Our Only Holes Left?

[Ann]

33 minutes ago, IDBillzFan said:

 

I don't think the jury is out on Star Lotulelie yet.

His cap hit indicates he is back unless he retires.
 

 

31 minutes ago, Joe said:

 

What's a year off of football going to do to his physical shape?

 

Fat dudes and inactivity not a good thing

 

Good point. They are keeping him though.

 

[GG1]

22 minutes ago, Ann said:

His cap hit indicates he is back unless he retires.
 

 

Good point. They are keeping him though.

 

 Yup, although I disagree with Spotrac's cap hit for '22.  His pay is guaranteed only for injury.  Thus, if he's healthy at the end of next season, they can walk away with a small cap hit.

[CarpetCrawler]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/how-the-bills-can-improve-for-2021/vi-BB1d7sEJ

[Ann]

I wasn't sure to put this (it will go into the Dolphins thread too as it is a Miami Herald article),  but I wonder how something like this plays out for the Bills for next season?

 

Le’Veon Bell’s eye-opening explanation of why he picked Chiefs over the Dolphins
 

After forcing his way out of New York back in October, star running back Le’Veon Bell had three potential destinations: the Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills.
 

It was one of the toughest decisions of his career.
 

In the end, he chose winning over production.
 

</snip>
 

On Tuesday, ahead of his first Super Bowl appearance, the ex-Steelers and Jets back explained why he said no to Miami and yes to Kansas City:
 

“That night was kind of little hectic,” Bell said. “The Dolphins were definitely in the mix, I was so torn between how much of a workload did I actually want vs. winning? At that time, [after my time] with the Jets, I was so focused on winning, I didn’t really care about how my production would look. It got so frustrating losing.
 

“I had already missed three games earlier in the season,” he added. “I [was] going to miss half the games this year. I want to go somewhere where I can still have my body and still help the team win. That’s what separated the Dolphins and the Chiefs. I felt like if I went to the Dolphins, I would have done a little more. It’s hard even trying to explain it. But it was real close between the Dolphins, Bills and Chiefs.”
 

</snip>

[Foxx]

Bills Today | One step the Bills can take to represent the AFC in Super Bowl LVI

... Around the NFL editor Gregg Rosenthal explained how each AFC team can take the Chiefs' place in next year's Super Bowl. Here is what he said about the Buffalo Bills: 

 

The Bills must: find the next defensive cornerstones.

 

The four-year ascent accomplished by coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane could be taught at Team Building University. My "one thing" the Bills needed to do last year to make the Super Bowl was make life easier for QB Josh Allen, and they succeeded beyond anyone's dreams, nearly making the big game. Now it's time to clean up the defensively oriented McDermott's side of the ball. There isn't a pass rusher to be excited about. The secondary is missing at least one cornerback, and linebacker Matt Milano is about to be a free agent. With an explosive offense in great shape long-term, the best way to make Allen's life easier now is to find more defensive difference-makers to slow down the Chiefs, especially up front. ...

 

... Former NFL front office executive Scott Pioli was on WGR 550 on Monday and he had very high praise for the Bills organization and their 2020 season.

 

"Well, I think there's so many things going right in Buffalo right now, it's pretty amazing," Pioli stated. "I have so much respect and I start at the top, for ownership, for Sean, for Brandon, for Daboll and for Leslie. There are so many people in that organization that are so good, and we haven't even gotten to the players yet. I was a huge, huge supporter all this season because it's not just that they're winning, it's how they're winning and how they built it. They put a process in place, they paid attention and they were thoughtful about how they put this roster together, how they put the team together and how they put the locker room together. I just can't say enough good things about their organization." ...

[GG1]

[Paywall] 

Bills offseason to-do list: Top needs, free-agent targets and draft options

Greatest offseason need

Offensive line

More than anything, the Bills need to figure out what they want from their offensive line in 2021. Will they make an effort to bring back Jon Feliciano and Daryl Williams? What will Mitch Morse’s future be? Is Ike Boettger a future starter? Where does Cody Ford land? The Bills have pieces up front, but no position group has as many questions entering the offseason. Beane also pointed to the scheme as a source of Morse’s issues this year, noting the Bills didn’t use as many “pull-and-pin” runs as they did in 2019.

 

Other needs

Tight end, defensive line, cornerback, running back

So much of what the Bills will need entering the offseason depends on what happens with the salary cap and the players on their roster. As the roster stands right now, tight end is a glaring need. The Bills didn’t get enough from that position in 2020, and Tyler Kroft is set to leave on an expiring contract. That leaves the Bills with Dawson Knox, Lee Smith and Reggie Gilliam on the active roster and Nate Becker on a reserve/future contract. Tommy Sweeney is still on the reserve/COVID-19 list after his season ended due to myocarditis. With Sweeney’s long-term future in question and the rest of the tight ends not adding much production this past season, finding competition at that position will be a priority.