Buffalo Bills: Things we know this week one month out from the NFL Draft

The Buffalo Bills are sitting in a great place one month out from the 2019 NFL Draft after adding depth at several key positions.

Brandon Beane continues to receive praise for his strategy with improving the Buffalo Bills via free agency. This was well before the most recent signings.

I am referencing tackle-converted-to-tight-end Jake Fisher as well as free-agent linebacker Maurice Alexander. Both were signed to basic one-year contracts.

The Bills did not make one or two huge signings like Mario Williams or Terrell Owens to get some press coverage, sell tickets or jerseys. Buffalo made dexterous moves in areas of need. The need could be for depth at a position, upgrading a position or replacing spots vacated in the past couple of offseasons.

Potential moves could be made to stabilize a position, allowing them to move players to different roles or moving on from them entirely this offseason.

Each of the signings to this point of time certainly increases the team’s chances of realistically taking the best available player available at pick number nine and not reaching on a lineman or receiver out of desperation in the upcoming draft.

The depth also gives them the serious option of trading back and gaining the quantity of selections that could make an immediate impact. No panic will surface if a team throws a curveball, making trades that could totally ruin a master plan.

Many things can happen throwing a wrench into the strategy such as Denver backing out of a trade because a player becomes available or the Jets trading up last year with Indy fulfilling the need of drafting a top-tier quarterback.

Buffalo still managed a trade with Tampa Bay and seized their quarterback, but events happen unexpectedly and when you are drafting out of need, reaching or overpaying in draft capital tends to take place.

Buffalo is setting themselves up much better than I would have been able to forecast. Earlier offseason evaluations revealed glaring holes that one draft could not solidify, especially entering the third season in the McBeane administration that have playoff expectations.

Things we know about the Buffalo Bills this week:

It’s been a topic of conversation on multiple sports talk shows in the Queen City, that Josh Allen instantaneously called the free agent signings on the offensive side of the ball.

This is an example of how the coach and GM have been praising Allen’s leadership he showed as a rookie indicating that would only increase after a year of experience. Showing that he can make plays at this level certainly improves the respect component needed to lead.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter disclosed that J.P. Losman was offered an opportunity to potentially make a comeback attempt at age 38 to a NFL team. He currently is an offensive coach at Clemson. He threw the ball to WRs/DBs extremely well at the College Pro Day. J.P repudiated the offer.

The report does not suggest nor rule out that the Bills were that team. I will go on record stating if Buffalo was that team, he would have a large group of the Bills’ table-smashing mafia waiting at the airport greeting him with grocery bags full of eggs to toss his way.

I do not know why I am so confident it was not the Bills, as this is the team that named Peterman the starting QB after the previous season being referenced as the worst quarterback in history after tossing as many picks in a half than other QBs throw in a season.

He has not been in the NFL since 2011 and was part of the famous 2004 draft that produced three other first round quarterbacks in Philip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger and Eli Manning.

Two of them have multiple Super Bowl rings and three of them have solid stats with Hall of Fame potential. That draft basically resulted in making it possible for Drew Brees to become available paving the way for a Super Bowl victory in the “Big Easy” as well as another Hall of Fame career.

Small world as Archie Manning worked the huddle in New Orleans. One of them will be remembered as one of the biggest busts in that selecting team’s history.

Ryan Leaf is a totally different story from a year of another Manning not going to the Chargers.

Great trivia material for the water cooler conversations this week. J.P. was not the quarterback chosen by a team and refusing to go there, basically demanding a trade to the Bills.

Two of these QBs played on teams that made them live in the shadow of expectations set by Doug Flutie to have a top-selling cereal and one sweet mullet.

Hopefully this cleared up some confusing details for some fans out there. I know facts like these made Cliff Claven a celebrity at the USPS, a famous Boston watering hole and landed him on Jeopardy. “Alex, that would be: Who are three people who have never been in my kitchen?”

Well said Cliffy. So close like wide right. Ouch.