1 - Chris,

I don’t see how anybody can say that the Bills are good on the offensive line. The loss of Levitre left a gaping hole there. RT is a question mark, since Pears was injured all last year, and Eric Wood seems like he might be injury prone.

CB: I think your concerns about left guard are legitimate, but beyond that Buffalo has capable players for the starting roles and depth behind them. At tackle you have Cordy Glenn on the left and Chris Hairston on the right. Erik Pears is still limited, but when healthy more than capable himself on the right side.

Kraig Urbik is your right guard with Wood in the pivot. Depth-wise you have Zebrie Sanders as a tackle guard option once healthy. Beyond that it is a green group in terms of playing experience, but that’s the case for most of the league.

2 – Chris,

With the new high tempo offense, can we expect Doug Marrone to try to take a lead by choosing to receive this year?

Please say it is so,

Len in NYC

CB: I’ll have to ask him about that to be sure, but most NFL head coaches have found that the research shows if you choose to defer you typically wind up with the last possession of the first half. Obviously by deferring you also get the first possession of the second half. Those back-to-back possessions are seen as valuable in the eyes of many coaches. However, if your defense is substandard it might be wiser to choose to receive first if you win the toss. I’ll see if we can get an answer on coach Marrone’s philosophy on that.

3 – Hi Chris:
Now that the draft is over and we still need some positional fills, who do you  think the Bills will go after in FA to fill those voids (like OL, LB, CB)?

Thanks for delivering!
Mike from Orlando

CB: I think cornerback could prove to be the most pressing need. Buffalo has some interesting young talent at corner among the undrafteds, but there’s already a good deal of youth at the position. I wouldn’t be surprised if they added a veteran to that group at some point.

4 – Dear Chris,

My questions are about Brad Smith, I have heard he has looked good this spring as a WR. Is this his only role now or could he still be a wildcat/#3 game day QB? Will coach Marrone even employ the wildcat? If not could Smith be on the trade block at some point this off season?

Either way I wish him the best the coming season. He’s a real asset as a triple threat and that seems to be something this new staff seems to value.

I hope to hear from you soon on this as I’m sure I’m not the only fan to be wondering about Brads future here. As always GO BILLS!!!
Thanks,

Scott Kane,
Seneca,Pa.

CB: Yes, Brad Smith is strictly a receiver and a return man at this point. Based on coach Marrone’s comment on the Wildcat after the draft, I highly doubt we’ll see it as any respectable part of Buffalo’s offense.

Smith to his credit has performed well in OTA practices. He and T.J. Graham have probably benefited the most from the absence of Stevie Johnson on the practice field.

As for the trade block, I think we’re a bit ahead of the game at this point. There’s a lot of evaluation that needs to be done by this coaching staff.

5 – Hi Chris,

Firstly, thank you for your coverage. As a Bills fan since 1986 living on the other side of the world, I am more than appreciative of all informed coverage.

Two quick questions: have the Bills had talks with Brandon Moore. if not, why not?

Secondly, it is all but impossible to follow college football from here. However, I have watched Keith Pough’s highlights. Admittedly, highlights can be very misleading, but he looked terrific. Why was he not drafted? What chance does he have of making the team?

Thanks,
Jeff Wallace,
Sydney, Australia

CB: Thanks for the kind words. To my knowledge the Bills have not talked to Brandon Moore. Obviously, Bills head coach Doug Marrone knows him extremely well. He was the Jets assistant offensive line coach, who turned him from a defensive lineman to a very successful guard on the offensive side. So there’s a relationship there. At age 33, he’s probably not what the Bills are looking for knowing they want to build this roster from the ground up with players that will be here for the long haul.

However, if they do not like what they feel they are getting from the guard spot you can’t rule out the Bills making a phone call to the veteran.

As for Keith Pough, he’s a bit undersized and did not perform well at the Combine, especially when it came to his 40 time (4.87). He also played at a lower level of college competition at Howard. That doesn’t mean he can’t make an NFL roster, but it discourages NFL clubs from taking a chance on him with a draft choice. Signing him as an undrafted offers less risk. I do know that the Bills are high on him among their undrafted group.

The Arizona Cardinals team site has officially announced the signing. Dansby was a former 2004 draft choice of the Cardinals. The team confirmed it’s a one-year deal.

Dansby played for Miami the past three seasons. He made a free agent visit to One Bills Drive a few days prior to the NFL draft.

“He had a good visit,” Nix told Buffalobills.com. “We liked him. It’s still ongoing. It’s not dead, but it’s not done either.”

Dansby would add a veteran presence to what is largely a young linebacking corps for the Bills. A 10-year vet, Dansby is coming off a career season in which he led the Dolphins with a career-high 134 tackles.

“We wanted to add some veteran experience to the quarterback position on our roster and we think we’ve added a good one by signing Kevin,” said Nix. ”He’s a player we had targeted since he became a free agent and he should be a strong candidate in the competition for the starting quarterback position.”

Kolb will be competing with Tarvaris Jackson and Aaron Corp, who are already on the roster and presumably a rookie that is added via the draft later this month.

Kolb flew into town on Thursday march 28th and after taking a physical, arrived at One Bills Drive around 2:30 pm that day. He met members of the coaching staff and toured the facility before having dinner with Bills President and CEO Russ Brandon and others.

Kolb’s wife, Whitney also made the trip and toured the city and surrounding suburbs.

The quarterback arrived back in town today to officially sign.

According to ProFootballTalk Davis has crossed the New York Jets off his list and will not make his scheduled visit to the Jets facility in Fairlawn, NJ.

The decision is interesting considering he said the following at the conclusion of his visit with the Bills at One Bills Drive.

“I will still see other teams. It’s a business,” said Davis. “You always have to see all your options before you make a decision. I won’t make any fast decision. I want to wait and make sure I’m all the way confident and go from there.”

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Davis has contract offers from Buffalo and Washington, but if the above is true a decision by the tight end may not be imminent.

“I feel confident in the situation and what they’re going to do with the direction that they’re headed,” said Davis while visiting at One Bills Drive Thursday. ”I think they have a good chance to get somebody that can play and when you add pieces around that player it’s going to make that player better as well. So I think they can definitely do that here.”

Washington free-agent TE Fred Davis has contract offers from Bills and Redskins in his pocket as he goes to visit N.Y. Jets.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 28, 2013

Davis is scheduled to visit with the Jets next, and made it clear he wants to weigh all his options before making a decision.

Appearing on PFC internet radio Tuesday, Davis was asked that question. This was his response after confirming he was visiting the Bills.

“This is a team that I got drafted to. I’ve never been on any other team. I would love to stay in Washington, but it’s a business,” said Davis. ”So if there are other opportunities that can benefit me and if the Bills gave me an opportunity to go, they still have a lot of talent on their team as well. They have good receivers, good defense and they have a lot of other qualities where I could help out.  I could actually be a piece added to it.”

Sounds like he’s trying to keep his options open.

Davis arrived in town this morning and completed his physical with team doctors. He’s now touring the team’s facility and will be meeting with Bills coaches this afternoon.

You can read more here.

Appearing on PFC radio Wednesday, Davis was asked about the presence of Chandler on Buffalo’s roster and how it was explained to him by the Bills brass in his dinner with them last weekend.

“(I felt good about) just the conversation we had and the offense with what we would do if I was there,” Davis said. ”Me and Chandler together if he comes back healthy I’m sure there would be a lot of two tight end sets. I saw what he did making plays and scoring touchdowns. He’s the red zone man up there.”

Davis also knows the Bills are likely to draft a quarterback and sees that development as a good thing for a tight end too. 

“The offense that they’re running, it’s very tight end friendly and if you add a rookie QB the tight end is the safety net,” said Davis. ”So there would be a lot of opportunities and whoever the other tight end would be.”

Davis said more than once that he’s not looking to be a star addition, just a contributor wherever he lands in the free agent market.

“If I can help and be a piece to the puzzle, that’s all that really matters to me,” he said. ”I’m not a big town guy, what matters to me is being on a good team with good people around you with good coaches that can help you win.”

Appearing on PFC Radio Wednesday morning, Davis said he sat down over dinner with Bills President & CEO Russ Brandon, GM Buddy Nix, head coach Doug Marrone and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. When asked for his initial impressions of Marrone, Davis said he came away impressed.

“I think when you meet him, just talking to him, he seems like a player’s coach, down to earth and real and that’s something with a lot of coaches you don’t get a chance to see,” said Davis. ”He was really cool and all the things he talked about you can tell he’s a humble guy that doesn’t make choices because of money. It’s more about what he wants to do in life.”

Davis said he got a “good vibe” from the Bills brass.

“We’ll see what happens when I get there,” said Davis. ”I had a good feeling with them. They’re a good group of guys.”

“I leave tomorrow morning for Buffalo,” Davis told Pro Football Central radio host Brian Harrington Tuesday.

Even though Davis might be traveling Wednesday, his visit to the facility may not happen until the following day.

Davis said he also has a visit lined up with the Jets “in a couple of days.”

The talented tight end is coming off of a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered last October, but said he’s already running.

“I feel good right now,” Davis said. ”I’m only four and a half months out of my surgery and I’m already running and stuff so I know what I’m going to be able to do this year. I will be back to 100 percent.”

He insists he’ll be full go by mid-June, which sounds very amibitious. Typically torn Achilles require 11-12 months of rehabilitation. Davis’ physical will likely be the determining factor in assessing just when he can be expected to get full medical clearance to play again.

The tight end, who insisted he’s more than just a pass catching threat talked about his initial meeting with the Bills saying he dined with President & CEO Russ Brandon, GM Buddy Nix, head coach Doug Marrone and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.

“It was a good vibe,” said Davis. “It was more positive than I thought. I talked to them and they’re a good group of guys. I respected what they were talking about and it interesting. It was a good showing.”

In the next breath he did admit that the quarterback situation is a factor.

“That’s the main part of any team. You need that quarterback and you need that leadership,” he said. ”I’m sure whatever they do they’re going to go in the draft and try to get someone or make something happen. That’s something you have to think about, but I’m sure they have a plan for that, which every team hopes to have. I hope it works out. That’s an interesting situation.”

At the same time it sounds like Davis wants to look at all his options before making a decision, which means his visit with the Jets could go on as scheduled after his scheduled visit to Buffalo.

“I just want to see where the best opportunity is to be able to win,” said Davis. ”I had a great conversation with the Bills. The head coach was really cool. The offensive coordinator was cool. The GM and the president they were all great guys. I had a good time. We had a lot of good conversation about football and life. I liked the conversation we had, but it’s a business so you’ve got to see all your options and then make a decision. You can’t just make a decision after seeing one choice.”

A day after visiting with the Indianapolis Colts, Heyward-Bey is reportedly visiting with the Detroit Lions today. That according to the Detroit Free-Press. After the dismissal of Titus Young and Ryan Broyles ACL injury, Detroit needs an outside complement to Calvin Johnson.

Buffalo is also looking for a legitimate outside receiving threat  to allow them to move Johnson into the slot.

Davis suffered a torn Achilles tendon last season in Week 7 and was placed on injured reserve. Recovery time is typically a year, which would bring him to mid-October 2013 before he gets on the field. Davis told NFL Network last week that he’s “a little bit” ahead of schedule for what it’s worth.

The rub for Buffalo is they already have an availability question mark at tight end in Scott Chandler, who is coming off of offseason ACL surgery. Davis’ projected recovery will no doubt be examined and assessed more than once by the Bills and the other clubs reportedly interested (Cleveland, NY Jets, Washington).

Obviously Davis’ talent has teams, including the Bills, willing to take a closer look despite the severity of the injury. Closer inspection however, could reveal an availability situation not all that different from what Buffalo already has with Chandler.

That according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who made the report Sunday evening.

Redskins free-agent TE Fred Davis is scheduled to visit Bills on Wednesday. Jets and Redskins also interested.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 24, 2013

Buffalobills.com has confirmed that the Bills met with Davis Saturday night.

Davis is trying to return from an Achilles injury that landed him on injured reserve last season.

1 - Hi Chris……

Why is it that teams are so afraid to trade a first round pick, or pay the first round tender for a star player?

An example that comes to mind is Victor Cruz. Word is that the Giants are going to place a first round tender on him if any team sign him. Is a player of that caliber not worth a first rounder? There are so many first round picks that don’t pan out, especially in Buffalo, I would think that trading for a proven producer would make sense, especially for a position of need that would be addressed in the draft.
Thanks

L. Briggs

CB: The Giants front office did say that they actually anticipated there might be an offer sheet from a team or two for Cruz. Obviously teams with lower first-round picks might be more apt to do so than a team with a pick in the top half of round one.

His production is proven, but if you’re a team with a lot of needs at other positions, or you’re a team that doesn’t have a quarterback the caliber of Eli Manning you won’t get the same production out of Cruz thereby decreasing his value.

2 – Hey Chris,

The 3 spots that we expect to see the Bills targeting are LB WR and QB with that being said is there any way that the Bills could try to knock out either 1 or 2 of the needs in the FA period? If they could do that, that would allow them to go with the best player available approach and could wait to get a QB till round 2 or 3. 

Thanks Chris,
Josh, Syracuse NY

CB: They’ve addressed OLB with Manny Lawson as everyone knows, but an ILB is still an option along with WR and QB. Buddy Nix has said he thinks the WR position in the draft is deep, which leads me to believe that a WR won’t be added until the draft. Tight end is another position to be addressed so that too has to be targeted. The pickings have gotten slimmer in free agency. I think there is still good value at LB in free agency so I’d anticipate an ILB to be pursued and possibly a TE prior to the draft.

3 – Chris,

Much like you, I strongly believe that teams need to win games upfront on both side of the ball.   With that in mind I am throwing out this prediction as Nix seems to be somewhat predictable:

He will draft Tennessee WR Cordarrelle Patterson at 8, then trade up and take a QB (Tyler Wilson?)

Just wondering your thoughts….

I prefer taking the meat and potatoes players because you can win with less than stellar QB play that way.    It seems like the Bills over the years are too worried about their skill position players (drafting a lot of 1st round RB’s, reaching for Graham, signing TO, etc)
-Jim

CB: I would be surprised if they go with Patterson at 8. I think with the depth at wide receiver in this draft and the best value at that position being in rounds 2-4 Nix won’t go with a one-year wonder in round one. He typically prefers players with more of a college resume.

I see the Bills going for a receiver somewhere between rounds 2-4. Quarterback will be round 1 or 2. Trading down from eight I think is a realistic possibility to get better value at QB and there are teams I believe that will want to get up in the top 10 to take one of the top end offensive or defensive linemen there.

Trading back into the bottom of round one I believe is a harder ask because Buffalo wants to hold onto their picks only having six right now not parting with picks to move up.

4 – Chris,

What about some of our lesser talked about free agents like Kyle Moore? What’s the likelihood he gets signed to a longer deal with the Bills in the next couple of weeks? I feel like he’s a younger, raw type of athlete that can refine his game to be a decent contributor to the Defense… or at least a replacement for Kelsay. The Bills already have some veteran proven pass rushers on the defense, but I feel they could use a young guy with some upside… for the right price.   

Thanks,
Nate in Rochester
PS- Go Bills

CB: It’s difficult to say exactly how the front office feels about Moore. I’m not sure he’s a fit for a multiple front defense because he’s primarily a 4-3 end in terms of his fit. He’s not an OLB in a 3-4 and I don’t know that he has the bulk to line up as a five technique in a 3-4.

Bills GM Buddy Nix did speak to the Toronto Sun about Moore and he said the following.

“We have things we have to do, and things we have to plan to do to keep our own guys, which we will have some, that in the summer we’ll try to get done before the season, or early in the season. And we have to keep those things in mind.”

I don’t know what you take from that comment, but it doesn’t sound to me like the draft is the main focus right now along with filling other positional holes. I’d be surprised if something with Moore happened before then.

5 – Chris,
 
I am hearing at the combine many head coaches say that they reach out to the players college coaches as part of the evaluation process. Is coach Marrone and OC Hackett being interviewed about former Syracuse players? What if Nassib or another SU player is on the Bills radar? As the former college coach, is Marrone obligated to take the call?
 
Thanks,
Kevin from Cheektowaga

CB: I did a story on that very predicament that coach Marrone found himself in because he was getting peppered with questions about his Syracuse players by the friends he had in the NFL coaching ranks. Here’s the story on that very subject and how coach Marrone chose to handle it.

In an interview with the Toronto Sun, Nix confirmed that the club still has some work to accomplish in the free agent market in the coming weeks.

“You have to plug holes in free agency, and that’ll continue for the rest of the spring,” said Nix. ”There’ll be guys available and there’ll be guys that’ll fit, and we’ll plug them in.”

Knowing they have only six draft choices Nix has said more than once that holes have to be filled in free agency to take pressure off their draft.

1 - @ChrisBrownBills would Bills take a flyer on Kolb?

Cparkin2009 12:33pm via Twitter for Android

CB: I’d be surprised if Kolb is on Buffalo’s radar. The Bills have been hard at work this week with a full court press on the quarterback prospects in this year’s draft. Landry Jones, Geno Smith and Tyler Wilson all had pro days this week. Though I wouldn’t rule out the Bills kicking the tires on a veteran free agent, it seems to me that the draft is where their focus lies with respect to quarterback right now.

 2 – Hi Chris,

Thanks for keeping us updated all off-season. If the scenario of Geno Smith falling to the Browns at #6 happens, do you think this would finally be the year the Bills trade up to land the best QB prospect? Andy Reid can probably work with Alex Smith and with the Eagles re-signing Vick it looks like they may not draft a QB but the Cardinals will most likely be looking to draft a QB right before us.    

Thanks,
John

CB: I agree that the Cardinals could still draft a QB despite signing veteran free agent Drew Stanton and jettisoning Kevin Kolb. But Arizona needs help in a lot of places after cutting some high-priced vets. Cleveland has addressed some of their most pressing defensive needs early in free agency, so I don’t think ruling them out for adding a quarterback can be assumed. I realize they drafted Brandon Weeden last year, but they have a new coaching staff and new ownership.

Reporters I’ve talked to in Philadelphia also won’t rule out Chip Kelly drafting a QB, though I don’t believe it’ll happen in round one with the fourth overall pick.

As for trading up, Buddy Nix traditionally does not like to move up and down the board. Now he moved up two places last year to grab T.J. Graham in round three, but it’s a whole different ball game in the top 10 and knowing the Bills only have six picks this year, it’s hard for me to see Nix giving up picks to make a move up higher in the top 10.

3 – Chris,
With Mike Pettine being the defensive coordinator now I assume the Bills are going back to a 3-4.  I was wondering what that means for the defensive line?  Will we see Dareus or Williams move to the end again?

CB: Personally I think Marcell Dareus and Kyle Williams are both versatile enough to play end or DT in Pettine’s system. But I’ll let coach Pettine handle this one since he was recently asked about his defense in an appearance on Bills flagship station WGR Sportsradio 550 this week.

“We’re not going to be true 3-4 or 4-3 as far as how we’re doing it,” said Pettine. “We’re going to be multiple in our fronts that we run. It’s a work in progress. We’re going to highlight in our playbook what we do well. So again it’s going to be more roster based.

“We have our base concepts that we’re going to run and those have been put in from a playbook standpoint, but we’re still trying to rebuild it. As a new staff we took what we built over four years in New York and then add the experience of the other coaches on the staff. We’ve basically hit the reset button on everything. I didn’t want to come in and say, ‘This is what we’re running.’ Over time you accumulate a lot of tweaks and adjustments. We wanted to go back to the baseline and say, ‘Here is the way we’re going to teach it and then understand that these are all the variations of it.’”

4 – Chris,

What are the odds that the Bills pass on a quarterback in the early rounds this year? And pick one next year in the early rounds? Are there any prospects in next year’s draft that are better than this year? It seems to me that at least this way we can get the defense squared away and add a receiver or tight end and have everything in place for a QB next year. Thanks . I enjoy your column.

Sam from Tupper Lake , NY
Sent from my iPhone

CB: I think with Ryan Fitzpatrick no longer on the roster it’s pretty much a must that the Bills draft a quarterback somewhere in the first two rounds of the draft. Obviously what falls to them will say a lot in what is ultimately done, but with a thin free agent class at QB and the draft class at QB not tremendously deep the Bills have to land a QB early as I see it.

5 – Chris,

I’m wondering what type of offense the Bills will run given coach Marrone and Hackett’s system at Syracuse. During the season last year Nassib was quoted as saying that their success with the no huddle spread offense was due to the fact that they run to set up the pass. This is an unusual description and quite the opposite of a west coast system. Yet, newly resigned QB Jackson was quoted as saying he’s looking forward to playing in a west coast system. What type of system do you think the Bills will run?  Thanks for your insight. Go Bills!

Joe
Sent from my iPad

CB: I think it’s safe to say the offense will be heavily rooted in West Coast principles, but it will have its fair share of power running. That’s coach Marrone’s influence being a former offensive lineman. He and coach Hackett wanted to take the best elements of a number of different offenses and incorporate them into one system. Essentially their offense is a multiple system with West Coast roots.

Appearing on the Howard Simon Show on Bills flagship station WGR Sportsradio 550, Pettine provided his thoughts on just what kind of player they believe they have in Lawson.

“I think he brings a guy that has some explosive ability. He’s a tall, rangy guy, a set the edge type defender,” said Pettine. ”And even though we’re not going to be true 3-4 or 4-3 as far as we’re doing it. In our multiple fronts that we run we do need some bigger edge players. So I do think he certainly fits that bill for us. I think he’s an underrated pass rusher. He didn’t get as much opportunity to do that in Cincinnati as much as he did in San Francisco. But he’s a guy we liked coming out (in the draft) years ago and just admire the way that he plays, the effort, the energy, the passion he plays with from afar. So when the opportunity came up for us to evaluate the outside linebackers in free agency he was at the top of the list.”

Lawson barely rushed the passer in his two years with Cincinnati, but it sounds like that is going to change in Buffalo. Even in his press conference Lawson indicated that after speaking with Pettine briefly that he believes he’ll have the opportunity to get after quarterbacks, much like he did earlier in his career.