OBL 3/24: Offseason Move That Holds The Most Potential For The Bills

Published Mar 24, 2025, 7:12 PM
Chris Brown and Steve Tasker updated the latest Bills and NFL news. They discussed a recent mock draft where the Bills traded up to grab a cornerback and the latest QB movement from around the league. They asked the listeners what offseason move holds the most potential for the Bills in 2025?

This the One Bill's Live presented by Calllida Health.

Back for another week. Chris Brown, Steve Tasker, One Bill's Live. Thanks for joining us here on a Monday, A windy and blustery Monday here in Western New York.

Remember that term you have you.

Ever heard the term March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.

You've heard that right? Oh?

Yeah, that doesn't apply here really, because March never really goes out like a lamb. I've lived Tier pretty much thirty years and that has not happened once. So that is for other parts of the country. And it is blustery today, Like just just when you think you know it's fake spring, one comes in.

Discuss this comes in like a lion, goes out like a wet, stinky house cat. Is that the new phrase that we apply for here, like a line goes out like a what.

Does get pretty soggy here by the cat? Yeah, that's that's where we're at. But I was I was glued to March madness. Over the weekend.

Best game was the game winning buzzer beater by Maryland.

Unbelievable because Colorado State.

Big time upset potential.

Yeah, bangs the three porner with three, you know, with five seconds, go up one. But it was really a great play. And you know, because the college fans, you know, the family, friends and family, because they're playing all around the country and you know it's neutral sites and all that stuff. So you got and I'll say this too, and this is a different subject, but the crowds. I was a little surprised at at some points when you started watching these early games.

Yeah.

Yeah, so you don't see that in Buffalo when they have these turnaments.

Fill it, we fill it.

So but the oly people of the friends and family and they are in agony over these games.

Yeah, I just it's so delicious those games. Like the amount of people with hands on their head, like.

Oh, I don't know, but unbelievable.

And then they just stay there, they're like frozen, watching the next thirty seconds, whether the whistle blew and there's a time out or they just got their hands on their head.

You see the.

Fans, you know, the poor Colorado State fans, they had their head, they had the ball, they had the ball coming down, they were down to eleven seconds to go, and that the guy puts a three com and dad or.

Just like this in the time.

They can't even watch, they can't even watch. They're they're just like, they're here praying almost looks like they're just just everybody's just like And then the kid comes down and the color astin kid bangs the three with him.

They're like.

Seven seconds left and then Marylyn comes inbound calls the time they get overhad court.

Point seven seconds left on the clock, and they got the.

Ball at half court and their best player and theirs was their six ten forward, freshman freshman Derek Queen.

Banks it in Yeah for the one running.

Left handed bank shots at the buzzer to win the thing. And then we find out after the game that in the last time out huddle there he said, get me the blankety blank ball, and so coach goes, okay, we're going to Derek on this play.

Yeah, best player gotta do it, he wants it, give.

It to me.

Tell you something to eighteen year o kid. Get You gotta love that mentality. You know, great players have that. And I'm not saying he's going to be one of the other, but you know that's what you got to do. That's the men, that's the mentality. You gotta have. That's what every that's when you handle pressure is when you want it in your hands. Give me the chance, I'm gonna do this. That's the mentality you had. If I hadn't, Man, if I'd have known that thirty five years ago, I'd have won one of those Super Bowls. But that's where that's where we're at. You need guys who want the ball in those moments, right, And sometimes it's difficult because man, oh man, your entire life has been focused on moments like this one. Maybe this is the only one you're gonna get. And sometimes it's hard to rise above and say, you know what, this is it, this is why I've been doing this.

Let's go. That's the place you want to be. Man.

Have a nineteen year old kid or eighteen year old kids say yeah, give me the ball. That's pretty cool.

Yeah's and then delivering del thirty seconds later to advance to Maryland, which.

I'll say this time.

You see it all the time in this in this turn of games, like Colorado State at the other end to get the lead, they're down two and the kid bangs a three pointer in and just I mean nails it. He was a senior. That kid had played like one hundred and twenty five games for that school, and he's like.

He went from hero to loser in five seconds.

Well he's still still great play, Yeah, still a great play.

Lost.

They lost, you know, they lost.

It's very sudden.

And I'll say this too, that three he hit was a catch and release very fast. I mean he didn't give it. That was a raining.

It was great.

That's probably the most entertaining game of the weekend. Do you think a couple other type games too.

Do you think the nil stuff and the different landscape and football has made so there's not you know, you don't get the you know, the cinderellas anymore, you know, because that the well transscause.

The mid majors, you know, which occasionally have a good team that's either a stayed intacted together for three or four years and they're just a better team, or some mid major team that has some kid that probably should have played at a bigger school but maybe had an injury a senior year, and those kids are there no because as soon as those kids have a good year at that school, they get recruited by a major program and they're gone.

And so this is the first time.

The Sweet sixteen is made up of only Power four Conference teams, seven of which are SEC teams, which was the best conference in college basketball by a mile. You go, I mean, that's it's unfortunate, but that's kind of where we are it.

But you know, the I get it. It's there's isn't as good a story. It's still a great sport.

Oh yeah, the games are highly competitive, you know, but you're not gonna get as I don't think you're gonna get as many upsets going forward as you used to.

Yeah, that's that's just the way it's gonna it is now. Uh and I a little bit romanticized, a little sad, but I don't.

Know if you saw.

But so, Michigan is still in the tournament in the Sweet sixteen, and one of their players has entered the transfer portal. It's actually Scotty Pippen's son who plays at Michigan.

He's submitted his name.

To the transfer portal. They're still playing games. They have a game next this week.

Is he playing? What does that mean? Does he played for them?

I'm asking if somebody knows the transfer portal rules, lay it on us.

I mean, we're we're kind of in the football end of the spectrum here. I'm not going to pretend to know the transfer portal rules, but I saw that's popped up in my feed. He's entering his name in the transfer portal. He's a four star player, he plays for Michigan. Michigan's still playing now. Maybe the transfer portal deadline doesn't make it conducive to players that are still playing in the tournament. Maybe they're the deadline was yesterday or today. I don't know, to put your name in the portal, but now everybody on his team knows he's leaving.

Yeah, that does that at least awkward, right unless unless they unless he told them say less, I'm gonna do it.

And even if we win.

He gave him my heads up and they're gonna do it, and YadA YadA, I'm gonna gave him a warning. So it wasn't out of the blue for these for his teammates. But even so, I don't know what kind of minutes the kid even plays.

I'm not gonna pretend to know. I don't watch a ton of ball, but.

That's that is a new that's a new world right there. That's a different world than we one we've lived in in decades past, having a guy like walking off into the sunset when you're in the sweet sixteen. Yeah, that doesn't he may play I don't know who knows, but what are you gonna do? It's it's a strange place we're in.

Mm hmmm.

Uh.

Let's take a look at just a couple of Bills notes that I came across that I felt were worth mentioning here.

Uh.

ESPN after free agency ranked the Bills fourth in their off season power rankings. They also called the re signing of Ty Johns and their best under the Radar move, So they were offseason power rankings followed by their best under the Radar move. So they listed the re signing of Ty Johnson as their best under the radar move. Fourth is kind of where I expected them to be. Kind of expect the Eagles to be listed ahead of them, among others We've usually seen like the Eagles, the Chiefs, the Ravens, the Bills, and the Lions some combination of those five teams more often than not.

Here through the course of the offseason.

Bill the Bills are usually right. It's kind of like where it ended up at the end of the season there, yeah, in the top five four or five, three, four, five, something like that.

NFL dot COM's Chad Ruter put out a four round mock draft, and in round one he had the Bills trading up to pick twenty four, which is going to be a very popular choice for a lot of people because they know Minnesota only has four picks. All the way up to twenty four in a trade with Minutes Soda, with Buffalo taking Florida state cornerback as Aurea Thomas.

Here was Ruter's assessment.

Buffalo moves up to secure Thomas's six to one and a quarter one hundred ninety seven pound frame, giving up their two fourth round selections to Minnesota along with pick thirty. The Vikings could stay put and take a defensive back themselves, but they currently only have four picks in the draft, so adding two early Day three picks might be worth the risk of moving down the board a bit. Here was the most interesting part of the trade.

At thirty.

Ruters mock has the Vikings taking South Carolina safety Nicki Manwari at thirty. After his combine workout, I wasn't convinced he's gonna make it down there.

Maybe he does. No, no.

He Also here's the part where I think he goes off the rails though, after taking the corner as Area Thomas from Florida State at twenty four. In this proposed trade up, he also has the Bills taking a safety and a receiver in too. And I find it hard to believe that the Bills are not going to add at least one defensive lineman in their first three picks, especially knowing that in this scenario with the trade up, they not only do not have a third round pick, but they don't have any fourth round picks either because they traded them to Minnesota to move up the board.

I don't see that happening.

There's no way they're not taking a big man somewhere in their.

First three picks.

Yeah.

Yeah, if it.

Makes you feel any better. Daniel Jeremiah's mock draft, also from NFL dot Com. He's got the Bills taking defensive tackle Kenneth Granted pick thirty.

So Kennith Grant's is not going to be there either. I don't believe so, but these guys are.

Yeah, you're a little perturbed, are you?

Yeah? I listen.

I love the Max, but I think the only way to do it is the way we do it here with Maddie.

She scours it.

She's already tracked. H then you get a consensus.

We do it in volume, right, Yeah, that's how you do it. It's not a one off because one guy. You know.

Yeah, that's how you do it. I agree with the way we do it here. Maddie does a great job breaking all that down. So you find out which guys and which position groups have been you know, for the line's share of picks.

And you know.

We're gonna get a big We're gonna get a big dude right now today, which is what everybody's working with.

Yeah, and I'm they're not gonna you're not gonna move up to take this corner.

What is this guy's drunk? And they're not gonna trade away. Come on, and they're not gonna get emon. Worry, leave em and worry on the board for the vikings at thirty they might.

Trade up to take even worry. You're not gonna leave him. No, that's dumb. I think you tell that you're really go oh man, I think he's probably off.

You're operating under the argument that corner is a more important position than safety and I think you could argue, at least right now, I get it, as Buffalo's roster is currently constituted that corner is the thinner position than safety. Right now, as we sit here today, I think that's fairs.

And I apologize Chad Rud for taying that's dumb, but come on, I don't agree Chad.

He does.

He's been on our show too, so I'm nice to him. He's a friend of the show, so I'm having fun at his expense because he's not here to defend himself.

It's unclear to us because we don't know the full give and take here, but there appears to be some kind of online Twitter battle between former Bills receiver Stevie Johnson and Hall of Fame inductee to B Durell Revis. I checked Revas's Twitter handle. I don't see anything on his general messages. Suffice it to say Stevie is perturbed about some kind of comments that Revas has made to other people about Stevie, and so Stevie has been replying on Twitter to the masses and adding Revis twenty four, which is his official Twitter handle, basically saying, you know, don't speak bad about me. I produced against you, unlike a lot of other receivers.

In the league.

And he got a little ornery, saying, don't play with me. And then he followed it up with another tweet since we got here in studio and oh goodness, he says, never even heard your voice on the field. How you're so quick to talk back? Then, just someone that's been cool at in you. He said, you don't have to reply, but don't reply negative about me to people that don't even at you. This isn't the first time seeing these tendencies from you. Fix the expletive.

So something's brewing there.

Not going to pretend to know what it is, but it's got Stevie hot and bothered.

It's hot under the collar.

And I'll say this, Stevie might have been the most successful wide receiver in drelh Revs' career against him.

Yeah, I would. I would say if he's not one, he's right, he's one.

A and so and he can and see if he can talk all he wants, but all listen, Drell's getting a gold jacket so he can. He didn't have to reply.

Yeah, And I don't know what what lit the fuse, but sounds like he was speaking out a turn to some degree, but whatever. Yeah, Yeah, so we'll see where it goes. We'll try to keep tabs on it for you. But I think it's safe to say that he's not he's not happy with how he's being portrayed by some grievous in some context here. So we'll see if more light is shed on that and bring it to you. And because he's still even though he played during the drought era, I think he's still one of the more popular drought era players.

It's probably him Fred it fits.

Yeah, he had a successful as stretch for three year. Is any receiver in Bill's history, I mean he was.

He was good.

But he was the first first receiver to have three thousand three straight one thousand yard seasons, So that was eventually surpassed that with four.

Sure, So.

Yeah, he was one of the guys who thrived in in that era where.

It was so difficult for a lot of Bills players to do that.

The franchise is mired in mediocrity, and he was a bright spot, no question about it.

Yeah, let's go around the NFL, which is presented by Kalida Healthy, official healthcare system of the Buffalo Bills. Giants added a quarterback to their roster over the weekend, just not the one you were probably thinking. Jamis Winston was signed over the weekend to a two year, eight million dollar deal. Winston, as we know, played for Cleveland last year thirteen touchdowns, twelve picks. Giants are said to still be interested in Russell Wilson's services. Wilson has visited with the US and the Giants. Nothing yet on the Pittsburgh Steelers front with Aaron Rodgers, although signs are pointing to an eventual marriage. There a good portion of Steelers fans, though, Steve, this is what's interesting about this. They are up in arms over the potential signing. They don't want to deal with the drama that they saw us around Rogers while he was with the Jets the last two years. Now, apparently the Steelers and Rogers have had contract parameters in place for weeks, so I can only assume at this point the ball is in Rogers' court to sign, right like, That's kind of where we.

Also think it's not the money that's that's the hold up, that's for sure, Rogers. You know, maybe he's just doing some self evaluation as he does every off season that we're all so intimately aware of no for goodness, right, So he may still be in his off season, you know meditations.

Yeah, but that California stuff that doesn't that doesn't wear well in Pittsburgh, do you know what I mean?

Well, that it will be a much different atmosphere in the Pittsburgh locker room and the relationship he has with, you know, with the head coach, because if Aaron Rodgers probably and I'm trying to think, yeah, I don't think he's ever had a head coach as entrenched and powerful and respected as Mike Tomlin in his career. Not with Mike, Mike McCarthy certainly the way that ended Lafleur when he came in. Certainly Iron Rodgers probably gave the stamp of approval for that hiring. Then of course in New York, where they couldn't, they fell over.

Themselves trying to sign uh.

So it was a different atmosphere there, and then you know, the guy gets fired and you know the interim comes in.

He's gotta make it work with Aaron. So I.

Have a hard time seeing Mike Tomlin be swayed by any of the Yeah, but let's quote Finger quotes drama that Rogers is known.

For us because there I mean, there was drama leading up to the signing. There was drama leading up to his recovery from the Achilles tear, and then there was drama last spring because he didn't show up to OTAs that was voluntary, a huge, big deal.

Then he doesn't show up to mandatory mini camp.

Salah reveals later, well, you know, it's unexcused, and I'm gonna find him. And then it was like, well, hold on, we already talked about this, and so then it was he said, he said, and the paper, you know, the New York tabloids had a field day with that. And then it was like, is he gonna come to training camp? Wait, we don't know, like what's gonna happen? And Steelers fans are like, yeah, I don't want any of that.

Yeah, that's yeah, that's exactly right. I don't think it'll It won't go that way with Pittsburgh. I'm just telling you.

I hope not for their sake, he'll get he'll get dragged.

Not that he I don't even know if he cares that he gets dragged, that's true. But Tomlin will say how it is, and if he doesn't toe the line, he's gonna hear about it.

Yeah, because Toland's gonna bust out his line.

The standard is the standard.

Yeah, that's yeah. So I'm I think Pittsburgh and we've said we've been saying it since this whole thing started being a possibility. Pittsburgh's the place if you want to win now this year, which Aaron Rodgers is not thinking two years down the road.

Yeah, so well, and it's not like there are a lot of other budding opportunities, I mean.

Giants, and probably they're still reporting that he could finag Rogers somehow could weasel his way to Minnesota, but I don't that's off the table, I think from what's been reported so uh. And also Kirk Cousins in Atlanta, all of that stuff, Oh that.

Was that would cost you a pretty penny and Falcons in terms of a cap hits.

And I think, but I think teams once Rogers settles, because let's face it would it's a question you want Kirk Cousins or you want Aaron Rodgers, which one you think is better? And I don't know, for the sake of purpose, let's just call it a toss up. At this point, you're gonna pay one of them something. And if you if you're gonna bring Kirk Cousins over trade for him, Damn, there you go, I mean there, Yeah, you gotta make a move for I don't know.

Like I saw Jameis Winston over the weekend, he signs at the Giants, and the Giants know which way Rogers is leaning. This is a backstop, fallback measure.

Yes, eight million bucks over two years. It's nothing. It's a fallback measure. It's a backup. It's a backup money.

Yeah, perhaps they're not convinced they're gonna have a real shot at Rogers, who's probably leaning towards Pittsburgh. But we'll see.

Stranger things have happened with that guy. We know, that's for sure.

More than two weeks after being arrested for allegations of domestic abuse, Kansas City wide receiver Xavier Worthy is now suing his ex fiance. Worthy claims that his ex fiance both abused him and made up claims of domestic violence in order to extort a home, money, cars, and other valuables from him. He claims the whole relationship blew up when he found out that she had cheated on him. He is seeking more than two hundred and fifty thousand in damages from her.

So there's that. Yeah, I mean you got to talk about drama. Well, I mean that. But this is the Chiefs.

When they draft players, they're I think it's safe to say based on the track record. I don't think I'm saying anything that's unknown at this point, but based on their drafting track record and free agent signing track record for that matter, I don't they're not quite as discerning with off the field issues for players do not care. I mean, there is a long list of guys that they have either drafted or signed in free agency that don't necessarily pass the character smell test.

Yeah, and every.

Team has their share of history with guys who are actually.

On the team. Nobody's perfect.

Yeah, I know that club that's perfect. No club that's perfect. But man oh man, there's some clubs that just like they do not use that as one of the parameters for evaluation, and the Chiefs seem to be one of them that. Yeah, but this we knew, Well, it's still gonna happen. I mean, what happens here with the worthy thing is going to find out.

And then you got to find out what Rashid Rice's suspension is going to be this summer. We'll find out about that one. We know Kareem Hunt's history. He's back with the team for a second go round, Tyreek Hill. So the list is long, So just different ways of doing things. I guess restricted free agent linebacker Christian Ellis, who was tendered to qualifying offer by the New England Patriots to remain a Patriot, signed an offer sheet with the Las Vegas Raiders. But the Patriots, this Raport coming down from NFL Networks see and Rappaport, just matched the offer to hold on.

To the linebackers.

So they wanted to keep Christian Ellis in the fold, and it looks like they've successfully done that. Meanwhile, Jets free agent tight end Tyler Conklin landed in La agreed to a one year deal with the Chargers over the weekend and today, Steve the pro days continue on the college circuit, and it's a big one today because it's the University of Miami Pro Day, which means all eyes are going to be on Hurricanes quarterback cam Ward, who could be the first quarterback off the board on Draft night one.

Here is my greatest fear about how the board falls, especially at the top. Here, because I think you and I agree, I don't want to put words in your mouth. You can confirm this for me.

Think you and I agree that the team that might give the Bills the biggest headache in the division this season.

Could very well be the Patriots.

I think Vrabel is the most proven coach of the rest of the bunch. They have a young quarterback who looks promising, they have loads of money to spend right now, and they have the fourth pick in the draft, and they don't need a quarterback.

So here is my fear. Here is my fear. Tennessee.

Let's just say he they picked the pass rusher, okay, right, and then let's say the Browns and Giants go quarterback quarterback at two and three, cam Warden Sanders or whoever else you want to put in there.

New England takes Travis Hunter fourth. Yeah, that's why I would prefer not to see that.

Why you think the guys should be good on both sides of the ball play one hundred and fifty.

I think he's gonna play.

I think he's gonna play exclusively receiver if he goes to the Patriots, because they have Christian Gonzales at one sided corner and they just signed I think it was yeah, yeah Davis to a giant contract star on the other side, so they don't need him to play corner. He's gonna play full time wide receiver if they draft him fourth overall.

And that kid's pretty special at receiver.

Pretty special.

So one thing I do not want to happen on Draft night one is Travis Hunter to the Patriots at four.

What if the Patriots do take Travis Hunter, they are gonna play him specifically exclusively a wide receiver, and he throws a hissy fit?

Why? Why do you think?

Because he wants to play both ways and his coat his coach Del Sanders, he loves, he loves football. He doesn't like but he loves for Well, welcome to the club.

But so the kid, you'll take your marching orders from.

Us, right, except the kid doesn't want to march. Okay, I'm just telling you man.

That, then don't play all this mean, come on, come on, what are you gonna do.

I just don't want him to end up in New England. I don't need to have to deal with that guy.

For well, whoever they take is gonna be a dynamite.

I know.

I mean good, we're not gonna get a break. If they don't take the guy, They're gonna get somebody. I mean, they're gonna get somebody. They're gonna get, you know, Abdual Carter or whoever Tennessee. Does Tennessee take cam Ward?

It's possible.

I would you know, Will Levis's is okay, He's okay.

Yeah, that is the big question.

And usually a day or two before the draft you find out, you know, the national reporters with their mining and whatnot, find out.

Who the first pick is gonna be.

Usually sometimes not until day of the draft, right, but it usually comes down because the agent's getting with.

Yes, Like that's how we found out about Baker Mayfield in twenty eighteen. Right now, he's gonna be the first pick in the draft of the Browns. We found out day of So yeah, I don't know cam Ward could go first overall, Yeah, that could absolutely happen.

And he's that Miami Hurricanes Pro day is two day.

He's throwing. He is throwing. Yes, we're kind of in a little bit of a limbo.

Part of the NFL calendar where free agency at least the first wave has come to a close and we're still well, we're exactly a month away from the draft, but we wanted to kind of look at what has happened thus far in the off season, take a look at it and assess it with you at aight threeh five fifty one eighty eight five fifty two, five fifty What off season move holds the most potential for the Bills in twenty twenty five, The move that they have made thus far that you think could really pay dividends in a big way for the Bills in twenty twenty five. Aight oh three oh five point fifty one eighty eight five fifty two, five fifty those are the numbers to join us, and we do have open lines for you, and we are wide open for your phone calls throughout the course of today's show.

So hop on board, join.

Us, lend your comments to the conversation, because I think there are a bunch of different ways you could go here and Steve and I will let you know where we come down on maybe what off season move holds the most potential for us concerning the Bills when we return. You're on One Bill's Live, presented by Colid of Health. It's Buffalo Bills Radio.

All right back here on One Bills Live. Chris Brown, Steve Tans. We're on a Monday.

What off season move holds the most potential for the Bills in twenty twenty five?

You let us know what you believe that is.

At eight oh three h five fifty one eight eight five fifty two five fifty the numbers to get on board. Got an open line for you there or two. But we lead off today with Tom on the west side.

What do you got for us? Tom?

Hey, guys, looking at your question on the internet. And Quimby or Blee or whatever whatever his handle is, he was talking up Mosa and I kind of agree with that, but I'm going to say it's more Hoit and Ogan jobu Ogan Joby, whatever his name is. After they come back from their suspension. Now, my question is that I would like you to try to answer, is how come I don't hear of them trying to appeal their suspension and get it reduced like every other player in the NFL seems to do. I'm going to hang up and listen for your answer.

Thanks, guys, thanks for the call. Town appreciate it. Why they don't appeal it.

This is different than a lot of suspensions because it's not behavioral. It's you know, kind of cutting dried.

Now. The test is the test. The test is the test.

So you'll see you'll hear guys appeal their suspension when they get caught for something on the field like hitting.

The quarterback in the head or you know, one of those other things. But they don't.

You know, there's really no room for sus for appeal when the test results say what they are. Plus that in these things, they the player always has the ability or the freedom to get a second test or take a second sample at the same time and send it to an all that stuff.

If you're going to do that, do it.

But yeah, it's really hard to I don't think you appeal test results for one thing. And the defensive line Simons Bosa's.

You're right, it's it could be.

I think it says something maybe mostly about Bosa being a one year deal. It says something that they signed Hoyt to a three year deal. They really like that player. Yeah, and that's one of the things that came out after even after the suspension. They were like, listen, we really like the player, We're gonna sign him anyway. That and what Brandon intimated to the media. At least it came across the way that they knew Hoyt might yes get the suspension, and they signed him anyway.

Ogunjobi not so much. That was a surprise. So yeah, I can.

I can get behind Hoyt because he's got a chance for long term contributions.

Yeah.

Uh.

On the upper.

End, I think Bosa is a more dynamic player, particularly for the last you know, eleven games of the season he's gonna play.

Hoyt has potential because he has intriguing potential because he's.

A movable chess piece.

I mean, he's a player that can play off the ball at a linebacker position. He can be used as a blitzer. You can have him put his hand on the ground. You can put him in a Turgo Turbo package, even inside if you wanted to rotate him in in place of Ed Because he's two sixty seventies, he might be light, but not in a pass rushing situation. So, I mean the Rams use them all over the field in the front seven, and I think the Bills want to use him similarly, and that affords you some tantalizing potential in terms of how to utilize him in a way that best benefits the Bills, maybe not only on first down or second down, but third down as well.

So it gives you some flexibility. Yeah, that's what's intriguing, and that of.

Course makes you less predictable and easier to eat and the more difficult to attack.

Yeah, and in a weird way, while you would like to have both of these players for all seventeen games, getting them in mid October is almost like pulling a trade for two starting caliber players. I realize I'm making a bit of a silver lining there, but it's kind of an interesting dynamic. Yes, you want to have him for seventeen, but having them like essentially get back on your roster mid October, when who knows who you have that's injured, could be a nice shot in the arm. So we're just gonna have to see, most importantly what those first six games look like and against whom you are playing, and then second how healthy you are when you do get those two players back from suspension.

So yeah, it'll be interesting to see how that plays out for them and when you're talking about our topic for the day, which is, you know, which is the most potential for the Bills. Hoyt might be a good answer because of the three year deal rather than the one year deal.

Yeah, because there's more time on the job. Presumably. Let's go to Gary on a sale next. What's up Gary?

Hey, guys, how y'all do good?

Good?

Well, you know, I don't think it's done yet. As far as position, I think they're gonna go heavy obviously in his draft on defense. So I'm hoping that there's a really good defensive lineman if they have to move up maybe whatever, Yeah, you know, twenty four whatever, I don't that's Branda be will handle that that. Maybe get somebody there. I'd like to get two deep at the linemen in a corner, a really good corners draft, then I I would be happy with the holosities as far as what I thought you'd be addressed.

So safety corner is more important for you than safety.

There's a really good caliber safety there, like you've been talking about Deebo. I'm fine with that, I really am. I mean, if there's the he's rated better at their pick and they want him, not five with it I just really want a defensive lineman, like a big guy in the middle, a young get one, and we need a corner. We also need a corner.

Yeah right, So if they.

Can address those three needs, I'd be happy.

Yeah right, Gerry, Yeah, Steve. I mean you can't argue it. I mean, corner right now is thinner on this roster than safety. And you we know it's a money position too.

I keep saying.

I keep saying safety mostly because I guess when you look at you know, the at the defense, the positions that of the high end, at the position.

That may be available. So you're thinking value. You got a shot at it. You're thinking of value at thirty when you.

See you got a chance at You got a chance at Nickolman Worry, you got a chance at Malachi Skarks, you got a plant chance at Xavier Watts. You got a chance at those guys. Uh, Andrew mccooba from out of out of Texas.

I think there's gonna be some guys.

I think you're gonna have a top five corner there at thirty.

Maybe yeah you maybe yeah, five corners in the first round.

Probably it's not gonna happen. So you may get one of those.

So yeah, if I don't have a problem with any of that, that's fine. I'll take corner or safety. You get a big sure, I mean I agree, Do you take him?

You do?

You get a guy that you think can be a difference maker on a defensive line before you get a difference maker on the outside. You know, I think you kind of need both. Yes, you need a corner at this current moment. You need a corner worse than you need a d line because he got Bosa and Hoyt and Ogan Joby and yeah and dayk one. So you got some guys and Carter and Carter, so I get it.

Corner is you know, it's you don't have anybody. Well, you got Benford. I don't mean anybody.

Jackson, but you don't have enough guys to feel a team.

You don't have as many bodies. Yeah, so just from a sheer numbers thing.

And I like Dane Jackson as much as anybody, but you know.

I mean, all things considered, I think he is seen probably as a depth piece.

That's well, yeah, why he's back.

So yeah, I'm I'm with Gary, I hear it. Just just get the value. If there's a big dude there that's going to be good, and you think he's going to hit a home run, grab him. If not, get the dB or whatever. It's a deep draft, you might you might have an idea that you can get all the way to fifty six or sixty two and still get your guy.

Okay, yeah, let's go to Butch. What do you have for us? Butcher? On one Bill's Live.

First of all, thanks so much for taking on call. I loved him as g I love wgr To all the fans around the listen, I definitely loved you. And get right to the point. I have a couple of things to say. I'm just going to say them briefly. As you and I, Chris, we spoke last year roughly around January February regarding the transition of this football team from going old to new. When we had that conversation, I was speaking about the young players being ready to play immediately. That was last year. We as we've seen from last year, that coach McDermott made the transition on his coaching staff of getting young teachers and eventually we drafted young players last year who actually kind of played right away. Also, we drafted players last year who came on during the middle of the season like a Devon Solomon, etc. To actually play. Now, you guys were at the come this year, and you guys have stated and Steve really stated lots of times of guys in his shorts running four two forties, I mean from all positions, defensive line, quarterbacks, et cetera. I say, and I'm still I'm still gonna stand on it that these young players are ready to play now I see uh, And I wouldn't be surprised in this draft one that the Bills moved back out of thirty maybe get another two five and a six. And at the exact same time, don't be surprised if you see players like Aka and James Cook, Aka of Christian Benford being traded. And the reason why I state bout Christian Benford is this is that Christian Benford, as you guys know, has a history of concussions. At the same time, he's one concussion away from being in the protocol where Buffalo has to back up off of them a little bit. And I don't see Brandon Bean or the Buffalo Billis organization going back down that lane of paying money with the potential of another concussion, so we can.

Move off from them.

You have people going to say, well, if we do that, who we're gonna have? You got an ingram you got Now, you guys are just speaking about a Jacks and yeah they're not top tier. But at the same time, Cornick, as you guys knowing this draft, after the top ten picks in this draft, everything is open grabs down the line all the way to the middle rounds. So I look at we got Christan benfer Wet from Villanova. What in the fifth round league, It's gonna be players nowadays as ready to play that we can trust. We built our d line. If you guys already stated about bringing guys in in the free agency along with what we already have on that uppunt prob was gonna get pressure and maybe how help out on the back end. So I look forward to that powers James Cook, I definitely can see this movement either going up or going back. But I believe they're gonna get picks maybe for next year with these kids. And I saw all I want to stay. But thanks so much for taking my call and I love each and everyone.

Yeah, all right, thanks, Yeah, that's I'll say this. The concussion thing is, I get it. It scares a lot of us because we've seen guys retire because of it.

We don't have access to the medical records right the way the team does.

We don't think about this.

Mitch Morris had concussion problems here with Buffalo, and once he got over it, they were gone.

He didn't have a recurrence. That is the.

That's the thing about him, and we say it all the time. Once you get a concussion, if you're allowed to come back one hundred percent completely from that concussion, you're no more susceptible to getting another one than anybody else. You're fully healed. We can all look kind of sideways at Christian Benford and somehow he got through the concussion protocol and got nicked two weeks in a row, and early in the Chiefs game off of a rather benign hit.

It was a pretty good hit. Hamlin hit him with friendly fire with the crown of his helm.

Right, Okay, that kind of thing happens, and it becomes part of the part of the culture. You got to protect the players from themselves because they don't care. They're gonna come back and they're gonna play whether they've had a concussion in the last six hours or not. They want to play, so you got to protection from themselves. And I see your point about Christian Benford having this thing about being damaged goods. I can't see him that way, but I see how you do. And if you and listen, if you don't want to pay top dollar to a corner if you want to keep getting young guys in and drafting them, and you can get away with it. If you can give me a guy like Christian Benford, fine, I'll do it.

Yeah, but what's the guarantee you're guarantee that.

Yeah, there's no guarantee. They got him in the sixth, sixth round, sixth round, dude.

That's a The other The other problem here is.

Your cornerback position is already thin, even with Benford on the roster. Do you want to subtract what is arguably your best and most talented corner at a position that's already thin. I just I can't get around to seeing my way to that because logically it doesn't add up as something that the Bills typically do, especially at a prime position like cornerback. So look, I wouldn't rule out the cook thing because running backs can be found a lot more easily than other positions, So I don't think that's outlandish to suggest it. But the corner stuff, i'd be surprised because it's a thin position already. He's the best one you have, and let's not forget his team was twenty ninth in third down defense last year. You want to take away your best cover corner from that equation, I don't think you want to do that.

And Rasseul Douglas isn't signed, and Rasseul Douglas was probably number two and it wasn't close. And see, Christian Benford was by far the best guy because of his age, his youth and all that going on the other stuff that you were talking about James Cook being traded to for you know, for draft picks and stuff. Okay, but once again, you better there better be a there better be somebody for Brandon. He's not doing it just for some arbitrary pick. For me, if I'm a GM, I'm not letting James Cook out the door along with whatever draft capital I can to move up to get a guy unless I know that guy is unbelievable, because James Cook is unbelievable. So you're not gonna trade known asset for somebody, just some blank draft pick. It's got, it's gonna happen. If that happens is on draft day and your guy is right there and that's the guy you covet, then.

It may happen.

But just to say, like like now before the draft even comes and say, yeah, I'll give you James Cook for a three or a two or whatever.

No, you're not gonna do that James Cook.

He pulls your offense along at times, even with Josh on the field. So unless there's unless there's a can't miss guy, unbelievable guy there, you're not making that deal.

I don't think.

Gotta take a break here. More of your phone calls when we return. Mike and Williamsville, Judy and Buffalo, Pete Lancaster, stay where you are.

We'll get to you when we return.

Here on One Bill's Live, presented by Colid of Health, It's Buffalo Bills Radio.

All right back here on One Bill's Live.

Topic of conversation today, what off season move do you believe holds the most potential for the Bills in twenty twenty five And give us a jingle At eight oh three five point fifty one eight eight five fifty two five fifty. Got a couple open lines for you there. But we go to Mike in Williamsville.

What do you offers? Michael?

Hey, guys, how are.

You goo good?

Okay? I have a couple of quick questions Steve. One of them I I'd like you to answer after I get off off the phone.

Okaynumber one, I want to thank number one.

I want to thank you for putting a little bit of down in the pundits that make stupid decisions and stupid thoughts that really don't know what they're talking about. Number two, Uh, cornerbacks. I'd like to see us still in free agency, even if we go get Terrey White and Uh and Assami Samuel Junior. Defensive line is very important and safety savior Watts. My question to Steve is real quick. It's about a contract. If you bring somebody back that you know has given you issues in the past, can you put a clout in the contract that stipulates if you act like you did I'm talking about stuff on Diggs. If you act the way you did and you've showed disrespect like you did, we can null employed your guarantee money. I'll listen to your response.

Okay, thanks mine. Yeah, Mike, you can do that.

I don't know how many players are signing that one. Well, if I have a bad day at the office, you can cancel my contract.

You can negotiate anything into a contract, but in this case what you're talking about, you have to be extremely specific. You have to lay out a bunch of stuff, and you have to you know, there'll be lawyers and they'll they'll map out the language that it would take, that what they believe that would hold up in a court if the guy contested it and you released him and took the money back.

Yes, you can.

You can negotiate all that into it, no question about it. How cumbersome that would be, and how much effort that would take, and whether the guy would sign it or all, you know, variables that you can't control.

But yes, you can do anything you want. You can.

You could guarantee the guy one hundred million dollars unless unless he did something that you knew he couldn not do, like you know, take your pick. Yeah, yeah, all that stuff's negotiable for sure. More often than not, you'd never get the guy to sign it, and you'd have to the language would be a phone book thick.

We see morality clauses a lot in contracts, but you're talking about, you know, a guy just being a donkey to his teammates or his coaching staff.

Is that the first time you've taken my donkey?

I did take your donkey term there, because I well, I can't use some of the other words. So yeah, I, as Steve said, you could probably put it in there, but I think it'd be hard pressed to get an agent and a player to sign off on it, unless you know, yeah, you got some squeaky clean player that isn't worried about it. But in that case, you probably don't have that clause in there in the first place for someone.

Of that character.

So yeah, I think it's easier said than done. I understand why you would want it in there, for sure, you know, as a as a fan that's clearly still rankled by some of the high maintenance stuff that this team.

Dealt with with digs. But yeah, I think it'd be it's easier said than do.

Yeah, and don't take all this stuff I said about the mock draft. Seriously, I was calling them dumb, but that's that's just me. Yeah, contentious yeah, you got these guys got to do it. I mean, the mock draft is a thing, it's a well, it's a cottage industry.

Uh.

And so obviously I'm not going to agree with most or any of the mock drafts. Most of the time I don't agree with them is when they have as taken a guy that should have be a you know, top fifteen pick, and we're picking thirtieth. The guy ain't gonna get there.

Uh.

But and then to.

Boot then they start putting in these hypothetical trade situations.

Yeah, yeah, I have.

It's like it's like the NCAA brackets. There's twenty four million people that do a mock draft. Zero perfect mock drafts.

I mean, you're you bet that'd be just as accurate that right there, rolling a bingo basket and then pulling out a letter in a number.

That should be the next thing that Warren Buffett does. You know, you've got a million dollars if you do the perfect bracket, you million dollars. If you can do the first round of the NFL draft.

Perfect with trades, nobody's everybody, You're never going to touch it.

Uh. We are up against the clock here as we are at the top of the hour, but more of your phone calls as we are wide open for hour number two. What off season move do you believe holds the most potential for the Bills in twenty twenty five? We know there are more to come draft, maybe a little more free agency. But what to this point do you think holds the most potential for the Bill's benefit this coming season? Eight h three zero five fifty one eighty eight five fifty two five fifty. Here on One Bill's Live presented by Kalida Health.

It's Buffalo Bills Radio. This this One Bill's Live presented by Calllida Health.

All right, good to have you with us on a Monday Chris Brown, Steve tasking with you here on One Bill's Live Monday edition talking about what off season move you believe holds the most potential for the Bills this coming season? Eight three five fifty the number to get on board here and we are wide open for your phone calls.

This afternoon we go to Pete in Lancaster. Next, what do you got for his? Pete?

Oh?

Hey, can you hear me?

Yeah?

Go ahead, all right.

I just wanted to make the point about where the emphasis should be in the draft. I know people are talking about a receiver. I think if we look at this past season and we had a couple of guys on defense, either for depth or a frontline player, say on the defensive line or defensive backer safety, if we had those two extra guys, we go sixteen and one, and the only thing they need to do then is sign James Cook for the offense, go whole hog on the draft with defense, and I think you're going to be the leading the leading team in the season next year.

Okay, yeah, I mean I can get on board with that. Pete, I don't disagree. I mean, look at the statistics. I mean, if you, I think we all saw how they played defensively, they used takeaways to get themselves out of some bad spots last year.

I mean, this team, as we.

Said earlier, twenty ninth in third down defense, followed by eighteenth in sacks, and even in the red zone, they weren't as good as they've been in years past. I'm not going to remember off the top of my head where they ranked in red zone defense, but that wasn't superb either. So that all points to fortifying or refortifying the front and the back end of your defense. I think the middle of your defense is at least stable, you know, with Terrell Bernard, Matt Milano, Tarren Johnson, Dorian Williams, you.

At least have stability there.

Want to add depth, fine, but the front and the back end they need some reinforcements. And you've addressed that to some degree, you know, with what you've signed up front in terms of you know, pass rush, defensive interior, a movable chess piece like Hoyt. And you've tried to begin to address your back end with some depth pieces at the very least Derek Forrest, Dan Jackson. But you need some front line help on the back end and the front end.

They were twenty fourth in passing yards allowed, seventeenth in total yards allowed, twenty first in yards per play, They were twenty twenty ninth in third down percentage given up ranked out of thirty two teams, they were twenty ninth. They were ranked thirteenth out of thirty two and fourth down percentage. They were sixteenth in red zone percentage defense. Yeah yeah, this is all defense. Fourteenth in goal to go situations, so, and in points per game they ranked Let's see, they ranked while they were middle of the pack, bottom third.

Uh so.

Yeah, they two guys away. I don't know.

Maybe yeah, you can take yeah if if they're the right two guys. You're always two guys away, right, So say what you want. You're right, Defense needed help last year. Here's the problem we all have right now.

I get it.

We're looking at the roster. We have some known commodities on offense. We have some guys that are coming. We can expect even better things from Curtis, Samuel maybe healthy, We'll have a more productive year, Kate Hellman, Ken Kaid healthy, all of these guys. The problem is this, you come back with this exact same roster this next year. On offense, there are no guaranteed it's gonna go well at all.

You don't know.

You think it probably will. That's your best chance. Probably, man, you never know.

I think you can rest pretty easy that you're gonna be good because you have the ultimate force multiples all.

I get it, that's right. But the problem is, you know, teams run it back quite often in this league, attempt to, and it doesn't go exactly the same as it did the year before. Teams got a year under their belt, they they kind of got a feel for what your offense is. If you come back and do the everybody eats mantra again, they're gonna attack it differently and play it differently than they have in the past. You're gonna you're gonna have different challenges than you did this year. Off Defensively, your roster's depleted because of the contract situations. Everybody's out of a contract. You gotta sign guys just to have enough guys to fill a team.

To fill out a team.

Plus, if you're gonna do the philosophy of rotating for defensive linemen in, you're to me, you're always gonna have a pass rush like you've had. It's hard enough to get two great pass rushers, you ain't gonna get eight. And just because you got fresh guys in there doesn't mean they're gonna be any more effective because they're just guys. Times the Bills have been a victim to that. Once in a while, you do get some more consistent effort, no question, when you rotate those guys in, they're fresher than the offensive lines, particularly in the second half. But this philosophy that this team runs has a lot of pluses. But you're right defensively, they need some game wreckers that they just do not have right now, and after free agency. The cap situation one is, unless Bosa comes in and is everything we hope he'd be and stays healthy, you haven't got anybody unless it's him. Unless it's him, he better be because you're playing with one corner, not two right now. There's a lot in There's a lot in this because there's so many unknown and then this is the time of year we're in. There's so many unknowns. You feel like you can count on the offense. But man, oh man, you get one or two guys that waiver or go down at the wrong time, and then your offense looks sick. You know, it looks like it's not well, it's not scoring, can't move the ball, can't get a first down. Now you're in a stretch where you're losing games because of the ripple effects of that. Oh man.

So it's just so many unknowns when you get here.

Variables you're trying to I mean, look at Houston from last year to the twenty from twenty three to twenty four, I mean, they look like the next hot commodity in the league, and they win their division. In twenty three, they go to the second round of the playoffs.

CJ.

Stroud looks like the second Coming. And then they get to the second year with Stroud in twenty twenty four. Their offensive line is a mess, their offense struggles, they end up firing their offensive coordinator, and they they got a dose of reality playing a first play schedule.

Yeah, oh you want to win your division?

Okay, now you get to play the Ravens, the Chiefs and the Bills.

How's that gonna go?

If you want to sobering a sobering thought, all say this and Tom back there are control will put up on the screen the Bills schedule next year, folks, It is a nightmare, particularly the home schedule. They were ten and oh here in high Mark this year. Look at their schedule next year.

Oh my gosh.

At home, you've got the Patriots, Jets, Dolphins. Right now, you've got the Ravens vision winner, Bengals team, the Saints playoff team, the Bucks playoff team, the Chiefs, and the Philadelphia Eagles and your Super Bowl champion the Eagles, Chiefs, Bucks, Bengals, Ravens.

All made the playoffs four than one divisions. Now man come on. That's that's hard. Yeah, and they've been doing it for the last five years.

That gets their wheelhouse. I mean they you know, they've been in that fire for five years. So they're gonna get out of it and they'll be all right. And I mean right now you look at it. See geez, I hope we can win more games than we lose at home.

It's tough.

Set on the road, it's a lot different story now without with the exception of the division Patriots, Chefs, Dolphins, and then Steelers. Then you've got Browns, Panthers, Falcons.

Texans are better than people think.

They did a lot of work in free agency this year too, So I'm gonna be I am unconvinced.

Okay, let me say this too.

The Panthers, they have not gotten a load of argument our dudes in a minute, Well that's true. When this team rolls in off the bus down there, they're gonna that's gonna be a slap in their face. Uh so, particularly if it happens in weeks two, three, or four. Right, So yeah, that the the away schedule. Okay, I'll take that.

Yeah.

Steelers are good, yeah, okay, and the Patriots. It's gonna be rough.

Patriots could be tricky. Yeah, they're gonna be a hard out, harder out than they've been in years.

So but that home schedule next year.

Holy yeah, it's it's a doozy. Let's get back to the phones. We go to Judy in Buffalo. What's up, Judy.

I'm really tired of all this talk about anybody worrying about who's going to get Rogers or Williams. You know, I don't want to say that there. He has been quarterback, but they are not really a league quarterback, so everybody talks about these I'm tired of the talk.

Let it go.

Let's get back to the Bills. I hate to sound like a broken record, but the Bills can control the ball forty minutes out of sixty in a game. But the one thing they are lacking is a deep receiver. I don't care who he is, where he is. Number one draft choice gets somebody who can run down the field and take somebody with him and take some of the pressure off. And this is basically what we need. Use the other draft choices shore up your defense. But this is a team that controls or can control the ball sixty out of forty minutes.

That's it?

All right?

Well, Judy, before you go, you there the question, the question I think Steve wants to poses, why.

Why do you need this wide receiver? Because they scored more points last year than anybody in the league. Left, she left, She don't want to and I get it. She's not the only one, Judy, She's right. She's she's called and hammered us with this fast wide receiver.

She is on the receiver train. That she is on the receiver train has been cheveral years. Yeah, that's cool.

I want to know, what do you think is gonna be the big What are you gonna notice about this offense? They're gonna score more points than they did setting in franchise record last year without one. Are they gonna control the ball forty one minutes instead of forty minutes out of every sixty?

I mean she believes right, wrong or indifferent that she said it.

I'm not putting words in her mouth. She said it'll take some of the pressure off.

Are you taking the pressure off the defense?

Yeah?

I mean you just scored more points than any other team in football. I don't know how much more you could take the pressure.

The Bills proved their recipe last year was money and they didn't have that guy.

Yeah, they didn't have it.

They didn't have that guy. And they, man, old man, they were they were putting it on people. They were lumping people up.

They scored over thirty points in twelve games.

They were, they were crushing it last year.

I mean they yeah, they've scored. They had a stretch where they.

Scored thirty four, thirty one, thirty thirty, thirty, thirty five, forty two, forty eight.

I mean, come on, I get it. Good players make you better.

But man, old man, I don't know what you're asking for, like like thirty one, thirty one, thirty one, you know, I mean, because.

They were doing everything they.

Wanted to do offensively last year. They they had the MVP at QB with without that guy. I don't know how you can look at the team and the way they performed and where the production was last year and think that the number one thing they need is more offense.

I mean, and that's I mean, that's with it tone and yes, that is with a defense that got the.

Ball back for them thirty two times via turnovers, so they gave them thirty two extra possessions.

But they also didn't get off the field all that well.

The best way the Bills defense got off the field yes last year was by taking the ball away because it certainly wasn't by getting off the field on third down because that didn't happen very often. So I think I can't get past helping the defense first. I'm I'm going to stick to my guns on that. I understand people want a fancy new toy on offense, some difference maker at receiver.

Keon Coleman may grow into that and be that for you.

I don't that's not a guarantee if Kinkaid might be better in year three, which is where we have seen a lot of skill position players on offense reach critical mass under this regime.

So well, yeah, I'm with you.

I like I said, it's hard to throw darts at what they did offensively last year. It really is hard to throw any darts at what they did. If they ran it back and scored the exact same number of points every week that they did, you would expect them. Yeah, they win, maybe probably more like fourteen because if you think of the one they scored forty two points.

In a loss in LA.

That's I just I can't I get it, But yeah, no, give me some defenders who can make a play. Give me a game wrecker over there, if you can get one. You're asking for a game record and you're giving me one on offense or defense. Give me a defender.

We heard Sean McDermott say it himself at his end of season press conference. He was speaking in general terms, but he said, you need two to three different two to three difference makers on either side of the ball, like elite difference maker type players. The Bills have Josh Allen and I think you can argue James Cook on offense. I don't know that you have someone of that caliber on the defensive side of the ball right now, like elite playmaking talent.

Bosa could be that if healthy. But that's about it on that side of the ball. Yeah.

Let's get back to the phones, though, when we go to Bill and kenmore, who's been waiting patiently?

What's up Bill?

So I want to pass out a bunch of flowers and ask a question. I'm going to pass out flowers to Dorian Williams for being far more than a serviceable replacement for Milano. Pass out flowers to Milano for working really hard to get back on the field. Pass out Flowers to the coaching staff for not putting him on a pitch count so he was ready in the playoffs, and then finally Flowers to the YouTube for explaining to us what was going on going on with him playing that much early on because Matt Milano just off I R was not a good replacement for Dorian Williams. So my question is what would be your impression of starting Dorian Williams and Matt Milano's linebacker and make game Terrell Bernard, you're heavy nickel, All.

Right, interesting question and proposition there.

Bill, It's a philosophical shift and.

You've got somebody else calling the defense.

Now, if you're going to do that, Terrell Bernard is more than just a guy playing a position. He's also the voice and the leader of the defense and the defensive captain and the defensive captain and all of that. I would say I would start, and if we're going to try and do that, I would put Milano and Bernard on the field and bring Williams and Dorian Williams in And if you want them.

To take on the roles you're suggesting. The only thing you're changing is Williams comes on the field and Tarren Johnson goes off.

That's a far less.

That's a lesser degree of change to the entire scope of your defense than what you suggested. So I would say that would be a more likely shit if you want to do that. And look, big nickel is more and more popular in the league because of the way that teams have leaned back in favor of the run game, because a lot of teams were playing nickel from first down, second down, third down. They said, all right, well, we're gonna run at you, and we're gonna have a guard on your nickel corner. Have fun blocking that up right and making tackles.

So, yeah, if you.

Want to make Bernard your big nickel guy and the only change to the regular defense is Dorian Williams comes on the field, I think that's a way.

To get there.

Yeah, I could go along with that. I don't They're not gonna take Christian Bernard or to Rell Bernard off the field. They're leaving him on, and they may not want to take Taran off the field either. But we had this conversation last week where there we said that over the court, over all the entire NFL. There was almost four thousand more yards rushing this last regular season. There was a resurgence as a resurgence and they had because of the running plays and getting tackled in bounds. There was like, I don't know, one hundred and seventy less offensive snaps over the course of the regular season, which is a little bit negligible, but you know it's starting to you see the ripple effects of it, and you know it all starts in the nuts and bolts with who's defending and how offenses want to.

Maximize those matchups.

So yeah, the big nickel, that wouldn't be a big nickel. That would be three linebackers on the field. That'd be a regular four to three.

So there's that.

I don't have a problem with it if it works, But I would say that's probably more likely is that Dorian would come in in place of Taron Johnson rather than Bernard coming in in place of Terren Johnson.

And I think in training camp this summer, Dorian is going to push Millana for the starting job at all linebacker. I wouldn't dismiss that. I think there's going to be a pretty fierce competition there this summer. Let's go to Cleveland in Niagara Falls. What do you have for is Cleveland?

How you doing?

First?

I just wanted to come to Judy's question about the wide receiver one.

Here.

Here's my thing. You guys say that, here's the truth of the truth of the matter is that the offense. You know, the team did score a lot of points. But I think that we forget that a lot of the reasons why because our defense gave our offensive short field and no one's better in short field than Josh Allen in the league. In my opinion, I think you know, a wide receiver one is going to.

Like.

For example, I remember during the one game where Ernie Shavers I'm sorry, Shavers got the one touchdown thrown from Trebisky. I think it was you guys that said the reason why they were able to do that and Josh can't necessarily do that with with their offensive scheme is because there's a spy involved. Well, well, maybe a number one receiver makes these defenses use a different scheme and a spy may not be involved in that scheme. I think that the defense that the draft is deepen up with defensive tackle and that McDermott calls a great defense to where we can get a defensive tackle in the second or third round. I wouldn't be totally against get the number one receiver in the first round if we could, because I do believe that helps. Despite the points that we scored, I feel like we worked really hard for those points and the number one receiver is gonna make us work a little less harder. I'll wait for your guys' opinion. And also I want to leave with this, Steve, I feel like you should have been in the Hall of Fame years ago, and I'll leave it at that.

Appreciate it.

Yeah, Unlessen Cleveland, that's a good call. I'll listen to that. A wide receiver one will affect the defense differently than everybody eats, you know what I mean?

Yeah, I get that. I'll listen to that.

That's completely fair and it makes some sense if that makes that defense do something that you can take advantage of. One pushback to that would be and we talk about this all the time. That's why you know Baltimore is such a handful offensively. They had this juggernaut of a season in Baltimore because nobody was built to stop a two hundred and forty pound running back and a four to three quarterback, and in a run game like that, nobody's built to stay, and a three hundred pound full back, nobody's built to stop that.

So yeah.

On conversely, almost every defense is built to match up with a number one. Not too many of them at this point are built to match up with everybody eats.

They don't know.

They got to pick a matchup differently than they do with a big number one. Big number one, it's like picking the macout in pass protection. That's the guy they let. It allows them to set their defense. Now you force them into some mental hoops where they say, okay, in this formation with these people, who's their guy?

We don't know. That's different.

Now to say one's better than the other, well, it all depends on who's out there and how you execute. But that's the difference. I'll listen to that, though. If you think a number one makes it that much tougher on a defense to match up, I'll listen, because, let's face it, we still have the same everybody eats guys aside from the number one, So they're going.

To be just as good in their way.

But I don't think you or I were ever debating the merits of adding a number one receiver making the offense better. I think we all would universally agree it would make the offense better. I think what Steve and I are arguing is I don't think it should be priority one because of how well the offense has performed. I mean, look, and I just mentioned it before you did, Cleveland, that the Bills offense got thirty two extra possessions via the takeaway by the defense, but they also had less time on the field because of all the times where the Bills defense couldn't get off the field. Proof of that is in their time of possession the Bills were They scored more points than anybody in football. If you count the playoff games from last season, they were nineteenth in time of possession, and they were number two in the league in red zone offense. That has nothing to do with Buffalo's defensive abilities and everything to do with how efficient they were inside the opponent's twenty yard line. This was a high scoring outfit that found it more than capable of putting six on the board instead of three more often than not. Number two in red zone offense in terms of touchdown efficiency at a clip of almost seventy two percent. The only team that was better was Baltimore, who Steve mentioned was a boulder rolling down hill all season.

So the priority has to be it has to be. Now.

I understand the board may fall a certain way when you're picking at thirty, where maybe there's one of the top two receivers in the draft staring at you in the face in that situation, Matthew Golden sitting there at thirty.

Okay, I'm okay with that.

Yeah, But short of that, you gotta get some big guys, and you gotta get some corners and fast.

That's right, that's where we're at.

I can't put wide receiver at the top of the priority list the way the team is currently constructed and with the production you know you've got offensively on that side of the ball. If you can get one, sure, you can sign one cheap, sure, but that's not that's not for this draft. I don't think unless you know in the fifth, sixth, seventh round, you know, day three. So that's kind of where Brownie and I are at. Yes, a number one receiver affects the defense in a much different way than everybody eats.

But you don't need that as desperately as the other. Yeah.

Yeah, that's I mean, that's where we're at right now. We're thinking like what like today, You've got to pick a guy that's on the board right now, who do you really need?

And you can argue you need a starter at corner and a potential starter at defensive tackle. I mean, day Kwon Jones gonna be thirty four years old this year, and I love day Quon, but is he getting through a seventeen games?

And I don't know any starter in his place by week six or seven? Yeah, And I don't know if Dwayne Carter's gonna be ready for that. And I don't think he.

Plays that spot per se. He's more so Ed's rotational backup, right.

So you got to you gotta have some bodies, and corner is a glaring need right now. So yeah, well, I'll listen to the big wide receiver number one because, like I always say, better players make you better. Good players make you good. Right, You're gonna get better with better players, and a and a big time number one would make you better. But man oh man, they got some they got some other stuff that's more urgent.

Up against the clock here. But We're still taking your phone calls here for the rest of the show. So Bill in Old Forge, justin in one on to Another's holding. We'll get to you when we return here on One Bill's Live, presented by Klidea, Healt's Buffalo Bill's Radio. All right back here on One Bill's Live, Chris Brown, Steve Tasker asking you what off season move do you believe holds the greatest potential for the Bills in twenty.

Twenty five, has some pretty good calls today.

Yeah, and we've got more waiting Steve, Well, all.

Right, then I'll shut up. Go ahead, get the importance.

Go to Bill in Old Forge next. What's up? Bill?

Hey, guys, I'm gonna piggyback on Like Judy and Nick Guy Cleveland said, there's nothing wrong with the team. Team's great, coaching's great. Are we gonna win a bunch of games? Course we are. We're that good. Allen's great to me, Bean, Bean's questionable his drafting, that's my opinion. I don't think he's been drafting that especially in the first two round since he's been here. We draft good players, not great ones. Then you look at guys you could have gotten and removed these made trading down kallis to me, it hasn't worked out in the long run. But to not want to have a number one guy, I mean a number one guy to the history of league. You can go Kelly, Andre Reid, Aikman, Irvin mcnabbto I mean, every Super Bowl champion, Montana Rice, they usually had that guy that the star Hall Fame quarterback was thrown to. For the majority of time we was there, Brady didn't have it, Rodgers didn't have it. You know, some guys never had that in their career and they still played good. And that would be Allen, But a lot of these guys did have a guy. Steve Young had Rice. The list goes on the history of the game. Bradchaw had Swan. Right now, you've got Jamar Chase with Burrow. They're giving him a guy. They're actually in the two guys Seedee Lamb with with with Prescott. A lot of these guys do have a guy and we don't. And even Pittsburgh grabbing Metcalf, they're trying to get a guy without having a quarterback. So I'd hate to see I'm not one of those guys that said we're wasting Al's career. There's no way the team is great. King's great. They're an awesome team. I'll never say that this team's great.

I love it.

I love what they do, everything about it. But would I like to see a guy with Allen while he's still in his prime? Heck ya, I would because you could score forty points a game, and that's fine. Why not score fifty a game? Maybe that is the thing that gets us to the super Bowl, maybe even win a super Bowl. That one player. We don't know unless you try. And I always think when you got a quarterback like him, it helps the most to have that guy to throw to. And I would use Burrow and Jamar Chase as the best example for me what's in the league now those two guys, I don't think you ever start stop trying to do it. We need defensive help and all that, but I would love to see Alm with a guy and this everything eats. That means you got a bunch of just the average guys.

I would like to have a guy I got you, And I'll say this, yeah, yeah, I would. I want I want Jamar Chase right just like everybody. And and I'll you know, I'll throw my you know your favorite player. You know, I'll throw another guy and you can throw him into the tree. That's fine, you know what I mean, I want that guy.

Yes.

The point we're making is at this point, when you're trying to build your team and you got a draft coming up, you're not You're not picking that guy on the board. You're picking a guy at another position. Because I mean, look at y'all, use your example, Joe Burrown, Jamar Chase, and t Higgins. They stunk last year. Their team stunk because they and they had everything you can have a defense at all. They didn't have anybody. They scored thirty points a game. They couldn't win. The reason we scored thirty points and ones because our defense got turnovers. Are you gonna put are you gonna put all your eggs in that turnover basket again? You gotta try and get it. You gotta try and get better.

I mean, because they were doing Why the Eagles win a Super Bowl?

Their defense pretty damn good, really good, best in the league.

So I'm.

I get it, and I don't know why everybody, and I guess we're the conversation is going that way because we've got to bring it up. I am not against a number one wide receiver. I'm just again right now, that's not high on the list.

Camp.

It's always on the list. Absolutely. You always want a bigger, better, faster, you know, Calvin Johnson type guy like get me one of those, yes, of course, but not in this draft, not at the top, not in the first three picks. And if you get down past the first three picks, well, I don't know if you're gonna get that guy.

That's my point. Off the board falls, Like I.

Said earlier, if the ball board somehow falls a certain way and somebody like a Matthew Golden falls in your lap, okay, I make the pick.

Totally fine with that. I don't think that's gonna happen.

And to me, the more pressing priorities are on the defensive side of the ball. I mean, the problem for this team is not scoring points. It's keeping other teams off the scoreboard because you can't get off the field on third down. And you know, your your red zone defense was what the heck was it? It was middle of the pack. I mean they're giving up touchdowns almost fifty eight percent of the time.

I mean, I'll just look at one random website. I'll just take give there. This is a draft kind of website. It's and I can't remember, I can't pronounce some of the names. Tatorio McMillan wide receivers from Mary's Arizona six five to twelve runs a four five five, Matthew Golden from Texas, Luther Burden the third from Missouri, Emica Egbuca from Ohio State, Trey Harris from Old miss Eric. I am Anore from Stanford. I believe Jalen Royals.

Strike the second. Now that guy's not a strong class.

You know that's what you're looking at. And I don't know that I can be enamored with any of those guys as I would be with even the top guy on the list, the six five two twelve kid that runs a four five five. If I had him a choice between him and a dual carter, you take a dual carter. It's not always the case in these drafts. You might take the wide out before you take the pass rusher. I'd almost take the top corner than any of these guys. You really need, they need a game wrecker on that side of the ball. Bosa may be, it might be it, but you're only here for one year, even so, I mean, let's just make it this as good as we can this year.

That's fine.

If Bosa comes in and is a wrecking crew, awesome.

Let's go to Justin in oning on to what's.

Up Justin afternoon, Guys, he kind of took the win out of my sales. I'm banging that defensive drum. Hearing everyone talk about wide receivers is like that SNL skate with Christopher Walking. I got a fever and I need more cow bell, Like isn't isn't the answer?

Right?

Like we you said it multiple times? We set the scoring record, like where we were amazing on offense. I have nightmares of Elam tripping over himself against the Jeeps, Like it's we need to adjust the defense. Eagles proved it's the D line.

Call.

A couple of callers ago mention, like going to a four to three, would we move Taron Johnson out to the outside, then would he be stuck primarily slotted?

Well, the way the way everything's structured down, he's there's nobody else to play out the other side is either you know, yeah, I don't know whether if or I don't know if they take Taran off, or take maybe like what Dane Jackson off the field and put Tarran outside instead. If they went to a two cornerbacks set, you know, a true traditional four to three, you know, four down lineman, three linebackers, four defensive backs, two corners, two safeties, you know, it becomes a numbers game, in a matchup game. And I don't know how they would do it. It's been a while since we've seen them do that, so and plus we don't even know how the roster's going to look at the end of it. But yeah, I leave that to the coaches and the exes and those guys who watch film and study and know the limitations and the strengths and weaknesses of their own guys and can give some assessment of the opponent's strengths and weaknesses and how to match those. That's a week to week thing in the league. I'm not saying they'd do it every week or all the time, but if they did it really, really well, you can bet you'd see it a lot against a lot of teams. So right now they don't have that in there. They don't do that very much because probably because they don't have any faith in it or faith in their players that they could do that or that that's the best way. So when that changes, you can bet it'll change in a heartbeat. But for right now, Tarren Johnson and his ability to compete as a nickel in the run game is part and parcel of why they have been able to run their defense the way they have. Now, you can make it cut cases they need to run it differently because of the you know, the struggles they had last year. Maybe they will, but Taron Johnson's been a guy they do not want to take off the field for anybody.

Let's go to Mark in West Seneca here. What have you got Mark?

Hey, guys, here we are again. Every time at this time of year. I feel like it's deja vu all over again. It's with this receiver stuff. First of all, I love Judy, but her argument has a basic hole in it right from the beginning, arguing we need a guy to go down the field, take the top off and make big plays and then hold on to the ball. Well, if you shorten the field and you make big plays, you're typically going to be on the field lost time and you won't be holding the ball forty you know, forty minutes a game, So that just doesn't make any sense on its face value that alone. Secondly, did we not have a top five receivers here in his prime for three four years? And from what I could remember, we had our fair share again where we couldn't get the ball to that guy in games because of what defenses were doing. It's not an automatic we're going to move the ball and score forty five points a game. Secondly, it would be to me a change in strategy if you have a number one and I'm not arguing against the number one receiver, I just think that they've got to think of all these things before they make a move like this. You got a guy that's demanding the ball just because of his pure ability and skill, that's going to be a change in strategy. Because as far as I'm concerned right now, the strength of this offense is that we have so many multiple weapons with above average skill, and we have a offensive coordinator who's very adept at moving those pieces around getting him positioned to make plays and score points. And then if there's going to be a shift in what you're going to do, if you're now concentrating on getting the ball, I don't know thirty forty percent of the t I'm to your number one receiver, so I mean, I think we could use that eventually. And then lastly, I love when all these people bring up, well, we need a number one guy. We need a guy like Chase, we need a guy like Jefferson. Has everybody forgotten where we've been picking for five years?

Yeah?

And Mark, I'm sorry, we're up against the break here, so I got to let you go, but thanks for the call. And yeah, I mean they had a number one receiver here in Alpha Male and Stefan Digs for four years.

He was ultra productive.

The offense was productive, the defense you could argue was even better in terms of front to back talent wise. And that didn't get him over the hump either. So there's no guarantee if you do get a number one receiver.

Break time for us.

Steve and I close it up next here on One Bill's Live Stay with us. What offseason move holds the most potential for the Bills this coming season? Tweets sheet brought to by Corrigan Moving Systems, official equipment moving company of the Buffalo Bills. Very quickly, I'll run through some Tom says Bosa has a very high ceiling if you can stay healthy. Mateo says, not signing James Cook means we understand the cap and not needing to pay a running back. He uses great old line on MVP quarterback for success. Carl says the moves on the D line, Connor says the signing of Bosa, and Christopher says getting draft picks to reshape our roster.

Okay, it's all good.

I'm with you, yeah, Just get the best players you can. No matter what, I was tigur it out, I was hammering Brownie with this. Just get your recipe in training camp, get the best players you can, then find out how you win.

That's it for us today. We'll see you tomorrow at one