should see at least a couple of cuts go down shortly.

Latest On Bills’ General Manager Search

Panthers executive Brandon Beane‘s interview for the Bills’ general manager position will take place on Thursday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twittter link).Bills Helmet (Featured)

Beane is one of two known candidates for the Buffalo vacancy, as the club also has plans to meet with Texans director of player personnel Brian Gaine on Thursday. Meanwhile, while the Bills haven’t formally requested a meeting with Panthers director of player personnel Don Gregory, he is “on [Buffalo’s] list,” tweets Mike Garafolo of NFL.com, who adds the Bills could look to interview Gregory in the near future.

Running back LeSean McCoy has his own preferred candidate for the GM position, as he took to Twitter on Wednesday to advocate for Chiefs co-director of player personnel Brett Veach for the Bills position. Veach worked for the Eagles when McCoy was drafted in the second round of the 2009 draft, and was in fact pushing for McCoy to be Philadelphia’selection, tweets former NFL scout Dan Hatman. Needless to say, McCoy has no say in the Buffalo search process, and Veach hasn’t been contacted as of yet.

Why The Bills Fired Rex Ryan

The Bills parted ways with Rex Ryan last December in part because of the coach’s declaration that the season was over when the playoffs were still in reach, Albert Breer of The MMQB writes. Ryan was believed to be on the hot seat in Buffalo, but that incident apparently sealed his fate. Months later, the Bills have a new head coach in Sean McDermott and Ryan has a new job as an analyst for ESPN.

Bills To Interview Texans Exec Brian Gaine

Texans director of player personnel Brian Gaine will interview for the Bills’ GM job on Thursday, John McClain of The Houston Chronicle tweets. Gaine has Houston’s permission to interview.

[RELATED: Bills Hosting TE Gary Barnidge On Visit]

The Eagles were eyeing Gaine for a high-profile position prior to the 2015 season and the Texans gave him a promotion to keep him from leaving. Since then, Gaine has been linked to a number of GM vacancies. With Rick Smith in charge, Houston might not have a higher title left to keep Gaine from wanting to bolt.

It’s not clear how much say the next GM of the Bills will have over the 53-man roster. New head coach Sean McDermott reportedly wrestled control of the draft away from Doug Whaley and he might not be willing to give up that power.

Gaine is now the second exec scheduled to interview for the opening, following Panthers assistant GM Brandon Beane.

Bills Hosting TE Gary Barnidge On Visit

The Bills are hosting tight end Gary Barnidge on a visit today, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Barnidge was cut by the Browns this week following the selection of Miami tight end David NjokuGary Barnidge (vertical)

[RELATED: Bills Decline Sammy Watkins’ Option]

Barnidge broke out with the Browns in 2015 when he recorded 79 receptions and 1,043 yards and nine touchdowns on his way to a Pro Bowl selection. Before fantasy football fanatics learned his name, however, he spent several seasons with the Panthers. His final two years in Carolina overlapped with Sean McDermott‘s first two years as their defensive coordinator, so his shared history with the Bills head coach could lead to a deal.

The Bills currently project to have Charles Clay as their lead tight end. Tight ends Nick O’Leary, Gerald Christian, Logan Thomas, and Blake Annen are also under contract.

Bills Claim CB Charles James

The Bills announced on Tuesday that the team has claimed cornerback Charles James off waivers. James was cut by the Colts on Monday. Charles James (vertical)

[RELATED: Bills Decline Sammy Watkins’ Option]

James, a 5’9″, 186-pound Charleston Southern product, took the field for 12 of the Giants’ contests as a rookie in 2013 and another 21 with the Texans from 2015-16, including 12 last season. While with Houston, James enjoyed some celebrity as the standout star of 2015’s “Hard Knocks.” The hard knocks of the league have caused him to bounce around a bit, but he’ll look to stick with Buffalo.

The Bills added another veteran corner this week with the signing of Shareece Wright.

Bills Decline WR Sammy Watkins’ Option

The Bills are declining Sammy Watkins‘ fifth-year option, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. The move was expected, but we did not have confirmation of it until today. Sammy Watkins (vertical)

[RELATED: PFR’s Fifth-Year Option Decision Tracker]

Watkins has been great when on the field, but injuries have limited him to just 37 of 48 possible regular season games since entering the league. In 2016, he only appeared in eight contests.

Watkins is currently recovering from foot surgery and that was reportedly a major factor in Buffalo’s decision. If they exercised Watkins’ option and he suffered an injury, they would be saddled with him at a $13.26MM salary for 2018. Conversely, if he’s healthy and productive in 2017, they can retain him for another season via the franchise tag, which would cost an estimated $16MM.

In his three seasons, Watkins has averaged 66 catches, 1,064 yards, and seven touchdowns per 16 games. Unfortunately for Watkins and the Bills, he hasn’t played a full 16-game slate since his rookie season in 2014.

Bills To Interview Panthers Exec Brandon Beane

The Bills’ general manager search is underway. Buffalo has asked permission to speak with Panthers assistant GM Brandon Beane about their GM vacancy, a league source tells ESPN.com’s Wendi Nix (Twitter link).

Soon after the Bills fired Doug Whaley, Beane’s name emerged as a potential candidate for the gig. The exec has a shared history with new Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott and while the Panthers will try to keep him, they cannot prevent him from accepting a GM position elsewhere if it includes final say over the 53-man roster. It remains to be seen whether McDermott, who reportedly had control over the Bills’ draft last week, would be willing to cede that control.

The name of Chiefs executive Brett Veach is also circulating in personnel circles as a candidate for the Bills’ GM job, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports hears (on Twitter).

Bills Sign CB Shareece Wright

The Bills announced the signing of free agent cornerback Shareece Wright. Wright visited with Buffalo in early April, but the team waited until after the draft to add him to the roster. Shareece Wright (vertical)

Wright, 30, has been on the open market since the Ravens cut him loose on March 7. Even though he has 42 career starts to his name, the Bills were the only team known to have real interest in him this offseason. Wright has not recorded an interception since 2013 and last year he ranked 75th out of 111 qualified cornerbacks, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Bills made a big-time upgrade at cornerback on Thursday when they seleted LSU’s Tre’Davious White with the No. 27 overall pick. White and Ronald Darby will hold down the starting spots, but Wright could find his way to the roster as a reserve.

Wright is now the fourth third offseason addition to their cornerback corps, joining White and free agent pickups Marcus Cromartie and Leonard Johnson. It remains to be seen how this group will perform as a whole following the losses of Stephon Gilmore and Nickell Robey-Coleman.