1. ESPN's Dan Orlovsky could see Josh Allen as a top 3 AFC QB
He's poured over Josh Allen's NFL game tape time and again the past two years. He's seen the young Bills quarterback make strides in his game with each passing start.
In an appearance on 'One Bills Live' Tuesday, Orlovsky believes if Allen stays on his current upward trajectory that he could be one of the top signal callers in the conference for quite some time.
"The thing that I'm most excited about with Josh besides everyone raving about his intangibles, leadership and work ethic is he continues to get better," said Orlovsky. "He continues to grow and develop. It seems like (Brian) Daboll has a good pulse on what he is as a player. So does Josh Allen become this generation's 'Big Ben'? I don't know if he's going to be that good, but I could see because of the organization, I could see Josh Allen becoming a top three or four AFC quarterback for the next 10 years if he continues to develop, yes."
Allen raised his level of play the most in the short to intermediate passing game in 2019. His focus this year is his deep ball accuracy, consistent decision making in taking the easy completion when it's there and increasing the team's red zone touchdown production.
2. Which current BIlls player has the best shot to reach the HOF?
ESPN's Bill Barnwell put together a list of future Pro Football Hall of Fame candidates with active players. He chose one player from every NFL club. His pick for the Bills was CB Tre'Davious White. Here's why along with his current odds of White getting that gold jacket.
In the running (40% to 69%): CB Tre'Davious White. White got his just due last season and was named a first-team All-Pro while tying for the league lead in interceptions (six). The former LSU corner was already a star on the field after his 2018 campaign, but getting that first nod is usually tougher than getting invited back. Of the nine corners who have debuted since the NFL-AFL merger and made the Hall of Fame, just two had been a first-team All-Pro by their third season, which puts White in good company alongside Rod Woodson and then-corner Ronnie Lott.
Barnwell also listed LB Tremaine Edmunds as a potential candidate in his 'Work to do' category for Buffalo.
3. Beane already preparing for a different offseason in '21
The ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are already stretching into the 2021 NFL calendar year. Knowing the salary cap for 2021 has been set at $175 million it's led to a projected shortfall of $35 million in terms of what most clubs anticipated.
It's forced every NFL front office to reassess their budgeting and long-term player contracts going forward and the Bills are obviously included.
Bills GM Brandon Beane, in an appearance on Bills flagship station WGR Sportsradio 550, addressed the challenges that a sharply reduced salary cap will present.
"We have to operate that the cap with go from 198 to 175 and that's not ideal," he said. "The reality of that is you do have to make selections and choices. You're not going to be able to re-sign as many guys as maybe we earmarked before COVID hit. It is what it is, but we're going to do our best to keep as many guys as we can. That's our motto here. Draft, develop and re-sign those guys. We're going to do our best. We'll try and be creative and see how many we can retain, but any that we can't, they've earned the right to see what their value is on the open market."
Beane acknowledged that a lot of other NFL clubs that are in dire financial shape in relation to the cap will have to cut players from their roster that they normally wouldn't.
"You're going to have teams who have to shed salary just to get to 175," he said. "And there will be some teams with where they are in their build have a lot of money because they're not paying for a premium quarterback or a left tackle. There will still be some haves and have nots when next year rolls around. We're going to do our best to keep as many as we can. It does throw a bit of a wrench in our plans, but it's happening to all 32 teams, so we'll make the most of it."
