Bills Decline E.J. Manuel’s Option
The Bills declined to exercise E.J. Manuel‘s fifth-year option for the 2017 season, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. The quarterback would have been due an $11.357MM salary in 2017 if the team had pulled the trigger. 
[RELATED: 2017 Fifth-Year Option Decision Tracker]
Manuel is now slated to earn a fully-guaranteed base salary of $2.827MM salary in 2016 before hitting the open market next spring. Given that Manuel has been squeezed out of the starting lineup in favor of Tyrod Taylor, today’s news doesn’t come as much of a surprise. The Bills also added to their quarterback depth chart by selecting Ohio State’s Cardale Jones last week.
Manuel has not been the Bills’ full-time starting quarterback since Week 4 of the 2014 season. The Bills traded down from No. 8 to No. 16 in the first round of the 2013 draft to select Manuel and while he showed some promise early on, things have not panned out as the team hoped they would.
All things considered, coach Rex Ryan says that he likes Manuel as his No. 2 QB.
“I’m not done with EJ Manuel, either (as a backup to Taylor),” Ryan said in February. “I think EJ’s got the talent, the size and all that stuff. Sometimes, guys just take a little bit longer to develop, so we’ll see how that goes.”
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bills Cut Jarius Wynn, Add 14 UDFAs
The Bills have fortified their rookie class, adding to their seven-man draft class by agreeing to terms with another 14 undrafted free agents, the team announced today. Here are the 14 undrafted rookies who have agreed to sign with Buffalo:
- LB Bryson Albright (Miami OH)
- WR Davonte Allen (Marshall)
- WR Gary Chambers (Arizona State)
- LS Reid Ferguson (LSU)
- FB Glenn Gronkowski (Kansas State) ($15K signing bonus, per Ben Volin of the Boston Globe)
- C Robert Kugler (Purdue)
- G/C Jamison Lalk (Iowa State)
- DE Claudell Louis (Fresno State)
- T Marquis Lucas (West Virginia) ($10K signing bonus, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
- T Keith Lumpkin (Rutgers)
- K Marshall Morgan (Georgia)
- ILB Eric Striker (Oklahoma)
- CB Julian Whigham (Syracuse)
- DT Justin Zimmer (Ferris State)
In addition to adding over a dozen rookies to their roster, the Bills also cut ties with some veteran players, per a press release. The most notable name in the trio of players released is edge defender Jarius Wynn, who perhaps became more expandable after Buffalo used its first-round pick on outside rusher Shaq Lawson. Wynn last played in 2014, recording 17 tackles and two sacks for the Bills.
The club also cut cornerback Merrill Noel and offensive lineman Ronald Patrick.
AFC Rumors: Browns, Bills, Broncos, Pats
After selecting USC quarterback Cody Kessler with the No. 93 pick in the draft, Browns executive Sashi Brown said he doesn’t think the team needs to make a roster move involving a quarterback right away, per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link).
Cleveland’s depth chart at QB is getting crowded, with Kessler joining Robert Griffin, Josh McCown, Austin Davis, Connor Shaw, and Pat Devlin, so the team will have to make some decisions eventually, but Brown said tonight that he likes encouraging competition at the position.
The Browns’ executive VP of football operations also said after round three that the team will consider trade options at the start of day three. Cleveland currently holds the top two picks of the fourth round, and has four overall picks in the round. The team hasn’t been shy about trading down so far, and Brown is sure the team will receive calls about those fourth-rounders, as Ulrich tweets.
- The Bills are exploring finding a way to land Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook on Saturday, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, who suggests (via Twitter) that it would take “some 2017 ammo” for Buffalo to move up. The club currently doesn’t own a 2016 fourth-round pick that can be traded.
- Broncos general manager John Elway confirmed that his team is in no rush to add a fourth quarterback to a roster that features Mark Sanchez, Paxton Lynch, and Trevor Siemian, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Elway didn’t rule out adding another signal-caller, but suggested it’s not a priority for the club.
- If the Cowboys hadn’t taken Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith early in the second round, the Patriots are one team that would have had interest in nabbing him, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. New England had back-to-back picks late in round two, but traded one of them, with Smith no longer available.
Draft Rumors: Jack, Bills, Cowboys, Bears
Had the Jaguars traded down from No. 5 in the first round into the teens, they might have taken UCLA linebacker Myles Jack, according to general manager David Caldwell (Twitter link via John Oehser of Jaguars.com). The Jags stayed at fifth overall and selected Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey, and they still ended up with Jack in the second round (36th overall). Jack, who’s recovering from a knee injury, took out a pre-draft insurance policy on himself, though he won’t collect any money from it because it wasn’t scheduled to kick in until the 45th pick, reports Darren Rovell of ESPN (Twitter link via Schefter).
Here’s more of the latest from the draft:
- Bills general manager Doug Whaley contacted every team picking before Buffalo in the second round in an effort to trade up for Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland, he said (link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com). Whaley ultimately did move up and grab Ragland after sending the Bills’ second-rounder (No. 49) and a fourth-rounder in each of the next two drafts to the Bears for the 41st choice.
- Speaking of the Bears, they nearly had a deal to acquire the Cowboys’ second-rounder, No. 34 overall. Talks fell apart, though, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), and the Cowboys ended up using the pick on Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith.
- As a result of the knee injury he suffered in January, Smith took out on a $5MM insurance policy on himself before the draft and will now collect an estimated $900K in tax-free payment, tweets ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
- The Cowboys have fielded trade inquiries on veteran offensive lineman Ronald Leary, but they’re not inclined to give him away for an underwhelming return, said executive vice president Stephen Jones. The Cowboys would rather keep Leary, leave him inactive all year, and get a compensatory pick for him next year when he leaves in free agency (Twitter links via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram). Leary, a four-year veteran, signed his second-round restricted free agent tender with the Cowboys on Thursday.
Bills Acquire 41st Pick From Bears
The Bills have acquired the 41st overall pick from the Bears, Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune tweets. In exchange, the Bears will receive three picks – second- and fourth-rounders (Nos. 49 and 117) this year and a fourth in 2017 – reports Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times (on Twitter). The Bills will select Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland with the pick.
Ragland, who slipped from potential first-round status, figures to lead a Bills linebacker corps that was unspectacular last season and has since lost Nigel Bradham in free agency. He’ll join Manny Lawson, Preston Brown and offseason signing Zach Brown as prominent members of the group. Along with Clemson edge rusher Shaq Lawson, Ragland is the second significant addition to the Bills’ defense in the first two rounds of this year’s draft.
Bills Waive A.J. Tarpley, Jacob Maxwell
- Linebacker A.J. Tarpley, who announced earlier in April that he has decided to retire due to concussion concerns, was officially waived by the Bills today, along with tight end Jacob Maxwell, the team announced (via Twitter).
Teams Fear Shaq Lawson Needs Surgery
- Bills defensive end Shaq Lawson says that he doesn’t need shoulder surgery but at least six teams told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) that they believe he will need shoulder surgery at some point.
Extra Points: Broncos, Lynch, Bills, Lawson
The first round of the 2016 draft ended when the Seahawks selected offensive lineman Germain Ifedi, but there are still quite a few interesting options left on the board — which isn’t surprising given the depth of this draft class.
The most high-profile name is UCLA linebacker Myles Jack, who was projected as a top-five pick but wasn’t chosen, presumably because of health concerns. A cadre of defensive tackles, including Chris Jones, Jarran Reed, A’Shawn Robinson, Andrew Billings, Emmanuel Ogbah, and Kevin Dodd are still left, as is linebacker Reggie Ragland and cornerback Mackensie Alexander. On the offensive side of the ball, quarterback Connor Cook, running back Derrick Henry, wide receiver Sterling Shepard, tight end Hunter Henry, and offensive lineman Cody Whitehair are still available.
More from the draft, as we look forward to rounds two and three on Friday…
- The Broncos talked to every team starting with the Falcons at No. 17 about a move up to draft Paxton Lynch, John Elway tells Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com. Elway adds that Denver will continue to look at other quarterback options, and might still bring in a veteran QB.
- The Cowboys spent more time with Lynch than any other team club did, tweets Ed Werder of ESPN.com. Dallas was considering trading back up into the first round, per reports, but stopped their efforts once Lynch was drafted by Denver.
- Although a report tonight indicated that new Bills edge rusher Shaq Lawson would require shoulder surgery at some point, Lawson says that report is false, according to Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News (Twitter link). Such a procedure would reportedly force Lawson out of action for four-to-six months.
- GM Dave Gettleman said the Panthers received seven calls from teams interested in acquiring the No. 30 pick, but he was comfortable staying put and drafting defensive tackle Vernon Butler (Twitter link via Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer).
- Chargers GM Tom Telesco said his team may have the opportunity to trade down in the second round on Friday, tweets Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The team holds the fourth pick of the second round (No. 35 overall).
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Draft Rumors: Lawson, Tunsil, Cravens, Fins
New Bills edge rusher Shaq Lawson will need to undergo shoulder surgery at some point, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The operation will knock Lawson out of action for four-to-six months, so Lawson will likely wait until after the season to undergo the surgery.
More draft rumors…
- Washington is hearing interest from clubs who want to move up to No. 21, reports Mike Jones of the Washington Post (Twitter link). The club hasn’t heard yet heard an offer that will entice them to move back.
- A report earlier tonight suggested that the Cowboys could trade back into the first round while targeting a quarterback, but David Moore of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link) hears that’s unlikely. Dallas will likely stay in place at No. 34 and take a defensive player.
- Laremy Tunsil was the No. 2 player on the Dolphins‘ board, general manager Chris Grier tells Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (Twitter links). Grier also says the video that caused Tunsil to slip down the board is two years old. Meanwhile, Tunsil’s stepfather — who is currently suing the former Ole Miss tackle — has denied to TMZ that he hacked his son’s account or leaked the video.
- The Falcons drafted one safety/linebacker at No. 17 in Keanu Neal, but they apparently considered another hybrid-type player in Su’a Cravens, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
Bills Met With Taylor Decker
- Lions GM Bob Quinn and head coach Jim Caldwell went to Ohio State to work out offensive tackle Taylor Decker, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes. If Detroit goes tackle in the first round, Birkett gets the sense that Decker could be their guy. Decker says that he has also met with the Bills, Broncos, and Titans.