Latest On Karlos Williams, Bills
After waiving him earlier today, the Bills “fully expect” another club to land running back Karlos Williams, according to Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News (Twitter link). Because he’s not a vested veteran, Williams will be placed on waivers, meaning every team — beginning with the Titans and continuing in reverse order of the 2015 standings — will have the opportunity to claim him and his contract. If Williams goes unclaimed, he’ll become a free agent.
[RELATED: Marcell Dareus To Enter Rehab]
Buffalo’s decision to cut Williams doesn’t have anything to do with his talent, per Carucci, who adds the Bills had simply “soured” on Williams’ attitude problems. As we heard earlier today, Williams weighed 261 pounds at one point during this offseason, up from his 2015 playing weight of 229, a gain Williams had attributed to his wife’s pregnancy. And after losing some of that weight, Williams had once again began to balloon, tweets Carucci, leading Buffalo to believe that he was “not serious about football.”
Meanwhile, the newly-signed Reggie Bush is in line to be the Bills’ No. 2 running back behind LeSean McCoy, and had been considered the top backup even before Williams was waived, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Bush will also serve as the club’s primary punt returner, and received the opening kickoff in today’s preseason contest against the Giants.
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Bills Cut Karlos Williams
2:46pm: Doug Whaley told media — including Rodak — the team’s decision to cut Williams was indeed performance-related. The fourth-year GM said Williams came into camp “behind the eight ball” due to being overweight.
1:43pm: The since-cut running back thanked the Bills in an Instagram post.
1:40pm: Williams’ weight looks to have been the decisive factor here, rather than Bills management wanting to send a message to the locker room. Due to his struggles to get down to his playing weight, he hovered behind both Bush and Jonathan Williams, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
1:10pm: The Bills have reversed course on Karlos Williams. Buffalo’s backup running back in 2015, Williams won’t receive a chance to bounce back from the offseason suspension he drew, with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reporting (on Twitter) that the Bills cut Williams.
Williams incurred a four-game suspension for a violation of the league’s substance-abuse policy in July and wouldn’t have been elig
ible to play until October 9 for the Bills.
The team voiced support for the talented ball-carrier at the time but is now to be moving in a different direction as the preseason’s in full swing.
“As an organization, we are disappointed that Karlos has put himself in this situation,” the Bills said last month. “Poor decisions such as this affect not only the individual, but the entire Bills organization. We will continue to work with Karlos through the various player programs we provide to assist him in making better decisions moving forward.”
Rex Ryan himself said the Bills were not going to give up on Williams. Since this suspension was announced, the Bills have endured some misfortune despite the news LeSean McCoy wouldn’t be suspended. Shaq Lawson will miss regular-season time, and Reggie Ragland is now out for the season. Marcell Dareus also drew a four-game suspension.
Williams reported to minicamp overweight, per Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. Schefter tweets Williams at one point this offseason ballooned up to 261 pounds after being listed at 229 last year. That said, he should generate interest after a standout rookie season as a backup on a per-play basis. The 2015 fifth-round pick averaged 5.6 yards per carry and rushed for seven touchdowns, making three starts in relief of McCoy and helping out the Bills’ run-oriented attack.
The backfield depth chart for possibly the league’s most run-centric team weakens as a result of this move. But the Bills, while not adding anyone who is an obvious upgrade on Williams, did bring in fifth-rounder Jonathan Williams and also signed Reggie Bush after Karlos Williams’ suspension became known. Buffalo also brought back Dan Herron this offseason.
Williams was just one of two players in NFL history to score a touchdown in the first six games of his career. He finished with 613 yards from scrimmage and nine TDs on just 104 touches.
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Marcell Dareus To Check Into Rehab Facility
Marcell Dareus will begin a second straight season on a suspension, but this one will shelve the talented defensive tackle for four games. The 26-year-old defender will check into a rehab facility, he announced on Saturday after leaving the sideline prior to the Bills’ second presea
son game.
“After careful consideration of recent events within my life, I have made the decision to enter a rehabilitation facility,” Dareus said in a statement released by the Bills, via Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. “I feel this is the best decision for me, my family and my teammates as I move forward in my career. I appreciate the support of my teammates and the Bills organization through this process.”
Expected to play against the Giants today, Dareus did not dress and left the field prior to kickoff, Carucci reports.
The Bills, who expressed disappointment in what they deemed selfish actions when the suspension came down earlier this week, released a statement Saturday supporting the embattled lineman.
“We are fully supportive of Marcell and this decision to take the time he needs to seek treatment,” the statement read.
Buffalo signed Dareus to a six-year, $95MM extension last September but will now see him serve another suspension at a time the Bills are reeling on defense, having lost Reggie Ragland for the season and Shaq Lawson for an undetermined portion of it.
Dareus claimed earlier this week a missed drug test hovered at the root of his four-game ban, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported that marijuana usage caused it. The former Alabama defensive tackle served a one-game substance-abuse suspension last season.
This comes barely an hour after the team decided to cut Karlos Williams, who’s also facing a four-game substance-abuse ban.
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Dez Lewis Fighting For Roster Spot?
- Is Dez Lewis in danger of not making the Bills‘ 53-man roster? A couple of months ago, Lewis seemed like a lock for the club as he played well with the first-team offense. Now, however, Lewis is dropping passes, including during practice Thursday. The 23-year-old Lewis is a fast and big-bodied (6-4, 212 pounds) target, but the Bills might be thinking twice about keeping him, Joe Buscaglia of WKBW writes.
Bills Notes: Taylor, Dareus, Gilmore
Tyrod Taylor‘s new deal with the Bills gives the player more money now while giving the Bills a great deal of flexibility later on, Mike Florio of PFT writes. The Bills have the option of retaining Taylor at payments below the franchise tag in 2017 and 2018 plus low base salaries in 2019, 2020, and 2021. If Taylor becomes a superstar, the Bills can retain him at a reasonable rate. If he regresses, then they can move on. That’s especially important since the Bills may have a totally different regime in place this time next year.
- Bills defensive lineman Marcell Dareus says it was a missed drug test that caused his four-game suspension, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets. Of course, in the eyes of the NFL’s substance abuse policy, missing a drug test is the same as failing a drug test. Shortly after Dareus’ suspension was announced, we learned that his contract includes rare language which protects most of his guaranteed cash, despite the drug policy violation.
- With way the way Bills the do contracts, Stephon Gilmore should hold off on a new deal until he’s functionally the highest paid cornerback in the NFL, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap tweets. Talks had stalled between Buffalo and their star CB earlier this summer, but GM Doug Whaley says that Gilmore’s deal is once again the focus of the front office now that Taylor’s extension has been completed.
Bills Focusing On Deal For Stephon Gilmore
Now that Tyrod Taylor‘s deal is out of the way, the Bills are now focusing on working out an extension with star cornerback Stephon Gilmore, GM Doug Whaley says (via Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com). The two sides were in talks earlier this offseason, but discussions broke off with a significant gap to bridge. 
[RELATED: Latest On Bills’ Manny Lawson]
“It allows us to put all of our focus on Stephon Gilmore,” Whaley said. “It gives us a chance to say we have one piece of the puzzle done. Let’s try to get another piece of the puzzle done. Let’s not forget the fact that we have high profile players and they’re going to command top dollars. So we’re going to have to try our best to get them done. Will we get it done? We hope so, but it’s going to be process just like Tyrod’s contract.”
With the salary cap on the rise, Gilmore has a case to approach Josh Norman’s deal – especially given that he’s three years younger. Gilmore, who’s due $11.082MM in his fifth-year option season, reportedly wants a deal in that neighborhood (five years, $75MM) and there’s a pretty good case to be made for that. Still, the Bills are reluctant to go match those numbers as Norman is among the league’s top two corners in average annual value ($15MM, first), total guarantees ($50MM, first) and guaranteed money at signing ($36.5MM, second).
Last year, Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked Gilmore as the No. 9 cornerback in the NFL among 111 qualifying corners. If the Bills and Gilmore aren’t able to reach an agreement between now and next March, the franchise tag could be in play. That would probably cost Buffalo upwards of $14MM.
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Latest On Bills’ Manny Lawson
On Tuesday, the Bills got a double whammy of bad news when it was learned that defensive tackle Marcell Dareus was hit with a four-game suspension and defensive end Manny Lawson has a looming one-game ban for an alleged domestic violence incident. After a repeat violation of the league’s substance abuse policy, Dareus’ suspension is rather cut-and-dry. That’s not quite the case with Lawson, however, who says he is not sure why he is being suspended by the league. 
[RELATED: Bills Still On Hook For Marcell Dareus’ Guarantees?]
On Wednesday, Lawson told reporters (including Mike Rodak of ESPN.com) that he doesn’t know where the suspension is coming from. Lawson vowed to “get to the bottom of it,” though he has not heard back from the league office as of this writing.
We should know more about the allegations against Lawson in the coming days. As with most punishments, the NFLPA can be expected to fight back against the league office and, if it is truly without merit like the linebacker says, it’s possible that his suspension could be overturned.
Over the last three seasons, Lawson has appeared in all but one regular season game for the Bills. In 2015, Lawson appeared in every contest and started 14 games, racking up 45 tackles, 1 sack, and 5 pass deflections.
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IK Enemkpali Clears Waivers
- Bills linebacker IK Enemkpali (torn ACL) cleared waivers today and has reverted to their injured reserve, per a club announcement.
Bills Notes: M. Lawson, Remittance
The Bills already lost one of their best defenders earlier today when the league announced a four-game suspension for defensive tackle Marcell Dareus, and now defensive end Manny Lawson may also be absent for a contest, as Tim Graham of the Buffalo News reports (Twitter links) that Lawson is facing a one-game ban as a result of a domestic violence incident. Lawson’s agents, Schwartz & Feinsod, deny that Lawson has ever been involved in any such episode (Twitter link). Lawson can still appeal the suspension, per Graham, but if he loses, he’ll be yet another key Buffalo defensive player that will be sidelined. In addition to Lawson and Dareus, the Bills have now lost Reggie Ragland, Shaq Lawson, and IK Enemkpali for varying amounts of time.
- With suspensions for Karlos Williams, Dareus, and now potentially Lawson, the Bills will now be forced to pay a fine based on the NFL’s remittance policy, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. As explained by Schefter in 2013, the policy forces clubs to pay a portion of the forfeited money that the banned player is missing out on. Buffalo could have to remit 25% of Dareus’ forfeiture (with a max of $200K) and 33% of Lawson’s forfeiture (with a max of $350K).
Bills Still On Hook For Marcell Dareus’ Guarantees?
Earlier today, the Bills were dealt a big blow when they learned that Marcell Dareus has been slapped with a four-game suspension by the NFL for another substance abuse policy violation. Typically, that punishment also results in players losing the rights to all previously guaranteed money under the terms of the contract. For Dareus, that won’t quite be the case. 
Dareus’ four-game suspension will cost him $1.505MM in total forfeiture (signing bonus and option bonus). His guarantee in 2016 will void, but the rest of his guarantees will not be affected because very rare language limits the voiding of guarantees to the year he commits the breach, a league source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. In short – Dareus will get banged for 2016, but the guaranteed cash he is set to receive through 2021 as a part of his six-year, $95.1MM deal will remain untouched. Given that Dareus does have some off-the-field history, one has to wonder why the Bills would consent to such an unusual clause.
In an afternoon press release, the Bills did not hide their frustrations with the star defensive tackle:
“We are very disappointed Marcell chose to put himself first, before his teammates, coaches and the rest of the organization through his recent actions. From ownership down we have made it clear his behavior is unacceptable. We will continue to take the necessary steps to work with him in order that he adheres to the policies set forth by our league. As an organization, we will move forward with our preparations for the start of the 2016 NFL season in Baltimore on September 11.”
Dareus will be forced to sit out games against the Ravens, Jets, Cardinals, and Patriots before returning to the Bills’ active roster on Monday, October 3.
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