Bills tanking in stunning fashion
The Buffalo Bills are not in any rush to win games this season. In fact, they would privately be thrilled to go 2-14, land the top pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and finally find a franchise quarterback.
Of course, it won’t be that easy. The Bills, despite their best efforts, are not the worst team in football. Hell, they aren’t the worst team in their own division, with the New York Jets proving they know very little, but they are masters of the epic tank job.
Buffalo should take a lesson from their neighbors in the Meadowlands. The Jets have sold off every possible asset and recouped a ton of draft picks while opening up spots for youngsters to prove themselves. While the Bills and new general manager Brandon Beane are certainly acquiring a bevy of draft picks, they are doing so by trading away young talent.
In a typical tank, you move all proven players for draft capital while holding onto young cornerstones. Instead, Buffalo traded away wide receiver Sammy Watkins to the Los Angeles Rams for a second-round pick and corner E.J. Gaines. While Gaines is young, he’s a role player. Watkins has dealt with injuries throughout his three-year career, but his talent is undeniable. He’s a superstar when on the field, and he is only 24 years old.
Beane wasn’t done, though. In the same day, he shipped corner Ronald Darby to the Philadelphia Eagles, receiving a third-round selection and wide receiver Jordan Matthews. Matthews is ticketed for free agency after this season, a middling player with little upside. Darby, who shined in his rookie season before having a down 2016 campaign, is just 23 years old and full of potential.
In addition, Buffalo dealt inside linebacker Reggie Ragland last week to the Kansas City Chiefs for a 2019 fourth-round choice. Last spring, former general manager Doug Whaley made Ragland the 41st-overall pick, when many believed the former Alabama Crimson Tide star was a first-round talent. Ragland was shipped out because he fits a 3-4 scheme, and new head coach Doug McDermott runs a 4-3, but the miss on Ragland still stings.
On Sunday morning, Buffalo released running back Jonathan Williams, a 23-year-old who was slated to spell LeSean McCoy. Williams averaged more than five yards per carry in the preseason, but it wasn’t enough to save his job. Instead, 31-year-old Mike Tolbert takes the role.
Buffalo has multiple picks in the first, second and third rounds of next year’s draft, putting it in great position to get better quickly. The franchise has not been to the playoffs since 1999, the league’s longest active drought. The idea is fine, and the accumulation of picks is terrific, but the execution has been very questionable. The Bills will be trying to find another Watkins, another Darby and another Williams, something they’ll be using those selection to do.
At some point, the Bills will turn their fortunes around whether due to a great braintrust or blind luck. Hopefully for the fans of Buffalo, it’s sooner rather than later, no matter how it happens.
