Bills, Taylor Making Progress On New Deal
The Bills continue to make headway on a new deal with quarterback Tyrod Taylor, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. However, there are still issues being worked out with regards to the backend of the deal. 
[RELATED: Bills’ Shaq Lawson To Return In October]
As reported earlier this month, the two sides are discussing a “bridge” deal that would keep Taylor in Buffalo for two years beyond his current pact, which is set to expire at the end of the year. Right now, the Bills are discussing an extension that would tack $35MM to Taylor’s contract, keeping him in place through the 2018 season.
Because Taylor does not have a long history of success, these are unique negotiations and, fittingly, the terms being discussed are also unique. Taylor is a rare and valuable commodity as a qualified young starting quarterback, but the Bills are understandably wary of making a massive long-term commitment to him. After all, when Taylor arrived in Buffalo, he had only 35 regular season passes to his credit as Joe Flacco‘s understudy.
Starting for the first time in his career, Taylor proved himself to be a dynamic playmaker last year, throwing for 3,035 yards and 20 touchdowns in 14 games, completing 63.7% of his passes and tossing just six interceptions. He also provided plenty of value with his legs, rushing for 568 yards and four TDs.
If Taylor and the Bills are able to come to an agreement on a two-year extension, the Bills will keep their long-term options open while Taylor will get another crack at a massive payday while he is on the right side of 30. The quarterback celebrated his 27th birthday just last week.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bills’ Shaq Lawson To Return In October
The Bills will be without their second-round pick this year, but their first-round choice will take the field this season. Linebacker Shaq Lawson is expected back between Weeks 6 and 8, source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). That timeline means that Lawson is likely ticketed for the PUP list. 
[RELATED: Bills Rookie Reggie Ragland Likely Headed To IR]
Initially, it was expected that Lawson would miss 4-5 games, but he’ll need some additional time to recover from shoulder surgery. Buffalo took Lawson with the No. 19 overall pick in this year’s draft while many other teams were said to have moved him down their boards due to his ailment. The Bills knew the risk in taking the Clemson product, but they still felt that his upside made it all worthwhile. Sometime in October, the Clemson product will set out to show that GM Doug Whaley made the right call in selecting him.
When healthy, Lawson has been a terror – whether in a relief role or during his lone year as a starter. Through his first two seasons, he recorded 79 tackles (47 solos), an impressive figure for relief duties. However, he delivered 23 of those tackles for losses and brought down eleven other opponents for no gains on running plays. He also registered twenty-one third-down stops from 2013- 14 and recorded five touchdown-saving tackles. Opposing runners were limited to minus 40 yards on 56 running plays directed at the defender. Only four of 32 passes targeted into his area were completed (12.5%), as nine of his twenty quarterback pressures came on third down snaps during his freshman and sophomore campaigns, with three of those hurries causing interceptions, two causing fumbles and another leading to a sack.
Replacing an All-American like Vic Beasley was a tall task for any young player and while Beasley is well remembered by Tigers fans, Lawson helped them move on quickly with his remarkable success attacking the pocket during his junior season. Throughout the 2015 regular season schedule, he was dominant.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Latest On Cordy Glenn's Injury
- Bills left tackle Cordy Glenn suffered a high-ankle sprain, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The good news is that it doesn’t sound like there is structural damage, but Glenn will likely be out for the preseason as the team monitors his injury. Any missed time during the regular season would surely sting for Buffalo, considering Glenn’s importance to the offensive line. This offseason, the Bills used the franchise tender on Glenn before signing him to a five-year, , $65MM deal with $26.5MM fully guaranteed at signing. The 26-year-old Glenn (27 in September) has been a quiet stalwart in Buffalo the past few seasons and has started 61 games since being selected in the second round in 2012. Glenn rated as Pro Football Focus‘ No. 10 overall tackle and fifth-best left-edge protector last season, and was considered one of the top priorities for the Bills heading into free agency.
Reggie Ragland Partially Tears ACL
An initial MRI on Bills rookie linebacker Reggie Ragland‘s knee revealed a partially torn ACL, reports ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). The team is “confident” that the ACL isn’t 
completely torn. Schefter adds that the team will get a second opinion on Monday, and the team will then determine how much time Ragland will miss.
The former Alabama standout was selected by the Bills in the second round of this year’s draft. The organization actually traded up for the talented linebacker, dealing a second-rounder (49th overall), fourth-rounder (117th overall), and a future fourth-rounder for the 41st-overall pick. Between the 2014 and 2015 season, Ragland compiled 195 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, and four sacks. As a result of this production, Roster Resource listed the rookie as one of the Bills’ starting linebackers.
The Bills have seemingly been preparing for Ragland to miss some time. Earlier today, the team announced the signing of linebackers David Hawthorne and Brandon Spikes.
Bills Sign Jimmay Mundine, Waive Javier Arenas
- In addition to veteran linebackers Brandon Spikes and David Hawthorne, the Bills have signed tight end Jimmay Mundine, the club announced. Mundine, a Kansas product, was originally signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent last summer, but was waived at final cutdowns. To make room for their three new additions, Buffalo cut veteran return man/cornerback Javier Arenas and wide receiver Gary Chambers, and waived/injured linebacker Kevin Reddick.
Bills Sign David Hawthorne
Shortly after agreeing to terms with Brandon Spikes, the Bills have signed another linebacker, as they’ve reached a deal with David Hawthorne, the club announced.
[RELATED: Bills, Tyrod Taylor discussing two-year deal]
As noted when Buffalo inked Spikes, the Bills are clearly concerned about the status of rookie linebacker Reggie Ragland, who suffered a knee injury last week. The club is reportedly hopeful that Ragland avoided any ligament damage, but Buffalo had planned to press forward and work out veteran linebackers. And while Joe Buscaglia of WKBW (Twitter link) says that the dual signings don’t necessarily mean that Ragland will be shelved for a significant amount of time, Garafolo (Twitter link) reports that the Bills are worried enough about Ragland to secure several contingency plans.
Hawthorne, 31, is just that (a contingency option), as the Bills are likely hoping that they won’t have to count on the former Saint/Seahawk during the regular season. But if they do, they’ll turn to a veteran who has a hefty amount of experience, as Hawthorne has appeared in 111 games (83 starts) during his 11-year career. In 2015, however, Hawthorne was shifted to the weak side in favor of rookie Stephone Anthony, but was then benched, declared inactive, and ultimately released after an unproductive season.
Hawthorne played under Rob Ryan — who is now an assistant head coach with the Bills — during the past three seasons in New Orleans. Rob and Rex Ryan don’t play the exact same scheme, but the fronts are similar enough that Hawthorne should feel comfortable adapting in his new role.
Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link) first reported the signing. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bills Sign Brandon Spikes
The Bills have officially reached an agreement with free agent linebacker Brandon Spikes on a one-year deal. Spikes was out of the NFL last season, but spent the 2014 campaign with Buffalo.
[RELATED: Bills sign Reggie Bush]
Spikes, 28, drew the interest of another AFC East last week, as he worked out for the Dolphins before Miami signed fellow linebacker Danny Lansanah instead. Though he didn’t appear in an NFL game in 2015, Spikes did agree to a one-year deal with the Patriots last summer, but was released following his involvement in a hit-and-run. Spikes was sentenced to one-year probation and was handed a four-game suspension by the league, but he was able to serve that ban while a free agent last year.
Buffalo’s addition of Spikes casts doubt on the status of rookie linebacker Reggie Ragland, whom the Bills are “definitely concerned” about after he suffered a knee injury — but likely avoided ligament damage — on Friday. As the club’s depth chart indicates, Buffalo is rather thin behind their top three ‘backers, so Spikes can act as depth (at the very least) while Ragland recovers.
Spikes is mostly viewed as a two-down linebacker that struggles in pass coverage, meaning he’ll likely be taken off the field in sub packages. However, on an admittedly small sample of passing downs, the advanced metrics from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) were actually kind to Spikes’ pass-coverage abilities in 2014, as he ranked fourth-best at his position in yards per coverage snap and coverage snaps per reception. Overall, he graded as PFF’s 13th-best inside linebacker in the league in 2014 thanks to his run-stopping ability. Spikes finished ninth against the run at his position in 2014 and ranked No. 1 against the run in both 2012 and 2013.
Spikes’ agent David Canter first announced the deal on Twitter. Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link) reported the length. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Ryan Concerned About Ragland's Knee
- The Bills will work out free agent linebackers on Sunday after Rex Ryan backtracked on his statement saying Reggie Ragland likely avoided ligament damage after suffering a knee injury Friday, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com reports. Ryan said the team is “definitely concerned” about Ragland’s knee, via Joe Buscaglia of WKBW (on Twitter). Buffalo’s second-round pick sustained the injury in a non-contact situation. The team is already expected to be without first-round pick Shaq Lawson for multiple games.
Bills Sign Reggie Bush
SATURDAY, 9:45am: According to ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak (on Twitter), Bush’s one-year deal includes a $1MM base salary, a $375K signing bonus, and a $125K roster bonus. Overall, the veteran’s salary cap number will be worth $1.5MM.
MONDAY, 3:43pm: The Bills have officially signed running back Reggie Bush. The pact is a one-year deal laden with incentives, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The deal should be worth up to $3MM, Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News tweets.
[RELATED: Q&A With Bills Beat Writer Vic Carucci]
The Bills are in need of depth behind starter LeSean McCoy after Karlos Williams was hit with a four-game suspension for a violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. Fifth-round pick Jonathan Williams is also likely to be hit with a suspension after a DUI arrest. Bills coaches view Bush as an experienced vet with a similar running style to McCoy, which should allow him to hit the ground running in Buffalo.
Bush announced in February that he was intent on playing in 2016, though it was unclear at the time whether that feeling was being reciprocated back from any of the league’s 32 teams. Now, he has found his new NFL home.
Last year, Bush signed with the 49ers, but he played just five games before tearing his left ACL on the concrete at the Edwards Jones Dome in St. Louis. After finishing the year with a grand total of 28 yards, Bush says he has recovered from his injury and is ready for action.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bills, Tyrod Taylor Discussing Two-Year Deal
The Bills and contract-year quarterback Tyrod Taylor are currently discussing a two-year deal in the $30MM range, according to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora (Twitter link). While that would represent a significant raise for Taylor, who inked a much more modest pact with the Bills last year in free agency and is slated to earn $3.1MM this season, he’d still be fairly low on the earnings pecking order at his position. At $15MM per year, Taylor would fall between the Jets’ Ryan Fitzpatrick ($12MM) and underpaid Bengals signal-caller Andy Dalton ($16MM).
Taylor, who entered the NFL as Baltimore’s sixth-rounder in 2011 and backed up Joe Flacco for four years, won the No. 1 job in Buffalo last summer and carried his success into the regular season. Although the Bills posted a mediocre 8-8 record last season, Taylor gave the franchise its best performance under center in several years. The 6-foot-1, 215-pounder emerged as a high-end dual threat during his 14 starts, finishing top seven among QBs in yards per attempt (7.99) and passer rating (99.4) in 2015. He also completed 63.7 of his throws and accounted for 24 touchdowns (20 passing, four rushing) against a paltry six interceptions. Further, Taylor led all QBs in yards per carry (5.5) and trailed only MVP Cam Newton in rushing yards (568).
While Taylor was clearly above average last season, the ex-Virginia Tech star’s lack of a track record has the Bills wary of committing major money to him over the long haul. A two-year bridge deal worth middle-of-the-pack cash would therefore seem to be a solid solution for them, and it would pad Taylor’s bank account and give him a chance to earn a bigger contract shortly. Still, it wouldn’t be ideal for Taylor, who the Buffalo News’ Vic Carucci wrote last week could be in line for an accord similar to the one the Texans awarded Brock Osweiler in free agency. Osweiler wasn’t as effective as Taylor last season despite playing for the Super Bowl-winning Broncos, but he nonetheless received a four-year, $72MM pact with $37MM in guarantees from the Texans.
Notably, Taylor turned down the Broncos in free agency before signing with Buffalo last winter. That proved to be a sound decision from a playing time standpoint in 2015, and Taylor could now parlay his first season as a starter into a much more respectable contract than the one he inked less than a year and a half ago.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.