1. Two more Bills to appear on the NFL's Top 100 Players of 2020 list
On Sunday night, NFL Network premiered the first group of players on The Top 100 Players of 2020 list. Bills quarterback Josh Allen was revealed at No. 87. It's the first time Allen was voted a top player by his peers.
NFL Network will continue to release names on the list counting down to No. 1 on Wednesday night. Two more Bills will appear on the list in the coming days.
This season, The Top 100 Players of 2020 airs Sunday, July 26 – Tuesday, July 28 with three, one-hour episodes each night starting at 8:00 PM ET revealing players No. 100-11. The top 10 players on the list will be revealed in a special two-hour edition on Wednesday, July 29 at 8:00 PM ET, followed by NFL Total Access at10:00 PM ET.
Monday night will feature players No. 70 to No. 41. Players No. 40 through No. 11 will be released on Tuesday. The top 10 will be revealed on Wednesday night.
Scroll through to see photos of Buffalo's rookies arriving at One Bills Drive on Sunday, July 26, 2020. Player arrival photos are presented by Imagine Staffing.
2. NFL, NFLPA agree on COVID-19 adjustments to CBA
Early Friday evening the NFL and NFLPA struck a deal on necessary adjustments to the CBA surrounding COVID-19. The agreement to these modifications was necessary so players could report to camp on schedule. Below are the COVID-19 alterations to the CBA.
The agreed-upon deal includes an allowance for 16-man practice squads, high-risk and voluntary opt-outs of participation and the absence of a preseason for 2020, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported.
For players who opt out of participating, high-risk candidates will receive a $350,000 stipend and their contract will toll, per Pelissero. Voluntary opt-outs will receive a $150,000 salary advance and their contract will toll as well. Opt-outs are due within seven days of the deal being finalized.
According NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, training camp is set to be comprised of 20 days of a ramp-up period and a maximum of 14 padded practices.
When it comes to the revenue loss that is expected from this season, the losses will be spread over four years starting in 2021.
The salary cap will be at least $175 million in 2021, while the 2020 cap of $198.2 million remains unchanged. The two sides were able to reach an agreement after owners raised the minimum cap for 2021 from $165 million to $175 million and dropped their request for an $8 million reduction in cap for 2020, per Pelissero.
According to Rapoport, rosters must be cut to 80 players by August 16.
3. Will Devin Singletary be the Bills most improved player?
Running back Devin Singletary made quite an impact on the Bills in his rookie season. NFL Network’s Cynthia Frelund projected the most improved player for each AFC team in 2020, and Singletary made the cut for the Bills. Frelund used a 'forward-looking data model' to identify a player from each team based on performance trajectory and scheme.
Bills | RB Devin Singletary
With Frank Gore now a Jet, this is Singletary's moment to show out. His ability to break tackles and move the chains was the key to his rookie campaign, as he gained 10-plus yards on 23.3 percent of his rushes outside the tackles in 2019 (the highest rate among backs with a minimum of 60 such rushes, per Next Gen Stats). He projects to see a big jump in production, even with 2020 third-round pick Zack Moss competing for snaps.
Singletary led the league for rookie running backs averaging 5.1 yards per carry last season. Even though the RB missed three games due to injury, he still amassed 969 total yards. Due to increased opportunity this season, the future looks pretty bright for the second year running back.