[positional grouping] Bills Linebackers

[TakeYouToTasker 2.0]

[As we move through the off-season, We thought it might be good to have threads dedicated to position groupings so as to better keep track of what is going on with each. As always, you are free to start your own thread on any subject. We just ask that if you do, cross post it to the respective [positional grouping] thread for ease of reference by others.]

[Ann]

2020 group:

Mike Bell 
Tyrel Dodson 
Matt Milano 
Tyler Matakevich
Andre Smith 
A.J. Klein 
Tremaine Edmunds 
Darron Lee 
 

[GG1]

Bunch of JAGs and a major underachiever.   A very pedestrian unit once Milano is gone.  Good news is that with proper pro & college scouting, it shouldn't take a lot to improve this unit.

 

BTW, Bills did not bring back Bell & Lee.

[Foxx]

2021 NFL mock draft: See Buffalo Bills’ top expert picks (Version 1.0)

... Joe Marino, The Draft Network

 

Round 1: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Notre Dame

 

The Bills have some challenging free agent questions to address and a limited amount of cap space should the cap come in at $175 million. With two starters on the offensive line—Jon Feliciano and Daryl Williams—scheduled to be free agents, it would be logical for Buffalo to prioritize them and their value to Josh Allen and the offense and let linebacker Matt Milano walk. In general manager Brandon Beane’s year-end press conference, he noted Milano has to prove he can be healthy for all 16 games and mentioned he has earned the right to see what his market bears in free agency. Owusu-Koramoah has the ideal skill set to step in for Milano and provide Buffalo with a matchup linebacker that thrives in space and coverage.

 

Round 2: Dyami Brown, WR, UNC

 

Chris Trapasso, CBS Sports

 

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Notre Dame

Owusu-Koramoah is a super-twitchy safety/linebacker with elite striking ability and coverage skills. A fantastic Matt Milano replacement in Buffalo. ...

[Alaska Darin]

Owusu-Koramoah is a beast and he might be the quickest college LBer I've ever seen.  He's a bit undersized and can get caught up in traffic against bigger teams (most notably Alabama).  

 

Honestly, he reminds me a bit of Jamal Adams. 

[GG1]

Just now, Alaska Darin said:

Owusu-Koramoah is a beast and he might be the quickest college LBer I've ever seen.  He's a bit undersized and can get caught up in traffic against bigger teams (most notably Alabama).  

 

Honestly, he reminds me a bit of Jamal Adams. 

 

Didn't Milano play as a big safety in BC?   His draft grades knocked his size as a big risk for NFL, and most didn't think he could be an effective every down LB. 

[Ann]

23 hours ago, GG1 said:

Bunch of JAGs and a major underachiever.   A very pedestrian unit once Milano is gone.  Good news is that with proper pro & college scouting, it shouldn't take a lot to improve this unit.

 

BTW, Bills did not bring back Bell & Lee.

Two of them I didn't even know were on the team!

[Alaska Darin]

37 minutes ago, GG1 said:

 

Didn't Milano play as a big safety in BC?   His draft grades knocked his size as a big risk for NFL, and most didn't think he could be an effective every down LB. 

He was recruited out of HS as a safety and played there his Freshman year.  His sophomore year he moved to LBer and stayed there but he was really used almost like a hybrid safety/linebacker (much like Jamal Adams is now).

[TakeYouToTasker 2.0]

Whenever someone says the phrase “undersized linebacker” my mind goes immediately to “43 is the Mike” and I start twitching.

[KD in CA]

23 hours ago, Foxx said:

2021 NFL mock draft: See Buffalo Bills’ top expert picks (Version 1.0)

 

 

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Notre Dame

Owusu-Koramoah is a super-twitchy safety/linebacker with elite striking ability and coverage skills. A fantastic Matt Milano replacement in Buffalo. ...

 

I'd love it, but don't think he gets to #30.

[IDBillzFan]

Perhaps this is the LB we've been waiting for...

 

 

[Ann]

If you want to listen/read to Sal Capaccio's state of the linebackers, click here.

[Foxx]

3 Most Likely Destinations for Justin Houston in Free Agency

... 2. Buffalo Bills

Josh Allen's emergence makes the Buffalo Bills a really attractive option for any veteran that's looking to chase a ring. And signing Houston would address a real need in Buffalo. The Bills generated pressure at a bottom-10 rate in 2021 (21.9%). Signing Houston would be a cost-effective way to bolster that unit. ...

[Ann]

With the cap no less than $180M (and probably higher), do the Bills sign Milano?
 

 

[GG1]

1 minute ago, Ann said:

With the cap no less than $180M (and probably higher), do the Bills sign Milano?
 

 

 

Still doesn't address the fundamental Q of whether Milano is worth the $14 million contract. 

[B-Man]

1 minute ago, Ann said:

With the cap no less than $180M (and probably higher), do the Bills sign Milano?
 

 

 

 

No.

 

I know that it hurts the bottom line less, but I stick with my original analysis, that he is NOT worth 13 million a year based on his performance and fragility.

 

He's good.............he's not great

 

 

[Buffalo Bills Fan]

Just now, B-Man said:

 

 

No.

 

I know that it hurts the bottom line less, but I stick with my original analysis, that he is NOT worth 13 million a year based on his performance and fragility.

 

He's good.............he's not great

 

 

 

Right that's what my thinking as well. He's good but not great.

[Foxx]

14 minutes ago, B-Man said:

 

 

No.

 

I know that it hurts the bottom line less, but I stick with my original analysis, that he is NOT worth 13 million a year based on his performance and fragility.

 

He's good.............he's not great

 

 

If we don't sign him, we had better find an equivalent somewhere. I shudder at the thought of Edmunds out there without Milano, especially if we continue the trend of playing Nickle and only playing 2 LB's.

[B-Man]

Just now, Foxx said:

If we don't sign him, we had better find an equivalent somewhere. I shudder at the thought of Edmunds out there without Milano, especially if we continue the trend of playing Nickle and only playing 2 LB's.

 

 

Oh I completely agree.

 

I trust Beane to make the right decision, but to my unpracticed eye, Milano is not worth that much.

 

 

and we have other (bigger) contracts coming up

 

 

[GG1]

9 minutes ago, Foxx said:

If we don't sign him, we had better find an equivalent somewhere. I shudder at the thought of Edmunds out there without Milano, especially if we continue the trend of playing Nickle and only playing 2 LB's.

 

Totally agree on Milano's value to the team on the field, but how do you fit that contract when there are more pressing needs.  Last season proved how ineffective the LBs were when the front four couldn't hold their own.   You can kill two birds with one stone by upgrading the DL, which won't put as much pressure on the replacement DL.

 

I'm still a fan of the experiment to swap Edmunds' and Klein's positions.