Sammy Watkins Might Be Out Until Regular Season
- When news of a minor foot fracture surfaced earlier this month, the expectation was that Bills receiver Sammy Watkins would be ready for training camp. Based on the words of Watkins and head coach Rex Ryan, that’s now up in the air, as Kevin Patra of NFL.com writes. “The goal is the regular season,” said Watkins, whose walking boot will come off Thursday. “All I know is that Sammy won’t miss time in the regular season,” Ryan commented.
Latest On Bills, Seantrel Henderson
JUNE 1st, 9:09am: The Bills announced that Henderson is “expected” to rejoin the team on Thursday.
MAY 31st, 5:25pm: The Bills are worried that Henderson won’t be able to play this season after undergoing a pair of surgeries, per Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). Longer term, there’s concern that Henderson’s condition will prevent him from maintaining the weight and strength necessary to last in the NFL.
MAY 30th, 2:59pm: Henderson is now cleared to practice and will be in town on Tuesday, his agent tells Dunne (Twitter link).
2:18pm: Henderson’s agent says that the Bills right tackle plans on flying into town this week and being ready for the 2016 season, Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News tweets.
While Rex Ryan apparently has not reached out to Henderson, the Bills medical staff has been in the loop, according to the tackle’s agent (link). Since leaving the team in 2015, Henderson has had two surgeries to help correct his stomach issues.
12:33pm: The football status of tackle Seantrel Henderson remains a mystery for both the Bills front office and his teammates. The team’s onetime starter has not spoken with coach Rex Ryan in quite some time and now his teammates also say that they have lost touch with him, as Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News writes. 
Henderson started all 16 games in his rookie season in Buffalo, and had started 10 games for the team in 2015 before he was sidelined with Crohn’s disease. One report in March indicated that Henderson was starting to get back to full health and was putting weight back on his 6’7″ frame. However, it’s not clear if Henderson is looking to play football in 2016 or at any point in the future.
One source indicated to Dunne that Henderson had stomach surgery “a few months ago” in relation to his Crohn’s disease. However, when asked to handicap the odds of Henderson playing for the Bills next season, one teammate responded, “Nobody knows.” Another team source questioned Henderson’s work ethic, pointing to past problems with marijuana. The Bills were able to draft Henderson in the seventh round of the 2014 draft in part because of his multiple failed drug tests at the University of Miami. He also reportedly tested positive for marijuana at the scouting combine.
With Henderson away from the team, the Bills are currently using Jordan Mills as their first-team right tackle in practice with the hope that 2014 second-rounder Cyrus Kouandjio can put it all together and win the starting job.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bills Sign Jamari Lattimore
The Bills have signed linebacker Jamari Lattimore, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com writes. Lattimore played for the Jets in 2015 after spending the previous four seasons with the Packers. 
Lattimore will likely to compete for a spot on special teams, as Rodak writes. For his career, Lattimore has appeared in 64 career games (nine starts) and has 68 tackles, two sacks, and one interception to his credit. Lattimore will need to outperform players like Eric Striker, Max Valles, and even Randell Johnson if he wants to make Buffalo’s 53-man cut, Joe Buscaglia of WKBW writes. Buscaglia seems to think that Lattimore can be used for more than special teams, though he will be hard pressed to make the roster if he cannot flash his ability in that area.
In other Bills news, tackle Seantrel Henderson has been cleared to practice and is expected to report to the team today. Henderson started all 16 games in his rookie season in Buffalo, and had started 10 games for the team in 2015 before he was sidelined with Crohn’s disease. Right now, the Bills are using Jordan Mills as their first-team right tackle in practice while hoping that that 2014 second-rounder Cyrus Kouandjio can get back to full health and win the starting job. It remains to be seen how Henderson will fit into that picture.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Opinion: Bills Aware Of Shaq Lawson Injury Before Draft
In his latest mailbag, Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News says that he’s “positive” the Bills knew of first-rounder Shaq Lawson‘s shoulder condition, which ultimately led to the rookie undergoing surgery. Buffalo management made a “pure value judgment” in selecting Lawson, writes Carucci, deciding that securing Lawson for the long haul was worth the chance of losing him for a few months. The Buffalo News scribe tackles several other reader queries, including questions on Rex Ryan‘s relationship with the front office, and whether fullback Jerome Felton could be a cap casualty.
- Earlier today, we learned that Bills right tackle Seantrel Henderson plans to report to the team tomorrow after dealing with stomach issues (and undergoing two corrective surgeries since the conclusion of the 2015 season).
Rex Ryan On Rumored Playoff Ultimatum
In January, Bills owner Terry Pegula announced that head coach Rex Ryan and general manager Doug Whaley would be returning to the team for the 2016 season. However, according to one report, Pegula also told the duo that they would be let go after the 2016 season if they were unable to guide Buffalo into the playoffs. 
Soon after, the Bills locked up both Ryan and Whaley on multi-year extensions that could keep them in Buffalo through the 2019 season. While those deals would seem to be pretty solid endorsement of both men, it’s far from a guarantee of their long-term job security. The Pegulas spent $1.4 billion to purchase the franchise in 2014, so they probably wouldn’t worry about eating a few million dollars to replace a GM and/or head coach if they felt it was necessary.
Today, Jenny Vrentas of The MMQB released a bit of material that was left on the cutting room floor of her recent interview with Rex and Rob Ryan. During their lengthy chat, Rex dismissed the notion of their being a hard and fast postseason ultimatum for 2016.
“The media looks at it [like], Well, we have to win this year,” the Bills head coach said. “Or what? Oh, I am going to be fired? I don’t think so. I’m not going to worry about it, because we are going to win anyway. But it’s like, that is an ultimatum. No.”
On a related note, Rex also indicated during the interview that the business staff Buffalo might not be big fans of his. Some speculated that he was referring to team president Russ Brandon, but Vrentas notes that the two men have a solid relationship. Instead, she believes that Ryan was “simply picking a department in the building that he doesn’t interact with on a daily basis, and making the point that they might not buy in because they don’t know him well.”
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Ryan Bros. On Bills, Saints, Pats, M. Williams
Jenny Vrentas of The MMQB.com had a rather entertaining interview with Bills head coach Rex Ryan and brother Rob Ryan, who’s in his first year as the team’s assistant head coach/defense. Their discussion is certainly worth a full read, but we’ll round up some of the highlights from the braggadocious bros.
Rex Ryan on Rob Ryan:
“Nobody grinds the way Rob does. Bill Belichick hired Rob for one reason: He knew he was a freaking great football coach, and he could grind. That’s it. If you are going to be with Bill Belichick, you better be a grinder.”
“He sleeps here half the week, in his office, in the offseason. Honest to God.”
“I brought in a real football coach. Not a 9-to-5er, a real football coach whose life and passion is the NFL. The name Ryan means something. If you are a fan of the Buffalo Bills, thank your lucky stars he is here, and myself. To me, that’s what we added to this team. When we talk about “all in,” we’re going to do everything we can in our power to help our players succeed. And that’s why we made some of the changes that we made.”
Rob Ryan on why he joined the Bills’ staff:
“I am used to picking my spots, but this time, I had one choice. When I was fired by the Saints, I came here to look at it. Rex loves this team, he brags about this team, so I wanted to be around it. After I did that, for one week, I was like, Damn, I’ve got 
to be here. I don’t care who was going to offer me a job. I wanted to be a part of this. Rex brought me in, because of nepotism … (pause) … and I’m glad he did.”
“To be the best defensive coach in football, I’ve got to learn from the best, so I came here. It’s been how many years since we’ve been together? He’s not learning anything, but I am. Look at some of his protégés. Bob Sutton is doing a fantastic job in Kansas City. Chuck Pagano was with Rex. He spun off a ton of great coaches, and it is going to be fun to be a part of that.”
Rob Ryan on his nearly three-year tenure as the Saints’ defensive coordinator:
“I need to be in a multiple system. I was hired to be in a multiple system in New Orleans, and I did a damn good job and got fired for it.”
“I have coordinated in college and in the pros. And the biggest history of improvement ever in the league, I coordinated that defense [the 2013 Saints]. The defenses I have taken over were ranked, like, 31st. Oh, “my numbers aren’t too good.” You take over the 31st group and see how you do. And you’re given about two years to do it. There are two years that don’t have my signature on them, and it’s the last two years in New Orleans. And that’s just the truth.”
[Note: Saints head coach Sean Payton responded by shooting down the notion that the team’s defense didn’t have Ryan’s fingerprints on it.]
“All of a sudden, we let some good players go; we changed the system after we finished fourth in the league in defense.”
“The biggest mistake I think I made in New Orleans was sitting on my hands and collecting a paycheck, instead of going in, knowing it was wrong and fixing it. When we wanted to change the philosophy of the defense, I should have.”
“They signed players; they signed a free-agent free safety [Jairus Byrd in 2014], and said, we are going to keep him in the middle of the field like the goalpost. Well, that’s great. He’s not going to make one play back there, and now we have changed the entire defense for one signing, and it ruined us. He’s a great kid. But the truth of the matter is, you let an All-Pro safety walk, Malcolm Jenkins, and lost your two best leaders on the team, him and Roman Harper. We changed the entire style of play. It was strange. But hey, I did the best job I could. And it wasn’t good enough. They should have fired me. They probably should have fired everybody that made that decision to go in that direction. Now I’m going to move my whole family over here to Buffalo for a reason: to go kick everybody’s ass, including theirs.”
“But at the end of the day, the last two years in New Orleans were a waste of time for me.”
Rex Ryan on the Bills’ 2015 defense, which dropped to 19th from fourth under Jim Schwartz the previous season, and whether a rebound is on the way:
“I screwed up, and that’s totally on me. So if people lost a little faith in it, or whatever, I can understand. I should be doubted, because I made a mistake in judgment. But just go back and look at the history. You are going to get the real deal this year, and we’ll see how it goes. I know how it has gone my whole career.”
“This was the first time in my life I have ever come into a situation where the defense got worse. And so that was odd. That was different. No excuses. But I’ll stand by my record; I’ll stand by everything I have ever done in this league statistically. Put the numbers up. Do you want to look at one year, or a 15-year window? I specifically said I probably shouldn’t have tried to combine systems last year. I should have just gone for it, this is it, blunt-force trauma, and bring in some players that knew the system and can help run it.”
Rex Ryan on defensive end Mario Williams, who was unhappy in Ryan’s scheme last season and got his release in March:
“Now look, with some of the comments [he made], do I wish him well? Not really. But, he’s on Miami. If he would have gone somewhere else, maybe. He’s a good kid, but I am used to some mean motherf—ers that play out there. The Terrell Suggs, Jarrett Johnsons of the world. I screwed them, too; I had them drop [into coverage], too. Not one of them bitched. Von Miller [dropped into coverage] in the Super Bowl. Why? Because that’s what’s asked of him; that’s what his job is. Your job is to play. Coaches spend a hell of a lot more time studying tape and everything else. They are trying to put the team in the best position to be successful, not an individual.”
Rob Ryan on the AFC East rival Patriots:
“But I know one thing, we are going to beat them. We are together, we’re going to beat the best. It’s two against one. [Belichick] one on one against any coach in the league, that guy is pretty damn good. And he’s also got his best buddy Tom Brady with him. He trained him, and he single-handedly made him great as well.”
“Bring Belichick on. We got him.”
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Rex Ryan On Seantrel Henderson
- It’s not clear whether right tackle Seantrel Henderson will be a part of the Bills‘ plans in 2016 and coach Rex Ryan admits that he hasn’t spoken to him in some time. “I have no update for you guys on that. So that is a medical thing,” Ryan said (link via Joe Buscaglia of WKBW) “I really have no update. I haven’t seen Seantrel in quite a while.” A seventh-round pick in 2014, Henderson started all 16 games in his rookie season in Buffalo, and had started 10 games for the team in 2015 before he was sidelined with Crohn’s disease.
Bills Notes: Watkins, Barnes, Free Agents
News hasn’t been very positive in Buffalo this offseason, as the injury bug has hit hard. Bills first-round pick Shaq Lawson could miss a third of the regular season after undergoing shoulder surgery, while receiver Sammy Watkins will be out until training camp with a foot fracture. The Bills had been counting on both players for contributions, so the club will need both to approach full health at some point during the season if they have any hope of toppling the Patriots in the AFC East.
Here’s the latest out of Buffalo…
- Bills general manager Doug Whaley doesn’t anticipate Watkins missing any time in the regular season, Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News tweets. Earlier this month, Watkins suffered a broken small bone in his foot and had a screw inserted to hold things in place. Last season, Watkins was sidelined for three games but hauled in 60 passes for 1,047 yards and nine touchdowns. Of course, Whaley also insisted that first round Lawson would not have to undergo shoulder surgery, and the Clemson product went under the knife soon after the draft.
- Buffalo could conceivably target any number of veteran free agents to replace the production that might be lost due to Lawson and Watkins’ absences, but Whaley said the club hasn’t yet made contact with any street free agents left on the board. “We want to see what we have and the development of the guys on the roster in the OTAs,” said Whaley, according to Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com. “[Veterans] we look at as consummate professionals. They’re always going to be in shape and if the time comes where we think the guys aren’t progressing like we need them to that’s when you look at a guy like Anquan Boldin or a Dwight Freeney, but right now we want to develop some young guys with an eye on the future saying those guys are out there if for needs sake we need to pick them up.” Whaley added that the Bills would “keep [their] options open” and would “never say never.”
- Nose tackle T.J. Barnes is worked at left tackle today for the Bills, according to Joe Buscaglia of WKBW (Twitter link). Buffalo plucked Barnes — who has no offensive line experience either in the NFL or at Georgia Tech — off of the Jets’ taxi squad in December of 2015.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Bills Sign Reggie Ragland
- The Bills have signed second-round linebacker Reggie Ragland, according to his agents at Vanguard Sports (on Twitter). Ragland was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year after recording 97 tackles, 6.5 tackles for a loss, and six pass breakups. GM Doug Whaley has said that he expects to see Ragland in the starting lineup to begin the 2016 season.
Buscaglia: Bills Could Pursue Brian Hartline
- The Bills could be a suitor for the recently-released Brian Hartline, opines Joe Buscaglia of WKBW (Twitter link). Hartline was cut loose by Cleveland on Monday in an effort to save roughly $3MM against the 2016 cap. Buffalo is in need of wide receiver depth, and recently met with free agent pass-catcher Andre Roberts. Hartline might come with an even more affordable price tag than Roberts, and would presumably act as the Bills’ No. 3 behind Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods.