Shake, Rattle and Roll: Buffalo Bills GM Brandon Beane always on the move

Buffalo Bills fans should be prepared for anything with general manager Brandon Beane running the show.

The name is Beane. Brandon Beane. General manager of the Buffalo Bills.

He took over the Doug Whaley and Rex Ryan’s mess but was not brought in until after the 2017 NFL Draft. At the time, he was still taking care of business in Carolina as assistant general manager with the Panthers.

So as much as we heard that Whaley was handling that last draft, Sean McDermott was calling the shots with the Pegulas. The new coach certainly lobbied for ownership to hire his colleague from Carolina. These two did go to a Super Bowl with the Panthers, eventually losing to the Denver Broncos. Beane was with Carolina from 2008 to 2017 with job titles ranging from Director of Football Operations to Assistant General Manager. In Buffalo, he is the man who was responsible for trading Sammy Watkins, Ronald Darby, Reggie Ragland, and Marcell Dareus.

He is not afraid to make a trade to acquire a player either for the Buffalo Bills. He is not afraid to swap picks to move up or down in the draft. Free agent signings both minor to monumental fill his resume. He does not shy away from trading away big name players. Moving salaries out by trade or simply releasing them had been common especially early on as Mr. Beane was digging out of salary cap prison. Beane tends to fill many needs early in free agency. In doing so, he makes the draft more about taking the best players available. At the very least he can concentrate on a smaller model of needs by position.

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Brandon Beane does not avoid the media. He does not dodge difficult questions. Some say he welcomes them. The same page seems to be standard landing spots for Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane. Go ahead and say it: McBeane. You can thank Sabres’ fans during the embrace- the-tank season for consolidating Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel’s names into McEichel. Pretty crafty, those folks from Western New York.

Beane has indicated that he does not plan on paying the expensive price it takes to move up in to the first round. I heard him multiple times on WGR550 Sports talk radio that he must remind himself that they acquired Stefon Diggs to be the number one receiver using their first pick as part of the trade. It will be an inactive first day of the draft if he holds true to his word.

Brandon Beane is aggressive by nature though. I would not be shocked if he somehow bundled some picks together to move back in to the first round if a player he is seeking drops. I could also see him trading down gathering extra picks.

Does he have an interest in trading for Leonard Fournette, who is rumored to be on his way out of Jacksonville? Or would Fournette land with Gronk and Brady in sunny Florida? Beane could tell you one moment he is all set at running back and then hear of a trade an hour later. He does an incredible job of keeping moves from being leaked to the press until a move is a done deal.

The Buffalo Bills have got themselves a particularly good general manager. He is still young and inexperienced but one could say he is still growing and improving. It is refreshing to have stability with both the GM and coach. The rotating doors with coaches and GM’s really became discouraging. It is much easier to be positive and optimistic since the Bills already made the postseason twice in three years. Winning double digit games last season is even that much better.

dark. Next. What does the perfect roster look like for Bills heading into 2020 NFL Draft?

Brandon Beane is a busy man all year long. He has an awful lot of responsibility. This week’s events are those that put him in the spotlight. He is judged by thousands on his performance over the three days and seven rounds that are almost upon us. He is a mover and a shaker.

Shake, rattle, and roll.

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