Bills Rumors: Ryan, Taylor, Manuel, Harvin
In 2015, the Bills played the majority of their snaps in a traditional 4-3 scheme, but this year, coach Rex Ryan promises “multiple” defensive fronts (Twitter link via Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News).
What other changes are in store for Buffalo in 2016? Let’s find out:
- Ryan said that the “entire organization believes in Tyrod Taylor, there’s no doubt,” (link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com). However, he says that any extension would need to be in best interest of both parties. “Right now it’s probably hard to bring those two things together with our cap situation,” he adds.
- This week, Taylor’s agent opened up to Carucci about the ongoing contract talks and noted that the league’s “31 other teams” have been paying close attention to the quarterback. When asked about the agent’s comments, Ryan replied, “The agent’s probably the most disappointed, but there’s a football team to run,” Carucci tweets.
- Ryan said that he’s not sure that the Bills “have to” take a quarterback in the draft (link via Carucci). He opined that E.J. Manuel is “a solid No. 2 quarterback.”
- Ryan said that he would “love” to have Percy Harvin back and the team would welcome him back “with open arms,” (link via Carucci). On Monday, GM Doug Whaley said that Harvin was still deciding between playing and retiring, though he “heard” that the wide receiver was leaning towards playing.
- Ryan said Seantrel Henderson‘s health is getting better and his weight is coming back (link via Rodak). The right tackle finished last season on the non-football illness list after reportedly being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease.
- Ryan feels that new Bills assistant Ed Reed could become a head coach in five years (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of USA Today).
Bills Rumors: Taylor, Harvin, Boldin
Here’s a quick look at the Bills:
- Bills GM Doug Whaley says there is “work to do” after the team’s initial contract talks with Tyrod Taylor, but the gap between the two parties is “not insurmountable,” according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Taylor, 26, initially signed a three-year contract last winter with the Bills, but the third year of that pact was voided after he spent most of the 2015 season as the team’s starting QB. Now, he’s entering his contract year. Starting for the first time in his career, Taylor threw for 3,035 yards and 20 touchdowns in 14 games in 2015, completing 63.7% of his passes and tossing just six interceptions. He also rushed for 568 yards and four TDs.
- Bills free agent wide receiver Percy Harvin is expected to make a decision on his future soon, Rodak writes. Harvin, who played five games for Buffalo in 2015 before injuries ended his season, is still considering retirement. “Last thing I heard was [Bills contract negotiator] Jim Overdorf talked to his agent and hopefully he’s gonna make a decision the next week or two of if he’s gonna play, and if he’s gonna play, if he’s coming back to us,” Whaley said. “We’ll hopefully know in the next week or two.” Still, Whaley has “heard” that Harvin is leaning towards playing in 2016.
- Whaley says “it would be tough, for what we have” to sign a veteran wide receiver like Anquan Boldin, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets. However, he added that he would “never say never.” Boldin has previously said that he would like to continue his career with a title contender. While Boldin hauled in a respectable 69 catches with San Francisco in 2015-16, it was for the second-lowest yardage total of his career (789).
- Whaley said the Bills do not need to restructure any other contracts, as Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News tweets.
Bills Notes: Charles, Hogan, Taylor, Gilmore
The Bills came into the 2016 offseason as one of the NFL’s most cap-strapped teams, and while the team was able to retain its top two free agents – offensive linemen Cordy Glenn and Richie Incognito – that lack of cap flexibility resulted in some key losses.
In speaking to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press about defensive lineman Stefan Charles and to Tom Curran of CSNNE.com about wide receiver Chris Hogan, Buffalo general manager Doug Whaley repeated a similar refrain, suggesting that the Bills “can’t pay everybody.” The team non-tendered Charles, who was eligible for restricted free agency, allowing him to sign with the Lions as an unrestricted free agent. As for Hogan, he got an RFA tender from Buffalo, but it was a low-end tender, allowing the Patriots to sign him to an offer sheet that Whaley and the Bills couldn’t match.
“It was (difficult to let him go),” the Bills GM said of Hogan. “He’s done a great job, not only on the field as a third and fourth wide receiver (and) special teams, (but also) what he’s brought to the community. He’s a great asset to the Patriots. We’re sorry we’re gonna lose him. And add the fact that we’re gonna have to deal with him with the other end of that being (Tom) Brady, it’s a tough matchup because he’s a talented person.”
- It appears increasingly likely that Tyrod Taylor will enter the 2016 season without a contract extension in hand, says Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News. According to one of Carucci’s sources, there has been little – if any – progress in contract talks between the Bills and their starting quarterback. The team is more focused on locking up cornerback Stephon Gilmore before the start of the 2016 campaign.
No Headway Yet For Bills On Stephon Gilmore Extension
- The Bills and cornerback Stephon Gilmore have yet to make headway on a long-term contract extension, and it doesn’t appear that the team is in a rush to get something done, says Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News. Although the Bills would like to lock up their top cornerback, it sounds like an issue the club may address sometime after the draft, rather than in the immediate future.
Bills Sign Jim Dray
SATURDAY, 8:52am: Dray’s deal with the Bills is for one year and $760K (minimum salary), reports ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak (via Twitter). The reporter was uncertain of any bonuses, but he notes that Dray is likely eligible for the veteran minimum cap benefits.
WEDNESDAY, 2:31pm: The Bills have signed free agent tight end Jim Dray, according to Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com (on Twitter). Dray visited the team on Wednesday and it didn’t take long for the two sides to reach agreement on a deal. Specific terms of the pact are not yet known.
Dray, who is primarily a blocking tight end, apparently made a good impression on the Bills with his performance for the Browns last season. Cleveland, however, did not feel that he was worth the price tag, and instead opted to cut him in February.
Dray was the Browns’ second tight end behind Gary Barnidge during the 2015 season. While Barnidge flourished, enjoying a career year and earning a contract extension, Dray earned only 16 targets all season. He caught six of them, for 61 yards. Dray was heading into a contract year, so the Browns only had to carry minimal dead money ($300K) on their cap while saving $1.775MM.
Robert Blanton Contract Details
- Robert Blanton, S (Bills): One year, minimum salary benefit. $80K signing bonus (Twitter link via Pelissero).
Bills Sign Robert Blanton
After hosting free agent safety Robert Blanton for a visit today, the Bills didn’t let him leave without a new deal. According to agent Jason Bernstein (via Twitter), Blanton signed a contract with Buffalo.
Blanton, a fifth-round pick in the 2012 draft, spent the first four years of his NFL career with the Vikings. Although he primarily served as a special-teamer and the first safety off the bench during his time in Minnesota, Blanton did start 13 games in 2014, racking up 105 tackles, an interception, and a fumble recovery.
For the Bills, Blanton projects as the third safety on the depth chart, replacing Bacarri Rambo, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets. Rodak notes that the signing probably isn’t great news for players like Duke Williams or Jonathan Meeks, who may find themselves on the roster bubble in Buffalo.
Financial terms of the deal aren’t yet known, but it’s a one-year pact, per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
DB Robert Blanton Visiting Bills
- Free agent safety Robert Blanton is paying a visit to the Bills on Friday, marking the first time this month that Buffalo has hosted a defensive free agent, the team announced in a press release. Although Blanton made 13 starts for the Vikings in 2014, he has primarily been a special-teamer and a part-time defensive player during his four NFL seasons.
Bills GM Doug Whaley Watched Stanford QB Kevin Hogan
- Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan threw the ball well at his school’s pro day and his delivery was said to be more compact than it has been in the past. The Bills, who are known to like Hogan, had GM Doug Whaley and others on hand.
[SOURCE LINK]
Bills’ Kyle Williams Takes Pay Cut
The Bills have reworked another contract, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com, who writes that defensive tackle Kyle Williams is the latest Buffalo player to have adjustments made to his deal for the 2016 season.
[RELATED: Bills rework Dan Carpenter’s contract]
Per Rodak, NFLPA records show that Williams’ $6MM base salary for the 2016 season has been sliced to $4.25MM. The move has apparently created $1.75MM in cap room for the team, reducing the 32-year-old’s cap charge from $8MM to $6.25MM.
Typically, when a player takes that sort of pay cut, he gets some sort of bonus or incentive added to his contract to help make up for the lost salary, potentially giving him a chance to earn it back. However, Rodak suggests that the records don’t indicate Williams’ restructure includes anything besides the pay cut.
Williams had been owed a $500K roster bonus earlier this week, so it’s possible that the Bills agreed to pay out that bonus if the veteran defensive lineman agreed to reduce his pay. This is just my speculation, but Buffalo could have created $5MM in cap room by releasing Williams, so perhaps the team used that scenario as leverage to encourage a restructure.
Williams remains under contract with the Bills for two more years, with a cap hit of $8.3MM and a base salary of $6.3MM for 2017.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.