By Nick Wojton / Billswire.usatoday.com
The Buffalo Bills 2018 campaign is almost over. With the calendar now on Christmas Day 2K18, we’ve only got a few days left until the team wraps up their season.
From there, Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott have plenty of decision to make in regard to their current 53-man roster.
Many anticipate the Bills (5-10) will make plenty of addition this offseason. But in order to add, you must subtract. But you can’t subtract everyone.
So tis’ the season for a Bills naughty and nice list for the upcoming offseason:
Quarterback
Nice list
– Josh Allen: The future franchise QB? We don’t nearly know enough yet but he’s flashed.
– Matt Barkley: The phrase “nobody’s in town is as popular as the backup quarterback” applies so literally to Barkley that he landed a two-year contract extension this past week.
– Derek Anderson: Sean McDermott likes having Anderson around Allen. Plus he’s been burned a few times for not having three QBs already in his coaching career, so one can see Anderson back for another year.
Naughty list
– N/A
Running back
Nice list
– Keith Ford: The undrafted rookie has worked with the same poor offensive line the rest of this group has run behind. He hasn’t blown you away, but showed enough potential to bring back to camp.
– Chris Ivory: Ivory’s had a few flashes like Ford, but he hasn’t stayed healthy this year, appearing in only 12 games. He’s average a meh 3.4 yards per carry, but is worth keeping around as a veteran influence.
– Patrick DiMarco: Mostly a special teams player, McDermott points to DiMarco as a locker room leader.
Naughty list
– Marcus Murphy: At one point early this season it looked like Murphy could be the No. 2 back. The problem is how much of a liability Murphy is as a blocker in the pass game. Murphy does average 4.8 yards per carry, but he’ll be 28 next season and the Bills could add a younger option who’s a better special teams contributor.
– LeSean McCoy: McCoy will be 31 next year and fresh off his worst season as a pro. He’s average 3.2 yards per carry and Allen, not McCoy, will finish as the team’s leading rusher. His off-field issues haven’t even disappeared yet, either. Might be time for some fresh blood.
– RB Taiwan Jones: The special teams contributor is one of Danny Crossman’s guys and the coordinator should be gone this offseason. Jones will be a free agent as well.
Wide receiver
Nice list
Victor Bolden Jr.: Why not? He’s only had three punt returns during his one game, one of which was pretty good. Jury is still out on Bolden. At minimum, he’s stuck it out more than Anquan Boldin.
Isaiah McKenzie: The Bills need to make some big additions to their wide receiver room. McKenzie isn’t a No. 1 and he hasn’t blown anyone away as a return yet. In fact, he’s looked bad there at times. But he’s earn a look at the No. 4 wide spot, at minimum.
Robert Foster: On the entire 53-man roster, Foster might be No. 1 on the nice list. If Foster has 40 more yards than Zay Jones in the team’s season finale next year, he finished the year as the team’s leading receiver. Currently has 520 yards to Jones’ 559.
Zay Jones: Jones has had an up-and-down 2018. Still, that’s better than a down-and-down year which is what he had his rookie year. With a true No.1 around, it’ll take pressure of him.
Deonte Thompson: Like Anderson, McDermott presses Thompson’s importance comes as a veteran presence in the group. If the Bills address their No. 1 need via the draft, Thompson as a vet will be all the more important.
Naughty list
Ray-Ray McCloud III: Just about the only thing the touted special teams producer in college is remembered for this year is a fumble. Even with the team’s “youth movement,” McCloud’s still not seeing the field.
Da’Mari Scott: Another why not? And another special teams player. He’s a rookie so Scott can be a camp invite in 2019, but it’s tough to imagine his roster spot not going to a No. 1 receiver.
Tight end
Nice list
Jason Croom: Croom had a bad fumble or two this year, but when he got his first opportunity to start this year last week, he had four catches for 55 yards. That’s much more production than what we’re used to and he has room to grow.
Naughty list
Charles Clay: It’s time for the Bills to move on from Clay. He has the team’s second-highest cap hit this season ($9 million) and yet he hasn’t had a multiple-catch game since Week 8.
Logan Thomas: We’ve been waiting three years for the versatile former QB to turn into a weapon. He’s never really shown much more than No. 3 tight end potential.
Offensive line
Nice list
Dion Dawkins: The second-year tackle has regressed this year and dealt with penalty issues. He showed enough his rookie season, though. Dawkins will likely see some improvement once there’s a better guard next to him.
Wyatt Teller: Teller hasn’t been good, particularly against the run. He’s flashed against the pass rush. As a rookie, he’ll have an offseason to develop further.
Russell Bodine: Bodine’s was average for the Bills before injury. That’s better than what we’re used to getting.
Ike Boettger: As a project player, the undrafted rookie free agent is starting to see a little playing time at guard, so they like him. Like Teller, he’ll get another offseason to develop.
Jeremiah Sirles: The midseason addition has had very mixed results during time he’s seen in games. Some good, some awful. However, he can play every position on the line, something McDermott covets is versatility.
Naughty list
– Ryan Groy: Groy is a free agent this summer and not once this season has he looked like the player who filled in for Eric Wood in 2016.
– Conor McDermott: The Bills have waited for two years for McDermott to ever show anything. He’s a project that simply hasn’t done that yet.
– John Miller: Miller’s been one of the few Doug Whaley holdovers for the Bills. At times, he’s lost playing time to Boettger and other younger players. He’s struggled against the run like most of the Bills’ O-Line this year.
– Vlad Ducasse: Ducasse has been a healthy scratch since the bye week. That’s five-straight games.
– Jordan Mills: The Bills have tried to replace Mills for several seasons. With 10 draft picks and lots of cap room, this might finally be the year. Average at best pass blocker.
Defensive line
Nice list
Shaq Lawson: Lawson’s been quite the surprise. He still needs more sacks, but he’s getting more pressures than in the past. Lawson is consistently seeing slightly more sacks than Trent Murphy, even.
Jerry Hughes: The lone consistent pass rusher for the Bills, but even he’s not getting all the way to QBs for sacks.
Jordan Phillips: Another solid mid-season addition, but this depends on the role Phillips wants. Will he want to be a rotational player in Buffalo or a chance to start? He’s a pending free agent.
Harrison Phillips: Surprisingly, the youth movement hasn’t seen an uptick in snaps for Phillips. But he’s supposed to be Kyle Williams 2.0.
Kyle Williams: Speaking of Kyle, no self-respecting person would put him on a naughty list. But he’s certainly a candidate to retire.
Star Lotulelei: As a $50 million man, it’d be nice if the Bills played him more than 40-50 percent of snaps a game. He performs well in his role, though.
Naughty list
Mike Love: The defensive end has been apart of the youth movement on defense, but hasn’t really shown anything. Could stick around another year as a practice squad player.
Eddie Yarbrough: Love has taken snaps away from Yarbrough as of late. He’ll get a chance to keep his job, most likely, but he has to improve his pass-rushing skills.
Trent Murphy: When healthy, Murphy has produced. That’s the problem, he wanted to prove this season he can be healthy. He hasn’t. Murphy will get an opportunity to prove that next year, though.
Linebacker
Nice list
– Tremaine Edmunds: The quarterback of the future on defense has improved as the season’s gone on.
– Julian Stanford: In limited playing time when Edmunds is injured, Stanford’s performed well as a depth linebacker. He features on special teams as well.
– Lorenzo Alexander: Looking nothing like a 35-year-old out there, Alexander returning for another year seems likely.
– Matt Milano: A breakout year stopped short by injury this year.
Naughty list
– Corey Thompson: In his first extensive playing time, Thompson proved to be a liability. He could stick around as a special teams contributor, but if Crossman is fired, all special teams’ questions are up in the air.
Secondary
Nice list
– Taron Johnson: McDermott’s proven he knows how to draft defensive backs. Johnson’s the second-straight rookie corner to impress for him.
– Micah Hyde: The turnovers aren’t there this year, but the coverage is.
– Jordan Poyer: The turnovers are coming as of late this year, and the coverage is there, too.
– Rafael Bush: Bush has contributed as a nickel corner and depth safety. His versatility is key.
– Siran Neal: In the preseason Neal was notoriously bad, but he’s settled into a special teams role and maybe can improve into a better backup defender.
– Levi Wallace: Wallace isn’t going to blow anyone away, but he’s a strong tackler and has done enough that you can imagine a world where the Bills bring him back as the No. 2 corner next season.
– Tre’Davious White: Tough go as of late, but he’s still good and the No. 1 corner moving forward.
Naughty list
– Lafayette Pitts: Mostly a special teamer that you’d like to be more reliable in coverage as a depth corner.
– Ryan Lewis: After getting a chance to take the No. 2 spot, Lewis fell out of favor with the coaching staff.
– Dean Marlowe: Mostly a practice squad player this season. The Bills could stand to get younger there, but it’s easy to image he’ll be back, too.
Special teams
Nice list
– Stephen Hauschka: Nice, if his hip works.
– Corey Bojorquez: McDermott likes every edge he can get, and Bojorquez is a lefty so bet that he’ll get a chance to win the job.
Naughty list
– Matt Darr: Really tough outing for him last week against the Patriots.