The Buffalo Bills are still over a month away from training camp, but Sean McDermott didn’t hesitate to express his admiration for Andre Holmes.
When the Buffalo Bills signed Andre Holmes early in free agency, he was presumed to be the No. 2 wide receiver across from Sammy Watkins. With OTA’s and the mandatory minicamp now complete, Sean McDermott likes what he sees from Holmes so far.
Since being signed, the Buffalo Bills also added several other wide receivers, including second-round draft pick Zay Jones, Holmes’ former teammate Rod Streater, Philly Brown and a few others. They will all be fighting for snaps this season and with over 10 receivers on the roster currently, about half of them will be cut by Week 1.
Andre Holmes is making a strong case to not be one of those guys cut. In fact, he is making a strong case to be a reliable target for Tyrod Taylor this season.
And Sean McDermott would agree with that, according to his comments on Holmes following the final day of mandatory minicamp:
"“When you look at the target in the free agency time period there, we identified players we felt fit what we were looking for, our DNA,” said McDermott. “The body of work that Andre has exhibited since coming to the Bills organization has been exactly what we thought, if not more. The intangibles, he’s built like we want our players to be built from the inside. He’s a servant. He leads. He plays special teams. He puts the team first. Those are the qualities that we look for in our players.”"
It was pretty clear early on that Sean McDermott and the Buffalo Bills were being very delicate in their free agent process, making sure the players they signed would be exactly what they were looking for. Judging McDermott’s answer, he believes Andre Holmes was a home run hit.
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It wasn’t the first time McDermott raved about the veteran wide receiver. Just one day prior, McDermott had the following to say about Holmes:
"“I’ll tell you the guy that’s really stood out has been Andre [Holmes]. He’s done a phenomenal job, not only on offense, but also special teams. Very solid performer day-to-day, consistent and just really – that’s been a nice pickup for us so far and I really appreciate his leadership.”"
Andre Holmes definitely has the body to excel in Buffalo. At 6’4”, 210 pounds, he will be a big red-zone target for Tyrod Taylor. Take a look back at how Tyrod Taylor was able to make the most of Justin Hunter with limited action. I see similar things for Andre Holmes this year.
Taylor has proven to be quite dangerous when he has a big body in that red zone. I can see the two hooking up for several touchdowns this season.
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Not to mention, receiving high praise from Sean McDermott early on will be key for the veteran receiver.
Entering his 6th season in the league, Holmes has played every game over the past three seasons. Although his playing time decreased the past two seasons, he had his most productive season in 2014 — finishing with 47 catches, 693 yards and 4 touchdowns.
He also had a strong outing in 2013. In just 10 games, he was able to secure 25 catches for 431 yards and one touchdown.
What’s my prediction for Andre Holmes with the Buffalo Bills this season?
I think he will be heavily targeted in the red-zone, which will mean a solid number of touchdowns. I think he will also be a solid target on third-down, but won’t bring down many monster plays.
2017 Prediction: 43 catches, 487 yards, 4 touchdowns
Next: Buffalo Bills release training camp schedule
How do you think Andre Holmes will perform this season? Leave your thoughts below!