1 - Chemistry between Beane and McDermott commendable
Considering they spent six seasons together in Carolina before coming to Buffalo, it shouldn't be a surprise that Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott have a healthy relationship. Nonetheless, the chemistry that Buffalo's general manager and head coach have built is commendable.
NFL Network Analyst, Mike Mayock, joined WGR 550 on Monday to discuss an array of topics pertaining to the Bills. Without being asked, Mayock mentioned the faith he has in the team's GM and HC.
"And by the way, I'm a huge believer in your head coach and the GM," said Mayock. "I think Brandon Beane and Sean are tied at the hip. I think they know what they want."
This offseason is a good opportunity for the duo's plans to come into fruition. They're heading into their first free agency and draft season together.
In late January, Beane and McDermott kicked off their offseason festivities. The two went down to Mobile, Alabama, for the Senior Bowl to meet with the nation's best four-year players. They sat side-by-side as they evaluated potential players to fill their 2018 draft class.
"Yeah, I enjoy this process. This is how you build your team. It's people capital, right?" said McDermott. "Brandon and his staff have done a phenomenal job of kind of teeing us up here and we've got a chance - began talking to a few players and getting to know them a little bit more than just what's behind the helmet. That's been enjoyable. There's a lot that goes into this process, so we've got to continue to make good, sound decisions for our organization moving forward."
In their first season in Buffalo, Beane and McDermott earned the team's first trip to the playoffs since 1999. Football may be finished until the fall, but the two will continue grooming the roster with capable players to make another push for the postseason.
"Yeah, I mean obviously things have slowed down a little bit for me going into the second season at this point," said McDermott." I love the fact that Brandon and I are aligned philosophically on how we want to build this. The great part about it is [that] we've got a group of guys that work hard, our personnel department has been out all fall season doing their due diligence putting the work in on the players that we're seeing here and also the players that aren't here to give us the best chance to continue to build this thing."
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2 - Bills given best AFC East rookie grade
The Bills received an overwhelming amount of production from their 2017 rookie class this season. The team may've finished in second place in the AFC East, but they were gifted with the best draft class in the division.
NFL.com just came out with their AFC East rookie grades. Here's how the rankings transpired between the four teams. The Bills (B) were ranked first, The Patriots (B-) were second, the Dolphins were third with a 'C,' and the Jets (C-) were ranked last.
Here's what Nick Shook of the NFL had to say about the division's most dominant draft class in 2017.
*Buffalo found a pair of immediate contributors in White and Jones, with the former playing so well that he built a strong case for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Jones showed flashes of potential while popping in and out of Buffalo's offense. Dawkins found himself in the starting lineup for much of the season, making that second-round pick worthwhile. Milano was a surprise impact player, starting at Will linebacker with solid play. *
Buffalo's rookies were able to flourish because of the playing time they received on Sundays. Bills head coach, Sean McDermott, constantly preached how invaluable that time on the field was. In total, the Bills 2017 rookie class logged 44 starts on the season. That led the other teams in the division by a wide margin.
3 - How the NYG and NYJ will impact the QB market
There are a number of teams who are in the market for a quarterback this offseason. Surely, two of New York's teams will dictate which QBs go where.
Those two teams searching for a signal-caller are the Giants and the Jets. Ralph Vacchiano of SNY was on WGR 550 to talk about the teams plans at QB.
The first team they addressed was the Giants. They have Eli Manning, a four-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl champion on their roster. At 37-years-old, is he their starter next season?
"Yes. He's been told that he's going to come back and be the starter. He thinks he's going to come back and be the starter of the Giants," said Vacchiano. "Honestly, they don't really have a better option at this point. Yeah, I would say it's probably 98-percent that he'll be the guy on opening day."
The NYG possess the number two overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. At this point it seems inevitable that Manning will be behind center next season, but will they try and find his replacement in this year's draft?
"I do," said Vacchiano. "I fully expect them to take a quarterback."
It sounds like the Giants won't make a splash in free agency, but they're in a position to take one of the top-two QBs in this year's draft.
Now we'll transition over to the Jets and discuss their QB debacle. They have a lot of money in hand and a serious need at the most important position in the game. They'll likely be in a bidding war for this offseason's most sought after signal-caller.
"I think they will make a very big play for Kirk Cousins," said Vacchiano. "The Jets are going to have, I think, over 100 million dollars in cap room. If they cut the players we're expecting them to cut. They could sign Kirk Cousins and still end up with more cap room than expect for five teams in the league."
It's going to be a tough task for the NYJ to land Kirk Cousins due to the insanely high demand for the 29-year-old. Recently, the Bills and Jets were two of seven teams listed as likely landing spots for Cousins.
If Cousins decides not to join the Jets, their QB dilemma will get much trickier. They do own the number six overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, so that's certainly a viable option. They still could attack the draft, free agency, or both, to cure their QB conundrum.
"That's where it gets a little bit dicey for them. I think that they're in a position where they would say, 'Yeah.' I mean, they know they need a quarterback," said Vacchiano. "I think they would go into the draft thinking, 'Okay, it's time to settle this question. It's time we find are franchise quarterback.' If they do lose on Cousins I think you'll see them try and sign a B-level free agent, a stop-gap guy again. Go use that six pick somehow to get a quarterback if they can."
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