Buffalo Bills News & Rumors

Bills Restructure Tre’Davious White’s Deal

December 2nd, 2022 at 11:17am CST by Sam Robinson

The Bills will begin their turn hosting Odell Beckham Jr. on Friday, going second on the wide receiver’s three-team itinerary that includes Giants and Cowboys summits. Buffalo created a bit of cap space as well.

The team restructured Tre’Davious White‘s contract, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). This move clears $2.29MM in cap space for a Bills team that was previously up against the salary ceiling.

White, who made his long-awaited return from a Thanksgiving 2021 ACL tear in time for this year’s Bills Thanksgiving game, is signed through the 2025 season via the four-year, $69MM extension he inked back in September 2020. The Bills had already gone to the restructure well with White, creating just more than $7MM in cap space last year. He is tied to cap numbers of $16.4MM, $16.6MM and $17MM from 2023-25, respectively.

This move will obviously benefit Buffalo even if it is not used to fit a complicated Beckham contract onto the payroll, but the team is beginning its pitch today. Beckham, 30, will be coming up from the Big Apple after his Giants meeting, which began Thursday. He is not expected to work out for any teams, but the Giants’ medical staff planned to put him through an MRI. It can be expected the Bills’ medical team will as well.

A Beckham signing would certainly cap quite an acquisition year for a team fairly unaccustomed to marquee free agency pickups. The Bills outmaneuvered the Rams for Von Miller in March, and Miller has persistently pitched Buffalo to his former Los Angeles teammate. Beckham is seeking a multiyear deal, which would benefit the three apparent finalists for cap purposes. At just more than $6MM, the Cowboys hold the most cap space among the teams meeting with OBJ.

Odell Beckham Jr. Not Planning To Work Out For Giants, Bills, Cowboys

December 1st, 2022 at 11:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

Months in the making, Odell Beckham Jr.‘s free agency tour will begin Thursday with a Giants visit. Friday, Beckham will depart for Buffalo, with perhaps his most pivotal meeting — with Dallas, which is viewed as the favorite — set for Monday.

These visits will not involve any Beckham workouts, according to the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz, who notes the eight-year veteran wide receiver is not planning to audition for any of the three teams he will visit. While marquee free agents visiting teams and not working out is nothing new, Beckham’s plan will place a greater emphasis on the interested teams’ medical evaluations.

Giants doctors will examine Beckham, who has twice torn his left ACL since October 2020, and this routine will surely continue in Buffalo and Dallas over the next few days. The Giants’ medical evaluation will include an MRI, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Some skepticism regarding Beckham’s capabilities has emerged around the league recently, but the standout pass catcher is believed to have been cleared for work in November. Early December once resided on the latter end of OBJ’s projected return timetable, but his Rams contributions have still convinced teams to wait late into this season.

Beckham, 30, will meet with new Giants power brokers Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll, along with staffers who were with the Giants during his five-season New York stay, and reconnect with John Mara. More serious discussions will be expected to commence Friday, Schwartz adds.

The Giants gave Beckham a five-year, $90MM extension just before the 2018 season began, and while that year did include a bounce back from a lost 2017 season, OBJ’s 1,052-yard campaign also happened during a season in which he criticized Eli Manning in a TV interview. The then-Dave Gettleman-led Giants regime traded Beckham to the Browns in March 2019. Among the players exchanged in that deal, only Dexter Lawrence remains with one of those teams.

As for Beckham’s fit with the Schoen-Daboll Giants, he would slide in as a potentially lethal X-factor — depending on his readiness and grasp of Daboll’s system — and help a Giants team that has seen its receiver plan change drastically from September. Ex-Beckham teammate Sterling Shepard is out for the season; so is second-round pick Wan’Dale Robinson. Kadarius Toney is now in Kansas City, and Kenny Golladay‘s $18MM-per-year pact has produced next to nothing. Months-long trade candidate Darius Slayton, who was drafted a month after the OBJ trade, is now Daniel Jones‘ No. 1 target.

Jones and Beckham never played together, but if OBJ returns to the Big Apple, he would be a critical aid to the fourth-year quarterback and the team’s quest to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. That season marks Beckham’s most recent Pro Bowl year. Despite injuries and a poor Cleveland fit, he has remained on the star tier. Teams’ offers during this unique free agency derby will be telling. Beckham is believed to be seeking a multiyear commitment.

Bills Elevate WR John Brown

December 1st, 2022 at 3:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

Quietly, the Bills reached an agreement to bring back John Brown last weekend. They are set to give him another try starting tonight against the Patriots.

The Bills elevated the veteran wide receiver from the practice squad Thursday. This transaction does not make Brown a full-fledged part of the Bills’ active roster, as the 2020 CBA allows for two gameday elevations. But Brown being in uniform with the Bills again is certainly notable.

Buffalo used Brown as its No. 1 wide receiver back in 2019, when the team added both he and Cole Beasley in free agency. Brown, who signed a three-year deal worth $27MM to move from Baltimore to Buffalo, notched his second 1,000-yard season that year. Injuries intervened for the Division II success story in 2020, and the Bills cut bait last year and added Emmanuel Sanders. The team did not re-sign Sanders or Beasley this offseason.

Brown, 32, has not caught a pass since his Bills release. The former Cardinals draftee has bounced around since the cut, seeing game action for the Broncos, Jaguars and Buccaneers last season. Those cameos came after the Raiders released Brown before the start of last season. He will supply some depth for a Bills team that has been without Jamison Crowder for a while due to a fractured ankle.

Beginning his ninth NFL season, Brown will join a Bills team that features Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis and Isaiah McKenzie atop its receiving hierarchy. Usage-wise, Brown is unlikely to approach his former role — one that led to a 72-reception, 1,060-yard, six-touchdown campaign in Josh Allen‘s second season — but he certainly provides the Bills with experience. This will be Brown’s 101st career game.

Bills Place Von Miller On IR

December 1st, 2022 at 2:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

Von Miller‘s hopes at returning from his meniscus injury in Week 14 faded quickly. The Bills placed the veteran pass rusher on IR on Thursday, shutting him down for at least four games.

The earliest Miller can now return is Week 17. Given Buffalo’s investment in the future Hall of Famer, it is unsurprising the team would operate cautiously here. While this will hurt the Bills’ pass-rushing capabilities over the next few weeks, it stands to give Miller more rehab time.

“We’ve been assessing Von this week and seeing how he is, and we don’t want to rush him back,” Bills GM Brandon Beane said. “This gives us a chance to go ahead and count tonight’s game and three more on injured reserve. And hopefully we can get him back for the stretch run.”

Miller did not tear his ACL but acknowledged he will likely need surgery. The initial Bills plan was to wait for swelling to subside over the next seven to 10 days before making a determination, but they are acting early. By placing Miller on IR ahead of their game against the Patriots tonight, Miller will only need to miss three more. It is perhaps a bit surprising the Bills are factoring roster math into an equation involving a player of Miller’s stature, but Thursday’s call also points to the organization not wanting to risk a setback by the 12th-year edge defender attempting to come back too fast.

It is believed Miller will be fine with using a knee brace upon return. He donned a brace during points of his Broncos stay, which included an ACL tear. Miller bounced back quickly from that December 2013 malady, re-establishing himself as a Pro Bowl rusher — being invited to the next six — and a player who would go on to become the first defender in NFL history to sign two $100MM-plus contracts. Miller, 33, is currently tied to a six-year, $120MM pact — one that includes guarantees into 2024.

The Bills will be without Miller for some rather key games. In addition to this Pats matchup, Miller will miss games against the Jets and Dolphins. The Bills, who also play the Bears during this span, close their regular season with Bengals and Patriots meetings. While Buffalo is ticketed to have Greg Rousseau back in Week 13 after a November absence, the team is 0-2 in the AFC East. How the Bills fare in their three Miller-less division tilts will likely determine if they will need their home blues in the AFC playoffs. At 8-3, the Bills are in decent shape to make the playoffs for a fourth straight season. But even that is not a lock. The Patriots and Chargers both loom at 6-5; a Pats win tonight would provide quite a boost.

Despite their brigade of defensive injuries, the Bills are in fine shape in terms of injury activations. The team has seven of its eight allotted injury moves remaining. One will be saved for Miller, barring a decision for a season-ending surgery. Miller indicated that was unlikely to happen, but it is not a lock the Bills have their top pass rusher back this season. Miller already amassed eight sacks this season, at only a 61% snap snare, so losing him would be a blow for the contending team’s Super Bowl hopes. This will certainly be a situation to monitor this month.

Von Miller Aiming To Return In Week 14

November 29th, 2022 at 6:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

This week’s VonCast episode brought an update on its host’s status after a Thanksgiving knee injury. Von Miller informed listeners he is hoping for a return by Week 14 against the Jets.

While Miller acknowledged he did not receive the best of news and indicated he sustained lateral meniscus damage, he confirmed the previously reported plan of letting the swelling subside and making a decision after that. Miller will miss this week’s Bills-Patriots matchup but said he will try to play in Buffalo’s ensuing game.

“I do feel like I can play through that,” Miller said, via the Buffalo News’ Katherine Fitzgerald (Twitter links). “So, I’m just gonna wait a little bit, wait a little bit, let the swelling go down for about seven to 10 days. And hopefully, right before the Jets game, I will be back. I think every other week after this, I should be able to give it a shot.”

Previous reports did not guarantee Miller would be back this season, indicating the impending surgery’s timetable will determine the future Hall of Fame pass rusher’s status. Miller said the meniscus damage is “going to have to be addressed” (video link), but it does not sound like he is considering a surgery that will knock him out for the rest of this season.

That could potentially change, as ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler adds (via Twitter) no firm decision has been made. But Miller played with a knee brace earlier in his career and is believed to be comfortable doing so again, per Fowler. For now, the big-ticket Bills free agent signing is planning to be part of the team’s stretch run.

Miller returning barely two weeks after this injury might be on the optimistic side, but the Bills having their ace pass rusher back at any point in the regular season can be considered good news after his injury at Ford Field. The eight-time Pro Bowler missed all of the 2020 season with an ankle injury, and his December 2013 ACL tear occurred in the same knee he damaged last week.

The Bills have also been without 2021 first-round pick Greg Rousseau for the past three games because of an ankle injury. Miller’s top sidekick, however, has logged two full practices this week and is on track to return against the Patriots. Ditto Tremaine Edmunds, who practiced fully twice already this week. The fifth-year linebacker has missed the past two Bills games. With five sacks in eight games, Rousseau has already topped his rookie-year total. Despite being used on a career-low 61% of his team’s defensive snaps, Miller has eight sacks this season. Sitting on 123.5 career sacks, the 12th-year edge defender is on track for his first double-digit sack season since 2018.

Cowboys Still ‘Full Steam Ahead’ On OBJ

November 28th, 2022 at 11:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

Odell Beckham Jr. being removed from a flight Sunday will not impact the Cowboys’ pursuit of the free agent wide receiver. Confirming the team’s intentions to go through with its planned visit, Mike McCarthy said Monday the team is “full steam ahead” with regards to OBJ.

The Giants are bringing in Beckham for a two-day visit beginning Thursday, but Big Blue’s slot on the meeting itinerary has not affected the league’s expectations. The Cowboys, who will host Beckham on Dec. 5, are viewed as the favorites. An executive for a team linked to Beckham said (via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, on Twitter) he sees the Cowboys as 2-1 favorites to land the former Pro Bowler.

Buffalo is still involved as well, and Von Miller has been pushing for a reunion for several months. The team has lost Jamison Crowder to a fractured ankle, and a Beckham-Stefon Diggs–Gabe Davis–Isaiah McKenzie receiver quartet would be quite formidable. The Bills are expected to meet with Beckham this weekend, Miller revealed during his recent podcast (h/t ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg on Twitter). The Chiefs and the Ravens are believed to still be in the mix; so were the 49ers, as of mid-November. but no known visits are scheduled beyond the aforementioned trio.

In on Beckham for weeks now, the Cowboys have already begun discussions with the eight-year veteran. Jerry Jones spoke with him on Thanksgiving Day. Beckham is not planning to drag out his decision much longer, with Hill adding he is expected to pick a team soon after his Dallas trek.

Beckham, 30, would represent a gamble by a Cowboys team that gave $23MM guaranteed to a receiver (Michael Gallup) coming off an ACL tear. Beckham also bombed, fit-wise, with the Browns. Of course, he regenerated his market by helping the Rams win Super Bowl LVI. The Cowboys will have less time to integrate Beckham compared to the Rams, who signed a healthy version of the wide receiver in early November last year.

Judging by the relentless courting Cowboys players have done, the team is unconcerned about OBJ’s fit in McCarthy and Kellen Moore‘s offense. Some around the league are curious as to how capable Beckham (two ACL tears since November 2020) will be of contributing to a Super Bowl contender, despite an early-November report indicating the wideout was expected to be cleared midway through this month. And it will be interesting to see if a team comes close to the now-well-traveled pass catcher’s Chris Godwin– or Mike Williams-level asking price. Answers to these questions finally appear imminent.

Bills Designate G Ike Boettger For Return

November 28th, 2022 at 6:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

Tre’Davious White made his long-awaited return from a Thanksgiving 2021 injury, and the Bills are soon set to see how their other player who suffered a major injury late last season looks.

Buffalo designated guard Ike Boettger for return from the reserve/PUP list Monday, ESPN.com’s Field Yates tweets, opening his three-week practice window. Out since suffering an Achilles tear in Week 16 last season, Boettger must return in that three-week window or be moved to season-ending IR.

Injuries have hit the Bills hard this season, and while the team has been relatively healthy along its offensive line, Boettger’s return would certainly bolster the unit. The former UDFA had been working as a starter in the weeks leading up to his injury last season.

Buffalo has made some changes at guard since Boettger last played. Rodger Saffold and Ryan Bates are now the Bills’ starters, with the team not re-signing Darryl Williams and Jon Feliciano. The Bills matched the Bears’ Bates RFA offer sheet this offseason, traded Cody Ford to the Cardinals and also added Greg Van Roten, who started against the Lions on Thursday.

Boettger, 28, has made 19 starts over the past two seasons. Pro Football Focus rates Bates and Saffold outside the top 50 at guard; neither has missed a game this season. Bates has played both guard and center this year, stepping in at center to replace Mitch Morse in Week 12. Morse has since returned to practice.

With Saffold, Bates, Van Roten and Boettger in the fold, the Bills will have some options along their interior O-line. The team has seen injuries decimate its defense, most recently injecting uncertainty into Von Miller‘s situation, but its offense has not encountered as much trouble. Despite the Bills’ high volume of injuries, they are in great shape in terms of activations. They have only used one (White) of their eight allowed injury activations.

Latest On Von Miller

November 27th, 2022 at 1:58pm CST by Ely Allen

A Thanksgiving Day injury for star pass rusher Von Miller initially had some Bills fans hitting the panic button, but as updates continue to pour in, we are getting a clearer picture of the situation. The most recent update tells us that Miller will take seven to 10 days to allow the swelling to go down in his knee, allowing for a better evaluation, according to Josina Anderson of CBS Sports.

As unfortunate as it is to likely lose Miller for a game or two, the news has been increasingly optimistic in Buffalo. Initial fears of an ACL tear were downgraded to a knee sprain. Even now, Miller is reportedly remaining optimistic about the eventual reevaluation, boosted by the assurance that he’s been in this situation before, when an ankle injury sidelined him for the entire 2020 season.

The Bills’ tremendous pass-rushing group has been hampered lately with injuries. Last year’s first-round pick out of Miami, Gregory Rousseau, has missed the team’s last three games and A.J. Epenesa was out for the Turkey Day matchup with the Lions. Buffalo still has two extremely capable edge pass rushers in Boogie Basham and Shaq Lawson but losing the team’s top three sack-leaders is never going to be an ideal scenario.

Buffalo is staying calm and remaining optimistic. They’ll have a second straight Thursday game this week in New England and will have a 10-day rest period before hosting two straight home games. Knowing that Miller won’t travel for the next three weeks is ideal. They’ll gauge the damage again after their road trip to the Patriots and have a full week to determine next steps.

Latest On Odell Beckham Jr.

November 27th, 2022 at 8:51am CST by Ely Allen

NOVEMBER 27: As reported previously, the first stop on Beckham’s 2022 free agent tour will be the Giants, who will host their former first-rounder on December 1 and 2 (via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). OBJ will meet with the Cowboys on December 5. Rapoport confirms that Beckham will meet with the Bills as well, though it’s unclear if his Buffalo summit will come before or after his trek to Dallas.

NOVEMBER 25: There continues to be tremendous interest in free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. as he plays the field to determine his new home. While many teams have been mentioned as suitors for Beckham’s talents, the progress of his recovery from two knee surgeries in as many years is still a main cause for concern with most teams, according to Jeff Darlington of ESPN.

Darlington goes on to quote “more than one decision maker” from around the league saying that “the assumption that Odell will be healthy enough to make an impact…has been largely overstated.” Beckham is not only having to come back from the ACL injury that ended his 2021 season, and its resultant surgery, but also a second surgery on his knee that was intended to help repair issues from the first surgery. There has been a concerning lack of reporting in regard to the progress of Beckham’s recovery, which is certainly a reasonable respect towards Beckham’s privacy concerning his health, but without any information, it becomes incredibly difficult to speculate on the outcome of Beckham’s free agency and his eventual impact on a team, old or new.

Regardless, Beckham continues to shop for a new home. Our most recent reports have divulged plans to visit the Giants then Cowboys, both considered to be the top-two contenders for Beckham’s services. It appears that Cowboys owner/president/general manager Jerry Jones had no intentions of saving his recruiting for Beckham’s in-person visit, though, as the two parties made official contact yesterday, the same day as the Cowboys’ Thanksgiving Day win over New York, according to Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Jones reportedly reached out to Beckham on the phone, telling reporters that he “had a good visit” and that an official in-person visit is being set up, though nothing specific has been scheduled as of yet. On what Beckham could bring to the Cowboys at receiver, Jones said, “I think Odell stands on his own as far as being able to be additive…Odell could help us. I believe that right now.”

Jones did echo the sentiments of Darlington above, though, telling the media that he “doesn’t know anything about Beckham’s health and rehab.” Not only did he stress the importance of Beckham’s health, but he also emphasized that the price has to be right. “Availability is huge,” Jones commented. “But the financial part of it is really huge, too.”

From here, it is believed that Beckham will visit his former team in New York and potentially the Bills, as well, before an in-person visit with the Cowboys. He also reportedly remains in contact with the Chiefs and Ravens as many playoff-hopeful teams look to add a strong receiver for a playoff push, provided Beckham’s readiness to return and contribute has not been overstated.

Bills Sign CB Xavier Rhodes To Active Roster; CB Christian Benford To IR

November 26th, 2022 at 4:00pm CST by Ely Allen

The Bills have gotten a nice surprise this season from rookie sixth-round pick Christian Benford, but with Benford headed to injured reserve, veteran cornerback Xavier Rhodes has been signed to the active roster from the practice squad.

Benford stepped up early in the season for Buffalo. In a stacked position room, Benford started in place of an injured Tre’Davious White to begin the year, earning the role over first-round rookie Kaiir Elam and fifth-year cornerback Siran Neal. Elam would eventually work his way into the starting role, but Benford has remained a reliable option, starting the past two games that Elam has missed.

Despite the stacked room led by White, Dane Jackson, and nickel starter Taron Johnson and backed by Elam, Benford, and Neal, injuries have limited the production of the position group. Injury absences from White, Elam, and Benford have made it necessary to have a player like Rhodes available when needed.

Rhodes was called up for his Bills debut last week with White and Elam both on the sideline. The 32-year-old will officially join the active roster as Benford’s oblique injury threatens to keep him out for at least four games. White, who’s making his 2022 debut as he returns from last year’s ACL injury, may be on a limited snap count and, with White’s normal replacements, Elam and Benford, out, the door is open for Rhodes to make an impact in his second game of the season. The Bills will likely trot out White, Jackson, and Johnson as their starting three corners, with Rhodes and Neal close by on the sideline to fill in for White when needed.

As Rhodes leaves the practice squad, the team has added veteran former Bills wide receiver John Brown and undrafted rookie defensive tackle C.J. Brewer to their taxi squad.

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