An assessment of how Buffalo can improve in the off-season.
By Rich Kowalski / billswire.usatoday.com
When head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane took the reins of the Buffalo Bills this past offseason, Rex Ryan might as well have left them with a rusty box full of chicken wing bones and crushed cans of Natty Ice, neither of which appeal to McDermott and Beane.
McDermott and Beane like grit, not janky, so they’ve been changing that over the last eleven months. Beane came in like a wrecking ball and shipped off recent major draft picks such as wide receiver Sammy Watkins, defensive lineman Marcell Dareus, and cornerback Ronald Darby.
Needless to say, the image of the Bills has drastically changed and is still changing. The product on the field might as well have a buffering icon over it because it’s not even close to complete.
This offseason, Buffalo has the opportunity to unload a majority of the players that were mostly seen as placeholders for younger players. The team also has the opportunity to lock up some of their young talents that could serve as crucial players for the blue and red moving forward.
Let’s dive into a lousy version of the 1982 smash hit by The Clash, “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?”
CB E.J. Gaines – Stay
E.J. Gaines has surprised most this season by slotting into the Bills’ secondary like a carefully selected puzzle piece.
After being acquired from the Los Angeles Rams in the Sammy Watkins trade this past summer, he’s proven he fits into McDermott’s plans.
Gaines nabbed an interception this season and has been a crucial part of Buffalo’s seemingly thrown-together secondary. The Bills would be wise to lock up Gaines for another couple of years.
WR Jordan Matthews – Go
Another player acquired in a summer trade, Jordan Matthews hasn’t fared as well as his defensive counterpart.
Matthews was placed on the injured reserve in December and couldn’t produce when healthy. He finished with 282 yards and one touchdown in 10 games, 522 yards shy of his prior career low.
With the addition of Kelvin Benjamin around Halloween, Buffalo doesn’t have a major role for Matthews in their offensive game plan and should let him walk.
LB Preston Brown – Stay
2017 has been a fantastic year for Preston Brown. He currently has the 2nd most tackles in the NFL and has been a major leader on the Bills’ defense.
The 2017 season has been an eventful one for Brown, as he was actually in jeopardy of losing his starting job in training camp. Nothing jumped off of the stat sheet and it was fair to assume that Sean McDermott wanted a specific type of middle linebacker running his defense. He even lauded second-year linebacker Reggie Ragland, comparing him to Luke Kuechly at one point, but Buffalo eventually traded Ragland to Kansas City.
When Ragland was traded, something seemed to click with Brown. He’s been confident, quick, and tenacious on the field since and has become a major asset to the Bills. McDermott and Beane would be wise to lock up Brown and have him lead their defense for another five seasons or so.
CB Shareece Wright – Go
Shareece Wright slid not only onto the local scene but the national scene early after signing in Buffalo. The Bills would have hoped it was for his play on the field but it ended up being an eight-hour Uber ride from Chicago to Buffalo that got attention.
On the field, Wright should have used an Uber to get where he was going, because he looked lost at times. When injuries marred the Buffalo secondary, Wright was plugged in and his performance showed how much he didn’t fit the Bills’ scheme.
After Week 17, Buffalo should buy Wright an Uber gift card to take him out of town and to another NFL roster.
Others:
Travaris Cadet – Stay
Mike Tolbert – Go
Kyle Williams – Stay (should he decide to play another year)
Ramon Humber – Go
Deonte Thompson – Stay
Brandon Tate – Go