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Buffalo Bills News & Rumors

Bills Re-Up Siran Neal

February 23rd, 2022 at 10:34am CST by Zachary Links

The Bills and Siran Neal have agreed to a new three-year deal, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). The new pact — worth up to $10.9MM — will keep the special teams standout in Buffalo for years to come. Before the new contract, Neal was set to become an unrestricted free agent in March.

[RELATED: Bills LBs Coach Bob Babich To Retire]

Neal entered the league in 2018 as a fifth-round draft pick of the Bills. The safety out of Jacksonville State has since appeared in 64 games while spending much of his time on special teams. All in all, he’s got 83 career tackles, four tackles for loss, two QB hits, one sack, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.

He’s been a reliable presence for the Bills, having missed just one game over the last four years. And, since ’18, he’s suited up in six playoff games for Buffalo, tallying seven tackles and one sack in those contests.

With Neal’s contract taken care of, the Bills will turn their attention to more pressing matters, including a potential new deal for cornerback Levi Wallace. Wallace, a former UDFA, has started in all of his games since 2018. This year, he was more crucial than ever as the Bills were forced to play without Pro Bowler Tre’Davious White in the second half of the season.

Bills Add Assistant From D-II Ranks

February 22nd, 2022 at 10:17pm CST by Sam Robinson
  • The Bills are adding Jaylon Finner to their staff, per Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com. Formerly the safeties coach at Division II Texas A&M Commerce, Finner will work as a defensive assistant in Buffalo.

Bills LBs Coach Bob Babich To Retire

February 19th, 2022 at 2:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

Bills linebackers coach Bob Babich intends to retire after nearly 40 seasons on the sidelines, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com notes. Babich has been with Buffalo since the start of Sean McDermott‘s tenure in 2017.

While Babich settled onto the position coach tier during the latter part of his career, he enjoyed two tenures as an NFL defensive coordinator and a six-year stay as North Dakota State’s head coach. Bob Babich’s son, Bobby, is on track to become Buffalo’s next linebackers coach, per Wilson.

A college coach from 1984-2002, Babich broke into the NFL as linebackers coach with the 2003 Rams and trekked to Chicago under Lovie Smith a year later. Smith promoted Babich to assistant head coach in 2006, the Bears’ most recent NFC championship-winning season, and the latter was Chicago’s DC from 2007-09. Babich was with the Bears throughout Smith’s nine-year Windy City tenure.

Babich, 60, later became Jacksonville’s DC, overseeing that unit during the first three seasons of Gus Bradley‘s HC run. The Jaguars fired him following the 2015 slate, but he resurfaced to help McDermott’s Bills rebuild, one that included key contributions from linebackers Matt Milano and Tremaine Edmunds.

Bobby Babich has been the Bills’ safeties coach since 2018. During that time, Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer have operated as one of the NFL’s top back-line duos in recent memory. The younger Babich came to Buffalo after a three-year stay as Cleveland’s DBs coach.

Bills To Hire DL Assistant From College Ranks

February 18th, 2022 at 3:38pm CST by Sam Robinson
  • The Bills are expected to hire Marcus West as a defensive assistant, Bruce Feldman of The Athletic tweets. Previously a co-defensive coordinator at Charlotte, West is on track to be the Bills’ assistant D-line coach, per Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic (on Twitter). This will be West’s first NFL coaching gig.

Bills Interested In Re-Signing Levi Wallace

February 18th, 2022 at 11:46am CST by Adam La Rose

The Bills face a number of tough decisions this offseason as they try to keep one of the league’s most complete rosters intact. One key piece to their league-leading defense is cornerback Levi Wallace, who is a pending free agent. As ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg writes, though, the Bills will look to re-sign him. 

[Related: Tre’Davious White On Track To Return In 2022]

Wallace joined the Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He has started every game he’s appeared in since, however, proving his value to the team. He was counted on in the latter portion of this season in particular, after losing two-time Pro Bowler Tre’Davious White to a torn ACL in November.

Wallace stepped up in White’s absence, putting together arguably the best season of his career. He totalled 58 tackles, two interceptions and a personal-best 10 pass breakups. In coverage, he allowed a completion percentage of 58%, and a passer rating of 72.6, also the best mark of his NFL tenure to date. Overall, Wallace contributed to the Bills defense topping the league in both points (17) and yards (273) allowed per game in 2021.

When asked about the 26-year-old, general manager Brandon Beane said, “he’s a guy we’ll definitely talk to and would love to get him back if he wants to be back”. Even if White does return to full strength, both Wallace and backup Siran Neal are pending free agents, so Beane acknowledged that “cornerback is an area he would look at in free agency”. With the 25th pick in the draft, Buffalo could also be well suited to add a corner, given the depth of that position in this year’s class.

With Buffalo’s limited cap space, and other financial moves which need to be made – including with Stefon Diggs – Wallace could very well find better offers elsewhere. If the Bills are able to keep him, though, he would help the team maintain a highly productive CB tandem, and stay in Super Bowl contention.

AFC Coaching Notes: Bengals, Broncos, Texans, Jaguars

February 14th, 2022 at 3:41pm CST by Adam La Rose

While Super Bowl LVI didn’t go the way the Bengals wanted, their 2021 postseason run demonstrated that they are set to be a force in the AFC for years to come. One of the results of their success is not only an expected contract extension for head coach Zac Taylor, but a number of assistants on his staff as well.

As Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network writes, the list of coaches receiving new deals includes at least five names. On the offensive side of the ball, wide receivers coach Troy Walters is listed; he jumped into coaching almost immediately after an eight-year playing career, and has worked with the Bengals’ wideouts since joining the team in 2020. The other offensive assistant is tight ends coach James Casey, who has coached that position (after playing it himself in the NFL) since 2017. He has been in Cincinnati for the past three seasons.

Defensively, new deals are forthcoming for linebackers coach Al Golden and defensive line coach Marion Hobby. The former has been coaching since 1993, between the college and NFL ranks, including the last two years with the Bengals. The latter is equally experienced, and coached the position in Cincinnati this year, after four seasons doing the same in Jacksonville and Miami. Wilson adds that strength and conditioning coach Joey Boese is the final name on the list.

Here are some other coaching notes from around the AFC:

  • Nathaniel Hackett‘s new staff continues to take shape in Denver. Wilson tweets that Tyrone Wheatley is the new running backs coach. He has previously coached the position at four colleges, including Michigan, as well as the Bills and Jaguars. He was most recently the head coach at Morgan State.
  • The other offensive addition in Denver is Jake Moreland, who is taking over as tight ends coach, according to 9News’ Mike Klis (Twitter link). The 45-year-old’s first NFL coaching gig came with the Jets this past season, serving as an assistant offensive line coach. Klis notes that his background is the same as fellow newcomer Ben Steele.
  • Defensively, the Broncos are adding Bert Watts to their staff. He was most recently the associate head coach at Auburn, but he also held the titles of special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach. The latter will be his purview in Denver, where he was an assistant in 2012 (Twitter link via ESPN’s Dan Graziano).
  • The Texans have made an interesting hire on their offensive staff. Wilson tweets that Ted White, who was a quarterback during the days of NFL Europe, and also in the CFL, has been hired as an offensive assistant. His coaching career includes stints at five college programs, and most recently in the XFL, with a background in working with QBs.
  • Graziano tweets that Jacques Cesaire is coming to Houston as their defensive line coach. The former Charger defensive end began coaching in San Diego in 2015, also spending two years with the Bills as an assistant at that same position.
  • Finally, Deshea Townsend is being hired by the Jaguars, reports NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). This comes as a surprise, since he was expected to join the Vikings’ staff, but changed course due to a perceived sense he’ll get a “bigger role within the defense” in Jacksonville (Twitter link via Chris Tomasson of The St. Paul Pioneer Press). He has previously worked with cornerbacks with five different teams, including four in the NFL, Chicago being the most recent.

Updated 2022 NFL Draft Order

February 14th, 2022 at 8:57am CST by Adam La Rose

With Super Bowl LVI finished, the final two places in the 2022 Draft have been finalized. The Bengals’ top pick is locked into 31st, while the Rams will not have a selection until the third round. For the rest of the league, the focus has already shifted to free agency and the draft, of course, so now all eyes will be on the offseason maneuvering teams do to reshape their rosters.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2021 standings, plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. For playoff teams, the order is determined by their postseason outcome and regular season record.

Pending trades, here is the final first round order of the 2022 Draft:

  1. Jacksonville Jaguars: 3-14
  2. Detroit Lions: 3-13-1
  3. Houston Texans: 4-13
  4. New York Jets: 4-13
  5. New York Giants: 4-13
  6. Carolina Panthers: 5-12
  7. New York Giants(via Bears)
  8. Atlanta Falcons: 7-10
  9. Denver Broncos: 7-10
  10. New York Jets (via Seahawks)
  11. Washington Football Team: 7-10
  12. Minnesota Vikings: 8-9
  13. Cleveland Browns: 8-9
  14. Baltimore Ravens: 8-9
  15. Philadelphia Eagles (via Dolphins)
  16. Philadelphia Eagles (via Colts)
  17. Los Angeles Chargers: 9-8
  18. New Orleans Saints: 9-8
  19. Philadelphia Eagles: 9-8
  20. Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-7-1
  21. New England Patriots: 10-7
  22. Las Vegas Raiders: 10-7
  23. Arizona Cardinals: 11-6
  24. Dallas Cowboys: 12-5
  25. Buffalo Bills: 11-6
  26. Tennessee Titans: 12-5
  27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 13-4
  28. Green Bay Packers: 13-4
  29. Miami Dolphins (via 49ers)
  30. Kansas City Chiefs: 12-5
  31. Cincinnati Bengals: 10-7
  32. Detroit Lions (via Rams)

AFC Coaching Notes: Colts, Bills, Jaguars, Ravens

February 12th, 2022 at 8:55pm CST by Ely Allen

Since Frank Reich was able to land defensive coordinator Gus Bradley to replace Bears’ head coach Matt Eberflus, Bradley has begun the process of putting his staff together. Today Bradley added longtime defensive backs coach Ron Milus to coach his secondary, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. Milus first started coaching defensive backs at his alma mater, the University of Washington, about eight years after playing cornerback there. He held the college position for seven years before getting an NFL coaching opportunity in 2000. Since then, Milus hasn’t spent a season out of work with stints in Denver, Arizona, New York (Giants), St. Louis, Carolina, San Diego, and Las Vegas. His longest stint was with the Chargers, spending eight years in southern California and transitioning with the team to Los Angeles. It was in Los Angeles that Milus was retained when Bradley joined the Chargers’ staff. He followed Bradley to Las Vegas and will join him once more in Indianapolis.

Here are a few other coaching notes from around the AFC starting with another bit from the Hoosier State:

  • In addition to Milus, Mike Chappell of Fox59 reports that Indianapolis is also in the process of hiring linebackers coach Richard Smith, who worked with Bradley and Milus in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Smith has coached in the NFL since he debuted for the Houston Oilers in 1988 coaching special teams and tight ends. He found his niche as a linebackers coach in 1997 for the 49ers and has had three short stints as a defensive coordinator in Miami, Houston, and Atlanta.
  • ESPN’s Yates also tweeted out a report that the Bills have added former QB Kyle Shurmur on staff in a defensive quality control position. After four years at Vanderbilt, Shurmur signed as an undrafted free agent with the Chiefs, spending time on their practice squad as well as on the Bengals’ and Washington’s practice squads. He was released by Washington a little over a month ago and that appears to mark the end of his playing career. He seems to be following in the footsteps of his father, Pat Shurmur, and joining the coaching track.
  • A castaway from the Matt Nagy Bears’ staff, outside linebackers coach Bill Shuey will not be without work for long as Curtis Crabtree of NBC Sports reports that Shuey is joining Doug Pederson‘s staff in Jacksonville in the same role. Shuey and Pederson had two separate tenures together in Philadelphia.
  • Pederson also made a crucial move of retaining running backs coach Bernie Parmalee. Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network tells us that keeping Parmalee was a priority for Pederson, especially due to his strong relationship with star running back James Robinson.
  • Baltimore has hired Rob Leonard as outside linebackers coach, according to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley (Twitter). Leonard will replace Drew Wilkins who left to join Brian Daboll‘s staff in New York. Leonard spent the past three seasons in the same position with the Dolphins. Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic adds that former Michigan analyst Ryan Osborn will follow Mike Macdonald to the Ravens for a quality control position. Osborn is credited with having a role in the development of Wolverines’ EDGE players like Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo.

Emmanuel Sanders Considering Retirement

February 11th, 2022 at 9:52am CST by Adam La Rose

Emmanuel Sanders has spent the past few seasons chasing a second Super Bowl ring, but 2021 may have been the final chapter in that endeavor. As Nick Fierro of Sports Illustrated writes, the veteran is giving retirement some serious consideration. 

Sanders will be 35 by the start of the 2022 season, which would be his 13th year in the league. In an interview with Colin Cowherd of Fox Sports, he made it clear that his priorities may be changing with regards to the balance between football and family.

“I’ve got my son, he’s getting older”, he said. “I’ve got a daughter getting older. And for the past three years, [I’ve] been traveling and moving from team to team, trying to win a Super Bowl. But I’ve got some reflecting I want to do and possibly retire. I don’t know yet. I’m just feeling it out”.

Sanders spent the first four years of his career with the Steelers, after being drafted in the third round in 2010. His longest – and most successful – stint came with the Broncos, which included a stretch of three consecutive 1,000 yard seasons. It’s also where he won his only Super Bowl to date. He got a chance at another title with the 49ers in 2019, but wound up on the losing end of that game.

After a season with the Saints which saw another playoff appearance, and demonstrated he could still be a productive complementary receiver, Sanders joined his third new team in as many years. He signed a one-year, $6MM deal with the Bills last March. Even though Sanders didn’t exactly fill the stat sheet (42 catches, 626 yards and four touchdowns in 14 games), he had another good opportunity at a Super Bowl. Once again, he was ousted by the Chiefs, though, in an iconic game which may have been his last in the NFL.

If Sanders does find a home for another season, he would need 755 yards to reach 10,000 for his career. If he doesn’t return to Buffalo, the Bills would still have Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis under contact for next season.

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