The annual NFL Scouting Combine will be held this coming week in Indianapolis. Before all the measuring, lifting, running, and interviewing gets going, here are five thoughts on the current state of the Buffalo Bills:
- All this talk about "not drafting for need." The Bills have said it and I believe them and have even defended that philosophy. But, again, let's remember what that means. It means they won't go into the draft saying, "I must have a wide receiver, no matter what, with my first round pick!" It doesn't mean they won't grab a receiver, or offensive lineman, early-on, since those are areas of need. It's about value and need meeting. As we get closer to this draft, I think both positions are starting to show more promise with some players a little higher on the board than originally thought. The top-end of the wide receiver group is still a little lower than the offensive linemen up there, but it's not looking like nearly the reach for that spot than it did a month ago. The Combine will really highlight this.
- As I sit here now, I really believe general manager Brandon Beane would love to trade down and grab more picks, then still be able to pick a really good football player who can contribute right away. He can't drop too far from No. 9 overall to be able to do that. So how far is he willing to go down and what does he want in return? Two years ago (before Beane arrived), the Bills traded down 17 spots, and that netted them a first round pick the following year. Is it worth it to go that far down with more pressure on needing to win this year? They selected Tre'Davious White at No. 27 overall after that trade and he became and immediate starter and excellent player as a rookie. They'd probably really have to feel they could grab a similar type of contributor that late in order to do something like that this year, which is very risky. Otherwise, maybe trading down into the teens and grabbing another early-to-mid-round pick would be the better play.
- Linebacker is an under-the-radar position the Bills could target in free agency, especially on the strong side. Yes, they just re-signed Lorenzo Alexander to a one-year deal, and he'll most likely be a big part of what they do on defense again. However, he'll be 36 years old this offseason and has indicated this will be his final year in the league. Signing a younger solid SLB now allows the team to have even more options in different situations and also have Alexander's full-time replacement already on the roster.
- Anything is still possible and I wouldn't completely rule it out, but I really don't believe the Bills are going into this offseason with the intent of moving on from LeSean McCoy. I understand the many people who say he's making too much to justify the production he didn't give at his age last season. McCoy will be 31 this season, is coming off the worst statistical year of his career, and is scheduled to count for over $9 million on the team's salary cap. If this situation was playing out the exact same way in any of the previous four or five years, I'd say there's no doubt they'll move on because they would need some more cap space to make other things work. However, the Bills don't need to clear space this offseason. They have close to $80 million available. Cutting McCoy would save over $6 million against the cap for 2019, but that really wouldn't help or hurt them either way. If the right offer comes along, or the Bills feel McCoy isn't doing what's needed on his end to help get back to where they believe he can be, then they could very well move on. From where I see it, they believe he can still be a solid weapon and help their young quarterback if they improve the offensive line and other skill players around him.
- With the above said, the Bills still need to get younger overall at running back. McCoy is going to be 31. Chris Ivory will also be 31, and Marcus Murphy will be 28. Keith Ford (25) is the only running back under the age of 28 who will be on the roster next year as of right now. That needs to change by either drafting a back or identifying one who is still young enough to justify giving a multi-year contract to, has some experience, but not a ton of wear-and-tear. Most free agent running backs are a little bit older and already have mileage. Often times, you'll only sign them to two or three-year deals at the most, and of course they'll usually cost more than a drafted rookie, especially one taken in the middle to late rounds. The youngest running back in the entire league who will be an unrestricted free agent coming off an expiring contract is T.J. Yeldon of the Jaguars, who will be 26 in October. I think a player like the Falcons' Tevin Coleman would fit very well into Brian Daboll's offense. He'll also be 26 this coming season.
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