May 16, 2013 - 12:16 PM
By Tim Graham
Congratulations on the new job, Doug Whaley.
Now what are you going to do about Jairus Byrd?
Whaley had been settled into his seat on the podium at One Bills Drive for about seven minutes before he was asked about the team's biggest contract issue.
Byrd, the two-time Pro Bowl safety, has neither signed his franchise tag nor reported for voluntary workouts like the rest of his teammates.
Continue reading "Jairus Byrd's contract an immediate issue for Doug Whaley" »
May 15, 2013 - 10:08 AM
By Tim Graham
In the three years Buddy Nix was general manager, the Buffalo Bills significantly enhanced their depth at almost every position.
The club didn't scrimp on backups as much. Gone were a bunch of special-teamers who couldn't play a regular position.
The results, though, didn't reflect the added talent.
Under new guidance, the Bills have decided to start over while trying to focus on young talent that could turn into something later. They've gotten rid of veteran starters and are willing to take a chance on inexperienced players hopefully on the make.
Look up and down the roster, and you will see a lot of positions that are dependant on emerging youth.
In Tuesday's video report from One Bills Drive, we glimpsed how capricious the team is at wide receiver behind Stevie Johnson. In this morning's paper, Mark Gaughan wrote about Buffalo's youth at cornerback.
With that in mind, I want to ask who you think the most indispensible Bills player is for 2013.
Which player's absence would provide the most trouble for the team's success?
If you click the "Other" option, please take a moment and jot the name of the player you'd vote for in the comments section below.
April 29, 2013 - 1:50 PM
By Tim Graham
The Buffalo Bills now have gotten rid of their top three tacklers from last season.
The Bills announced this afternoon they've traded linebacker Kelvin Sheppard to the Indianapolis Colts for pass-rusher Jerry Hughes.
Hughes was the 31st overall pick in the 2010 draft, but has been a disappointment, starting only seven games in his three NFL seasons.
Hughes made 41 tackles and added a career-high four sacks for the Colts last year.
Sheppard, a 2011 third-round pick, was third on the Bills last year with 77 tackles, three for losses, two sacks and a pass breakup.
The Bills previously cut leading tackler Nick Barnett and No. 2 tackler George Wilson. The Bills' fourth-leading tackler, safey Jairus Byrd, isn't under contract.
April 27, 2013 - 7:47 PM
By Tim Graham
Buffalo Bills President Russ Brandon said he's "not concerned" star safety Jairus Byrd remains unsigned.
But by all appearances the club is getting ready for life without him just in case.
The Bills today drafted safeties Duke Williams and Jonathan Meeks in the fourth and fifth rounds.
"Obviously, we will be prepared for whatever happens," Bills General Manager Buddy Nix said.
Continue reading "Bills 'not concerned' about Jairus Byrd, but preparing anyway" »
April 16, 2013 - 1:35 PM
By Tim Graham
The Buffalo Bills weren't in full-blown, "We're only going to talk about the guys who are here" mode, but I get the sense they're girding for the possibility of a lengthy contract standoff with Pro Bowl safety Jairus Byrd.
The Bills used their franchise tag on Byrd to retain his rights for the upcoming season. He's not obliged to sign it.
The franchise tag for safeties provides a one-year, guaranteed salary of $6.916 million. While Byrd and the Bills both want a long-term contract, agreeing on the value is the issue. For example, free-agent safety Dashon Goldson signed a four-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers worth a reported $41.25 million with $22 million in guarantees.
Continue reading "Buddy Nix acknowledges potential Jairus Byrd contract trouble" »
April 15, 2013 - 8:20 AM
By Tim Graham
Let's not panic. We're only in April. Training camp is three and a half months away.
And if Jairus Byrd misses some voluntary workouts -- or even mandatory minicamp practices in June -- the Buffalo Bills' world won't spin off its axis. The guy's a two-time Pro Bowler entering his fifth NFL season.
Neither he nor the team will suffer.
Then again, don't assume everything will be just peachy.
NFL.com reporter Ian Rapoport wrote Sunday night Byrd will not attend the Bills' voluntary workouts this week absent a long-term deal. The Bills used their franchise tag on Byrd, but he wants security and won't risk injury without a contract.
Again, the process is in its nascent stages. But this also could be an early step on a drawn-out saga.
Byrd's agent is Eugene Parker, and that guy doesn't fool around.
Parker, you may recall, represents former Bills tackle Jason Peters.
Although Peters still had two years left on a previously restructured contract, dissatisfaction and Parker's refusal to bend on what he felt his star client was worth forced the Bills to trade Peters in April 2009 to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles then gave Peters a six-year contract worth about $60.6 million.
Of the eight players who were given the franchise tag this year, only Byrd and Denver Broncos tackle Ryan Clady have not signed.
The franchise tag for safeties is a guaranteed one-year contract of $6.916 million if Byrd opts to accept it. But why would he? Free-agent safety Dashon Goldson signed a four-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers worth a reported $41.25 million with $22 million in guarantees.
Peters also was coming off his second Pro Bowl season at the time. Since the trade he has been chosen for three more Pro Bowls and has been voted All-Pro. The draft picks the Bills received for Peters became center Eric Wood, tight end Shawn Nelson and linebacker Danny Batten.
I suppose you can argue whether the Bills won that trade because fans came to loathe Peters -- mainly because of the way Parker manipulated the situation with holdouts and threats -- and Wood is a fan favorite.
But you must agree Parker did everything he could for his client and without fear of public opinion.
That's something to consider with Byrd's contract situation moving forward.
April 12, 2013 - 3:00 PM
By Tim Graham
Former Buffalo Bills safety Donte Whitner visited the NFL Network's "NFL AM" crew this morning, and one of the segments asked him to name the five best safeties in the league.
The top two on Whitner's list are former teammates:
Whitner played alongside Byrd for two seasons in Buffalo's secondary.
"He's a guy that's going to force fumbles," Whitner said. "He's going to always be around the football. He has very good hands, very good instincts.
"I'd say that if he's not No. 2, he's really 1-B."
April 10, 2013 - 12:53 AM
By Tim Graham
The Buffalo Bills lost another free agent.
Kyle Moore, a surprise performer last year on a disappointing defensive front, signed a one-year contract Monday with the Chicago Bears.
Moore, despite being inactive the first four games, started seven straight games in November and December. Moore made 24 tackles, three for losses. He notched the first three sacks of his career.
Analytics website ProFootballFocus.com rated Moore 25th in pass-rushing among all 4-3 defensive ends who played at least 25 percent of their teams' snaps. The site tallied 23 quarterback hurries for Moore, tying him for 30th in the NFL.
Moore had arthroscopic knee surgery in January, but a source informed The Buffalo News the Bills wanted to re-sign him. But last month's acquisition of linebacker Manny Lawson might have made Moore expendable.
Moore was a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fourth-round draft choice in 2009 and eventually landed on the Detroit Lions' practice squad, from where the Bills plucked him in November 2011.
An update accounting of the comings and goings on Buffalo's roster in free agency:
Players who have re-signed
Players whose rights have been retained
Players who have joined
Players who have departed
March 21, 2013 - 12:18 PM
By Tim Graham
I've wondered out loud how a team can miss 13 straight postseasons and claim to rebuild through the draft yet fail to re-sign the players who develop just as they hoped they would when drafting them.
I asked Andrew Brandt, an ESPN business analyst who handled player contracts and the salary cap for the Green Bay Packers, how the moribund Bills could connect on a second-round draft pick such as left guard Andy Levitre and not be able to re-sign him.
The problem, Brandt explained, is that the Bills should have addressed Levitre's future a long time ago.
Continue reading "Is Buffalo's front office allowing itself to get out-leveraged?" »
Tim Graham returned to The Buffalo News in 2011 after covering the NFL for three years at ESPN and for one year at the Palm Beach Post. Before that, the Cleveland native spent seven seasons on the Buffalo Sabres beat for The News and was president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
@ByTimGraham | tgraham@buffnews.com
Buffalo native Mark Gaughan started working at The News in 1980 and has been covering the Bills exclusively since 1992. He is president of the Pro Football Writers of America, and he is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee.
@gggaughan | mgaughan@buffnews.com
Jay Skurski joined The News in January 2009. The Lewiston native attended St. Francis High School before graduating from the University of South Florida. He writes a weekly Fantasy column in addition to his beat writing duties.
