Buffalo Bills Training Camp - July 16 (rookies), July 23 (veterans)

[Husko]

If Chark is getting $5m, i can only assume that some of the other names mentioned (Boyd, OBJ, MVS) will get more & the Bills can't afford that.

I really think that there's no major additions before camp starts. If Beane really doesn't like where they are then maybe we see a trade or something? Maybe a move for someone that's about to be cut?

Chark was the last currently available UFA that made any sense to me (cost + skill set) & he's now off the table.

I would consider them of a similar tier with Chark. I'd have Chark over all three, personally.

 

[Husko]

Given the current cap situation, I have always felt that a UFA was way more likely than a trade. At least when they sign a guy, they can add void years to get the contract to fit. With a trade, that is harder because they need to fit the contract under the cap BEFORE redoing the deal. That is going to be really challenging for any WR that has any sort of contract that comes with a cap hit for the Bills that is $10M+.

The Bills have about $3M in cap space today. If they are talking to a FA WR today, my guess is that they have a handshake deal that will be finalized after 6/1 when they get the Tre White cap savings.

But even then, with around $3M going to the rookies and Beane wanting $5-6M for in-season moves, they only have $4-5M in cap space for any additions whether it is at EDGE or WR. That is not a lot of space if people expect a meaningful add to the roster.

Rookies will only had a little over 1 million to the cap this year. Practice squad can take up to 2-3 million though, but I think that's factored into Beane's ~5 million in-season budget, though.

Assuming they now see LB, DE, and WR rooms as settled with these three deals, I wonder if they make a modest investment in depth CB. They can't have touched the White money yet, so even if they're at the cap now, they'll have a few million available from Tre money, even accounting for rookies, in-season, and PS.

And Claypool is maybe half a rung at best ahead of Kelvin Benjamin at this point.

He's literally at the bottom of the depth chart as far as im concerned. Training camp body.

Smoot is potentially a solid signing though. 3-4 type DE that I guess they could use in a Shaq Lawson-esque tweener role.

Deion Jones seems like another camp body - but if they need insurance for Milano it doesn't hurt to have an experienced guy in a very young room.

He's 250 pound 3-4 OLB / 4-3 DE tweener. I'm thinking of him as like the Lorenzo Alexander role. I don't think Shaq ever played standing up did he?

 

[Fezzy126]

Greg's comments on each guy, and then Claypool

 

[Rowley Birkin]

Rookies will only had a little over 1 million to the cap this year. Practice squad can take up to 2-3 million though, but I think that's factored into Beane's ~5 million in-season budget, though.

Assuming they now see LB, DE, and WR rooms as settled with these three deals, I wonder if they make a modest investment in depth CB. They can't have touched the White money yet, so even if they're at the cap now, they'll have a few million available from Tre money, even accounting for rookies, in-season, and PS.


He's 250 pound 3-4 OLB / 4-3 DE tweener. I'm thinking of him as like the Lorenzo Alexander role. I don't think Shaq ever played standing up did he?

Smoot is more like 270-280. Played DE in Jags 3-4 scheme IIRC.

I would consider them of a similar tier with Chark. I'd have Chark over all three, personally.

To my point... OBJ just got $8.25m.

 

[Dingo44]

Greg's comments on each guy, and then Claypool

What is it with Steelers receivers?

 

[Husko]

Smoot is more like 270-280. Played DE in Jags 3-4 scheme IIRC.


To my point... OBJ just got $8.25m.

As with the the Chark money, lets wait and see what the "up to" means.

They're all the same to me, bad starters but decent depth.

 

[Harry Kakalovich]

Claypool looked like pretty good his first year in the NFL. Was not aware he had fallen so far so quickly.

 

[buffa dud]

Claypool looked like pretty good his first year in the NFL. Was not aware he had fallen so far so quickly.

His career looks like an 18-wheeler that jack-knifed on the 33 during rush-hour.

I'd be surprised if he even makes the team.

 

[kirby11]

Maybe Claypool becomes the best version of himself here with the improved Bills culture and his career being close to toast now, but I doubt it.

My favorite part of his extended first down point/celebration fiasco at the end of that bonkers MIN/PIT game from a while ago was how one of Minnesota's DBs was about to block him from getting up to try and kill a few extra seconds of clock, then realized Claypool was doing the job for him and just backed away

 

[misterchainsaw]

OBJ to the Dolphins, according to ESPN (I see Rowley mentioned the money earlier, but not who he went to)

 

[Dubi Doo]

Smoot has 4 seasons in a row with 5 sacks? He probably has a solid chance of making the roster.

 

[Rowley Birkin]

So by my count they are at 89.

Im not sure if Clayton counts as an extra body all the way through, or if his exemption only comes into force when they cut down to the final 53 & PS.

Room for 1 more camp body at corner?

 

[WeDislikeEich]

Hopefully Claypool isn’t an issue in the WR room. It’s a position room in transition without true established veteran leaders right now. I just don’t want him teaching any of the yo7 get WR’s any bad habits. Hopefully the overall team culture will keep him in line and/or bring out the best in him. If not, I am sure he won’t be kept around. I trust McDermott when it comes to the culture.

It would be nice if one or both of the Claypool or Hamler gambles pay off!

 

[billsandsabres]

the second claypool messes with the vibe they'll put him on the street. it's a flier on talent. all upside. if any shades of the downside show up, he gone.

 

[Husko]

To my point... OBJ just got $8.25m.

As with the the Chark money, lets wait and see what the "up to" means.

They're all the same to me, bad starters but decent depth.

Bills totally could've afford him if they wanted to (a $3 million cap would only add $2 to our current cap since K51 of $985,000 gets replaced). I just don't think he's particularly good anymore.

 

[ValJamesDuex]

Matthew Berry’s Love/Hate post 2024 NFL Draft

Matthew Berry runs down his Love/Hate players in the aftermath of the 2024 NFL Draft based on their current fantasy value.

www.nbcsports.com

 

[SundherDome]

Smoot has 4 seasons in a row with 5 sacks? He probably has a solid chance of making the roster.

He was good for the Jags, guessing he was a Allen casualty

 

[buffalowing88]

Unrelated to the contemporary Bills, but had an interesting discussion with a guy from Buffalo this evening at my regular spot in Charlotte. He was talking about the 2020 Bills being the best team he's seen since the 1990 Bills.


Admittedly, I was a toddler when the Bills were in the Super Bowl then but looking back, it seems like there is a case to be made for the 1991 Bills and the 2021 team instead.

1991 Bills don't have Bruce, but the offense seemed to click at a higher level. They just ran into a buzzsaw in Washington (a team I will never understand).

2021 Bills obviously had some real rough patches, but I thought they peaked by the second Patriots game of the regular season and were operating from that point on as the best team in the league.

I'm not considering the AFL teams since it's a different league but I'm sure the 1964 team is worth a mention.

Do any of you have an opinion? I don't want to have to ask this in Reddit and just hear mAfIa takes.

 

[misterchainsaw]

Unrelated to the contemporary Bills, but had an interesting discussion with a guy from Buffalo this evening at my regular spot in Charlotte. He was talking about the 2020 Bills being the best team he's seen since the 1990 Bills.


Admittedly, I was a toddler when the Bills were in the Super Bowl then but looking back, it seems like there is a case to be made for the 1991 Bills and the 2021 team instead.

1991 Bills don't have Bruce, but the offense seemed to click at a higher level. They just ran into a buzzsaw in Washington (a team I will never understand).

2021 Bills obviously had some real rough patches, but I thought they peaked by the second Patriots game of the regular season and were operating from that point on as the best team in the league.

I'm not considering the AFL teams since it's a different league but I'm sure the 1964 team is worth a mention.

Do any of you have an opinion? I don't want to have to ask this in Reddit and just hear mAfIa takes.

I'm voting the '90 Bills. My memory is they were pretty much considered the best team in the NFL all season whereas Washington was clearly better in '91. It's not like the BIlls offense was a slouch in 1990 - they scored more than 20 more points than any other team, and they were 50 points better on defense than the '91 squad.

And they won the AFC Championship by 48 points. In fact if you add the playoff games they scored just as many points (slightly more, actually) as the '91 edition.

 

[Zman5778]

I'm voting the '90 Bills. My memory is they were pretty much considered the best team in the NFL all season whereas Washington was clearly better in '91. It's not like the BIlls offense was a slouch in 1990 - they scored more than 20 more points than any other team, and they were 50 points better on defense than the '91 squad.

And they won the AFC Championship by 48 points. In fact if you add the playoff games they scored just as many points (slightly more, actually) as the '91 edition.

Yeah, it's the '90 Bills. We were 7 point favorites for a reason. Similarly, the Skins in 91 were favorites for a reason. Same for the Cowboys each of the next 2.

If the 90 Bills weren't considered the best team in the NFL....they were 2nd best behind San Fran that year.

 

[misterchainsaw]

One of Buffalo or San Francisco made the Super Bowl for 7 straight years without ever actually ever meeting in it. That's kind of incredible.

 

[Selanne00008]

I'm not advocating for a big WR trade. It's most likely not happening.

However, I just want to point out that the fine folks at WGR asked Sal C about the hypothetical and trading for a guy like Deebo or Aiyuk. They asked him if the base salary that transfers to the Bills immediately after the trade needs to fit under the Bills cap BEFORE they right away restructure the deal to lower the first year initial cap hit. Sal's answer was No, they don't need to. They can basically have the restructure set and ready to go as soon as the trade is finalized. So the argument that the Bills would need to have 14+ million in free cap space to land Aiyuk (Or Deebo) before they restructure is not a hurdle to land them. They can have only say, 10 Mill, and when his 14.2 or whatever it is moves to the Bills, they can restructure at the same time, and lower it to say 7 Million and will stay cap compliant.

Now, I will say, Sal wasn't reading straight from the CBA. But he said there is leeway there from the league to make the trade and restructure Right Away.

Again, Not Advocating. Just passing along what Sal said as they don't have the room to do that, and leave room for injury replacement and the rookie deals, etc, etc.

 

[Rowley Birkin]

He was good for the Jags, guessing he was a Allen casualty

As i posted above, as far as i remember Smoot played 3-4 DE for them while Allen played 3-4 OLB/EDGE. I see Smoot playing a Shaq Lawson type role on this Bills team.

 

[Rowley Birkin]

the second claypool messes with the vibe they'll put him on the street. it's a flier on talent. all upside. if any shades of the downside show up, he gone.

I don't think Claypool is some type of locker room cancer. He's just lazy & a waste of talent.

 

[Husko]

I'm not advocating for a big WR trade. It's most likely not happening.

However, I just want to point out that the fine folks at WGR asked Sal C about the hypothetical and trading for a guy like Deebo or Aiyuk. They asked him if the base salary that transfers to the Bills immediately after the trade needs to fit under the Bills cap BEFORE they right away restructure the deal to lower the first year initial cap hit. Sal's answer was No, they don't need to. They can basically have the restructure set and ready to go as soon as the trade is finalized. So the argument that the Bills would need to have 14+ million in free cap space to land Aiyuk (Or Deebo) before they restructure is not a hurdle to land them. They can have only say, 10 Mill, and when his 14.2 or whatever it is moves to the Bills, they can restructure at the same time, and lower it to say 7 Million and will stay cap compliant.

Now, I will say, Sal wasn't reading straight from the CBA. But he said there is leeway there from the league to make the trade and restructure Right Away.

Again, Not Advocating. Just passing along what Sal said as they don't have the room to do that, and leave room for injury replacement and the rookie deals, etc, etc.

I don’t know the answer, but the cover 1 guys say the opposite is true. Sal has lost a lot of credibility the last few years, so I’m not sure he’s doing anything more than just guessing.

As i posted above, as far as i remember Smoot played 3-4 DE for them while Allen played 3-4 OLB/EDGE. I see Smoot playing a Shaq Lawson type role on this Bills team.

Obvious exact usage can vary, but they had him listed as an OLB last year.